Applied Physics A最新文献

{"title":"Multiscale engineering of silicon anodes: linking structure, mechanics, interfaces, and commercialization","authors":"Girija Shankar Dixit,&nbsp;Dube Dheeraj Prakashchand,&nbsp;Arijit Guha,&nbsp;Soumya Sanjeeb Mohapatra","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10056-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10056-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Silicon has attracted significant attention as a next-generation anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its exceptionally high theoretical specific capacity (3579–4200 mAh g⁻¹), low lithiation potential, natural abundance, and compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing technologies. Despite these advantages, the commercialization of silicon anodes remains challenging because of severe volume expansion, unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, mechanical degradation, and rapid capacity fading during repeated lithiation and delithiation. This review presents a comprehensive and design-oriented perspective on silicon anodes by integrating material properties, synthesis techniques, lithiation mechanisms, degradation pathways, and advanced engineering strategies within a unified framework. The fundamental design requirements for next-generation anodes, including high energy density, power density, cycle life, fast-charging capability, mechanical stability, initial Coulombic efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, are first discussed. Subsequently, various silicon fabrication methods, nanostructured architectures, silicon-based composites, and multiscale modeling approaches are critically reviewed. The interconnected degradation mechanisms responsible for silicon-anode failure are analyzed, followed by a comprehensive evaluation of recent engineering strategies, including nanostructure optimization, interface engineering, silicon–carbon composites, advanced binders, electrolyte modification, and electrode architecture design. Finally, current research gaps, commercialization challenges, and future opportunities, including scalable manufacturing, sustainable silicon resources, artificial intelligence-assisted material design, and battery recycling, are discussed. This review provides practical design principles and future research directions for developing mechanically robust, electrochemically stable, and commercially viable silicon anodes for high-energy–density lithium-ion batteries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphology-dependent charge transport in P3HT: PC₇₀BM bulk heterojunctions with a hybrid electron transport layer for indoor photovoltaics","authors":"Shawbo Abdulsamad Abubaker,&nbsp;Sameen Aslam,&nbsp;Saleh K. Alsaee,&nbsp;Suleman Kazim Omotayo,&nbsp;Ahlaam T. Nomaan,&nbsp;Suvindraj Rajamanickam,&nbsp;Mohammed Kakasur Omar,&nbsp;Mohd Zamir Pakhuruddin","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10300-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10300-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics (BHJ-OPVs) have attracted significant attention as sustainable power sources for low-energy electronic devices due to their lightweight structure, mechanical flexibility, and efficient operation under indoor illumination. Indoor organic photovoltaics (IOPVs) offer a promising approach for powering Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices by harvesting ambient artificial light and reducing reliance on disposable batteries. In this work, the influence of the donor–acceptor composition on the morphology and photovoltaic performance is systematically investigated in OPV devices with the architecture glass/FTO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PC₇₀BM/ZnO NPs:Alq3/Ag. Optical and electrical analyses demonstrate that a balanced 1:1 donor–acceptor ratio improves nanoscale phase separation and charge transport, thereby enhancing device performance. The optimized devices achieve a maximum power conversion efficiency of 6.32% and an output power of 0.15 mW under white LED illumination (3000 K, 400 lx), while maintaining reproducible photovoltaic operation across a wide range of indoor illumination intensities. Although P3HT:PC₇₀BM does not deliver record efficiencies under standard solar illumination, its reproducibility and compatibility with easy and low-cost fabrication make it well suited for indoor energy harvesting, providing a practical strategy for self-powered sensors and low-power electronic systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Substrate-dependent thermal modulation of electrical and dielectric properties in p-MoO₃/n-semiconductor Heterojunctions","authors":"Hasan Makara,&nbsp;Osman Çiçek,&nbsp;Yosef Badali,&nbsp;Fatih Ünal","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10290-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10290-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Controlling interface characteristics in metal-oxide-semiconductor heterojunctions is crucial for advancing next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this work, a detailed study on the characteristics of p-MoO3 heterostructures prepared on