Carbon nanotube/polymer composites as a highly stable hole collection layer in perovskite solar cells.
Nano letters 14:10 (2014) 5561-5568
Abstract:
Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells have recently emerged at the forefront of photovoltaics research. Power conversion efficiencies have experienced an unprecedented increase to reported values exceeding 19% within just four years. With the focus mainly on efficiency, the aspect of stability has so far not been thoroughly addressed. In this paper, we identify thermal stability as a fundamental weak point of perovskite solar cells, and demonstrate an elegant approach to mitigating thermal degradation by replacing the organic hole transport material with polymer-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) embedded in an insulating polymer matrix. With this composite structure, we achieve JV scanned power-conversion efficiencies of up to 15.3% with an average efficiency of 10 ± 2%. Moreover, we observe strong retardation in thermal degradation as compared to cells employing state-of-the-art organic hole-transporting materials. In addition, the resistance to water ingress is remarkably enhanced. These are critical developments for achieving long-term stability of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.An ultrafast carbon nanotube terahertz polarisation modulator
Journal of Applied Physics American Institute of Physics 115:20 (2014) 203108-203108
Abstract:
We demonstrate ultrafast modulation of terahertz radiation by unaligned optically pumped single-walled carbon nanotubes. Photoexcitation by an ultrafast optical pump pulse induces transient terahertz absorption in nanowires aligned parallel to the optical pump. By controlling the polarisation of the optical pump, we show that terahertz polarisation and modulation can be tuned, allowing sub-picosecond modulation of terahertz radiation. Such speeds suggest potential for semiconductor nanowire devices in terahertz communication technologies.Novel carbon nanotube-conjugated polymer nanohybrids produced by multiple polymer processing.
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 25:31 (2013) 4365-4371
Abstract:
We describe two methods in which we manipulate the binding of multiple conjugated polymers to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to produce new and novel nanostructures. One method fi rst utilizes the selective binding of poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO) to a narrow distribution of semiconducting SWNTs and then uses a polymer exchange to transfer this purity to other nanotube-polymer combinations, using technologically useful polymers such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(9,9'-dioctylfluoreneco -benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) as fi rst examples. The other method involves controlling the competitive binding of P3HT and F8BT to SWNTs to produce coaxial nanostructures consisting of both polymers simultaneously bound in ordered layers. We show that these two simple solution-processing techniques can be carried out sequentially to afford new dual-polymer nanostructures comprised of a semiconducting SWNT of a single chirality. This allows the favorable properties of both polymers and purified semiconducting SWNTs to be implemented into potentially highly efficient organic photovoltaic devices.Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 on TiO2 and other semiconductors.
Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) 52:29 (2013) 7372-7408