four different n-type substrates having wide bandgaps (Si, InP, GaAs, and SiC) before and after annealing at 200 °C in ambient air conditions was carried out. The deposition of p-MoO3 resulted in the formation of orthorhombic α-phase with polycrystalline nature. Annealing caused a significant transformation at the p-MoO₃/n-SiC interface, but this transformation altered the transport mechanism rather than improving classical diode performance. Changes in barrier height and rectification ratio indicate a reshaping of the interface chemistry and carrier transport mechanism. This transition is characterized by an increase in series resistance (Rs ~ 3.68 × 10⁷ Ω), a decrease in barrier height from 1.531 to 1.203 eV, and a rectification ratio of 2.12. Also, the annealing process leads to noticeable changes in the electrical characteristics of the p-MoO₃/n-GaAs heterojunction, suggesting possible modifications at the heterointerface. These changes may be associated with thermally induced variations in the interfacial defect distribution, stoichiometry, and interface properties. The frequency dependent dielectric studies on the p-MoO3/n-SiC heterostructure indicated non-Debye dielectric relaxation and strong interfacial polarization with hopping dominated ac conductivity. The results described above outline a substrate-dependent annealing approach that is crucial for developing MoO3 devices for power electronic and optoelectronic applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study the effect of moisture and nitrogen dioxide on the properties of gas sensors based on functionalized TiO2/MWCNTs composites","authors":"Husham N. Noori,&nbsp;Nawras K. Ali,&nbsp;Hind I Murad,&nbsp;Waleed K. Mahmood,&nbsp;Raied K. Jamal,&nbsp;Maryam Badeaa Abood","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10296-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10296-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this research, nanocomposites composed of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NO₂) and carboxylic-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs–COOH) were synthesized and evaluated for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensing. We prepared anatase NO₂ nanoparticles by the sol-gel method and functionalized MWCNTs through acid oxidation. We prepared NO₂/MWCNTs–COOH nanocomposites with different weight ratios and deposited thin layers on suitable substrates by thermally assisted spray coating. We investigated the structural, chemical, and morphological characteristics of the samples using XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, EDXS, AFM, and zeta potential analysis. The results showed that functionalized MWCNTs prevent NO2 nanoparticle aggregation and lead to more uniform distribution, reduced surface roughness, and significantly improved colloidal stability in the nanocomposites. The gas detection properties of the samples were evaluated for NO2 gas at 50 ppm and at different working temperatures. All samples showed maximum sensor response at a working temperature of 400 °C. Increasing the TiO₂ weight share in the nanocomposite improved sensor response, with the NO2/MWCNTs–COOH nanocomposite at 80:20 delivering the highest response. Examining the effect of humidity showed that water vapor causes only a moderate decrease in sensor response, and the sensors maintain overall performance under humid conditions. Our findings show that the NO2/MWCNTs–COOH nanocomposite, especially at the optimal ratio of 80:20, could be a promising option for fabricating high-performance NO2 gas sensors because of its high response, good stability, and acceptable humidity sensitivity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis, optical properties, and ROS-generating performance of CdWO₄:Eu nanoparticles in potential photodynamic activity","authors":"M. Mardanian,&nbsp;E. Sadeghi,&nbsp;E. Ghanbari","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10263-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10263-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Europium-doped cadmium tungstate (CdWO₄:Eu) nanoparticles were synthesized via chemical precipitation, and their photophysical properties and efficiency in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under abiotic conditions were comprehensively investigated for potential photodynamic applications. Nanocrystals with varying Eu molar ratios (0.1–2.0 mol%) were characterized using XRD, SEM, EDX, PL, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) and hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) production were evaluated using anthracene, methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B chemical probes. The optimal europium doping level for singlet oxygen generation was determined to be 0.5 mol%. Hydroxyl radical photogeneration was further confirmed through the degradation kinetics of MB and rhodamine B under UV irradiation. Notably, the time-dependent photoluminescence decay of the nanoparticles was monitored for over 6,500 s post-excitation to evaluate their emission stability. It is important to emphasize that the present study focuses exclusively on the synthesis, material characterization, and abiotic evaluation of ROS photogeneration using chemical molecular probes. As an initial proof-of-concept investigation, critical biological safety and efficacy evaluations—including cadmium-ion leaching dynamics, cellular uptake, cell viability, dark toxicity, and in vitro/in vivo phototoxicity are beyond the scope of this work and represent essential prerequisites that must be systematically addressed in future biological studies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of ZnO/CoFe2O4 nanocatalysts for visible-light-induced photocatalytic and photo-fenton degradation of Methylene Blue and Eosin Yellow dyes","authors":"T. Senthil Ganesh,&nbsp;N. M. Ganesan,&nbsp;N. Senthilkumar,&nbsp;T. S. Senthil","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10285-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10285-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, a ZnO/CoFe₂O₄ (ZCF) composite was prepared via the sol-gel technique, and its effectiveness in degrading Methylene Blue (MB) and Eosin Yellow (EY) dyes from aqueous solution under visible light was assessed. Photoluminescence (PL), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) approaches were used to evaluate the optical, architectural, and physicochemical features of catalysts, which were then thoroughly addressed. The DRS study implies that the band gap expands to 2.01 eV in accordance with the rise in ZnO content, while it is 1.61 eV for 0.05 M of ZnO content (ZCF-1). It was shown that the integration of ZnO improves the photocatalytic activity of CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) substantially. Strong synergy among ZnO and CoFe₂O₄ was demonstrated by the hybrid ZCF-4, which demonstrated the strongest efficiency up to 85% and 87% towards MB and EY decontamination, respectively. The observed rate constant value for ZCF-4 was 23.87 × 10^− 3 and 27.86 × 10^− 3 respectively, for EY and MB dye. OH radicals were one of the active species that were essential to the degradation of MB and EY, which were found through radical scavenging experiments. The stability of the ZCF-4 was examined for five repeated cycles of dye degradation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cutting parameter-dependent material removal and atomic-scale deformation in laser-assisted nanomachining of NiCrCoMoFeAl alloy","authors":"Huu–Chuyen Vu,&nbsp;Dinh–Quan Doan,&nbsp;Van–Tuan Chu,&nbsp;Thi–Thuy Anh Nguyen,&nbsp;Xuan–Hung Do","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10289-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10289-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to examine the influence of machining parameters during laser-assisted nanomachining of the NiCrCoMoFeAl alloy. Increasing the cutting speed over the range of 25–200 m/s results in a rise in the material removal rate from 0.2 to 1.69 nm³/ps. Meanwhile, the cutting-zone temperature exhibits a non-monotonic variation, reaching a maximum of 934.5 K at 150 m/s before decreasing slightly as cutting speed increases further. This decrease is associated with enhanced heat removal by the high-speed chip. The subsurface damage depth exhibits a non-monotonic response to cutting speed, increasing to 27.23 Å at 50 m/s and then decreasing to a minimum of 18.8 Å at 150 m/s. This trend results from the competing effects of strain-rate-induced hardening, stress relaxation, and laser-induced thermal softening. The stress and strain fields reveal that increasing cutting speed modifies the spatial distribution of deformation and stress localization, accompanied by localized thermal accumulation near the tool–workpiece interface. Increasing the cutting depth from 5 Å to 30 Å raises the cutting force from 96.1 nN to 292.4 nN and the average stress from 13.31 GPa to 14.26 GPa. The resulting intensified loading expands the plastic deformation zone, increasing the fraction of highly strained atoms from 1.03% to 3.70% and extending the depth of subsurface damage from 15.36 to 35.2 Å. Microstructural analysis reveals that stacking fault-mediated plasticity, dominated by Shockley partial dislocations, is associated with the deformation process. Cutting parameters also alter chip formation, atomic flow, and subsurface defects, reflecting the balance between material removal efficiency and surface integrity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geometric and electrical optimization of a single-quantum-well Al(_{0.3})Ga(_{0.7})As/GaAs resonant tunneling diode with triangular barriers for enhanced NDR performance","authors":"H. Oudghiri,&nbsp;A. Baidri,&nbsp;F. Falyouni,&nbsp;A. Ouariach,&nbsp;D. Bria","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10287-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10287-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, we theoretically investigate the quantum transport properties of a resonant tunneling diode (RTD) based on a single quantum well embedded between two triangular barriers under an applied bias. Using the effective mass approximation and the transfer matrix formalism, the electron transmission coefficient is calculated by solving the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation, and the current density is evaluated using the Tsu–Esaki formalism. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior and its dependence on the geometrical parameters, namely the quantum well width <span>(d_3)</span> and the barrier thickness <i>d</i>. The influence of these parameters on the current–voltage characteristics, the NDR power, the negative differential conductance and resistance, as well as the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) is systematically investigated. The results reveal the existence of optimal structural configurations that maximize the NDR power and enhance the PVCR through a trade-off between quantum confinement and tunneling transparency. These findings provide useful guidelines for the design and optimization of high-performance resonant tunneling devices for high-speed and high-frequency electronic applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermal and mechanical performance of nanohybrid melt-spun PCL/GO and PCL/CNT composite fibers","authors":"Rubén Gutiérrez-Fuentes,&nbsp;José Luis Jiménez-Pérez,&nbsp;Zormy Nacary Correa-Pacheco,&nbsp;Cornelio Ramos-Flores,&nbsp;Alfredo Cruz-Orea,&nbsp;Verónica Hernández-Rosas","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10273-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10273-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Carbon nanostructure-reinforced polymer composites have received growing attention for advanced materials applications, because they can simultaneously enhance thermal transport and mechanical performance. The polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) were fabricated by a controlled melt-spinning process using a LabVIEW based system for real time control of processing temperature and collection speed. GO and CNT were added at 0.12 wt% and fibers with diameters of 100 to 266 μm were produced at roller speeds of 5 to 20 rpm. A systematic study of the effect of processing speed and type of carbon nanostructures on the morphology of fibers, thermal diffusivity and tensile properties was performed. Thermal diffusivity was determined by means of the open-cell photoacoustic method, which is a non-destructive method and requires little sample preparation. An increase in the roller speed led to a decrease in the fiber diameter and caused corresponding changes in the thermal and mechanical properties. The thermal diffusivity and the mechanical performance of the PCL/CNT fibers were significantly improved in comparison with neat PCL and PCL/GO fibers. The maximum thermal diffusivities of the PCL/CNT and PCL/GO fibers were 7.87 × 10^− 3 and 2.62 × 10^− 3 cm²/s, respectively, at 5 rpm. The better thermo-mechanical behavior of PCL/CNT is attributed to the formation of more effective carbon nanotube-mediated heat- and load-transfer pathways. The main contribution of this work is the establishment of a direct relationship between the melt-spinning conditions, the type of carbon nanostructure, the thermal diffusivity and the mechanical performance of the PCL composite fibers, along with the demonstration of open-cell photoacoustic analysis as an effective tool for their thermophysical characterization. These results provide useful guidelines for the design of carbon-reinforced biodegradable polymer fibers for tissue engineering, biomedical materials, sensors and thermally functional polymer systems.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fabrication and characterization of CdxZn1−xS nanoleaf and nanotube/PbS nanocube heterojunction solar cells","authors":"Priyanka Das,&nbsp;Satyajit Saha,&nbsp;Amit Kumar Bhunia","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10294-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10294-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, nanostructured Cd_xZn_1−xS (nanoleaf and nanotube)/PbS nanocube heterojunction solar cells were fabricated using a cost-effective approach and subsequently characterized. The synthesized Cd_xZn_1−xS nanostructures (x = 0, 0.5, and 1) and PbS nanocubes (NCs) were systematically characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The calculated band gap energy of CdS nanotubes (NTs) was 2.5 eV and that of Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S nanoleaves (NLs), ZnS NPs were 2.91 eV and 3.82 eV, respectively. The grown PbS showed formation of fine nanocube morphology with excitonic peak at ~ 1420 nm and band gap energy ~1 eV. The average life time varies from 1.19 ns to 2.83 ns. Solar cell of nanostructured Cd_xZn_1−xS/PbS NCs were fabricated using spin coating method and thermal evaporated Ag was used as Ohmic contact with ITO as main substrate (Ag/ PbS NCs/ nanostructured Cd_xZn_1−xS /ITO). The current under dark and visible light irradiation condition was studied for all of the fabricated solar cells. The characterization of the solar cell showed efficiency of ~ 1.75%, ~ 0.47% and ~ 0.092%, for CdS NTs/ PbS NCs solar cell, Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S NLs/ PbS NCs solar cell and ZnS NPs/PbS NCs solar cell, respectively. The fill factor of the solar cell varied from 0.25 to 0.34 (˂ 1).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}