Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials for Energy Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 5181

Special Issue Editors

Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), via Michele Miraglia 20, 90100 Palermo, Italy
Interests: semiconductors; electrochromic materials; thin films; electrochemical deposition; optoelectronic devices; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Nonlinear Optical Group, Institute of Sciences and Molecular Technologies of Angers, University of Angers, MOLTECH Anjou - UMR CNRS 6200, France 2. Member of the Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology, Morocco
Interests: optical properties of new architectures of nanostructured materials, including advanced polymers for photonics, nonlinear optics, and energy applications; nonlinear optics as a tool for the diagnosis and characterization of specific molecular systems; molecular photonics and light amplification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Light-induced electronic processes have played an important role in technological development. In fact, the interaction between materials and light itself has found a wide field of application in phototransistors, photomultipliers, optical memories, photosensors, photoelectrochemical solar cells, photocatalysis, solar cells, LEDs, electrochromic devices, NLO-based devices, and the photo-induced synthesis of new materials. This attractive field of research is interdisciplinary and involves materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering. Especially in recent decades, materials scientists have focused their efforts on the design and synthesis of new materials, new photonics architectures, and ordered structures at the nano-scale level for improving optoelectronic device performance.

In addition, the global need for producing green energy has stimulated research on semiconducting materials to employ in high-efficiency solar cells in order to replace fossil fuels in energy production.

Considering the importance of optoelectronics applications from both technological and environmental points of view, we are pleased to invite you to submit your recent research to our Special Issue entitled Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles for the journal Crystals. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect recent research about materials with promising optoelectronic properties, highlighting recent improvements, new challenges, and future perspectives. Research areas may include (but are not limited to): nanostructures, new synthetic routes for the fabrication of nanoparticles, thin films and liquid crystalline materials, original studies about material characterization and the application of organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials in devices such as solar cells, electrochromic devices, LEDs, photodetectors, optical sensors, etc. This Special Issue aims to open discussions on new findings and to give important suggestions for the development of innovative materials and devices.  Reviews about the state of the art of optoelectronic materials and emerging technologies are also welcome.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Viviana Figà
Prof. Dr. Bouchta Sahraoui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanoparticles synthesis
  • liquid crystals
  • crystalline supramolecular polymers
  • electrochromism
  • non-linear optical properties
  • metals oxides
  • optoelectronic devices
  • advanced nanomaterials
  • photoconductive materials
  • characterization of optoelectronic materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2322 KiB  
Article
Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-Laminated Film Fabricated at Room Temperature: Toward Applications in Ultraviolet Transparent Highly Conductive Electrodes
by Kexiong Zhang, Lei Feng, Lei Wang, Jun Zhu, Hai Zhang, Sihua Ha, Jiajun Sun, Hongwei Liang and Tianpeng Yang
Crystals 2023, 13(7), 1018; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13071018 - 27 Jun 2023
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-laminated films with high electrical conductivity and ultraviolet (UV) transparency were achieved by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature (RT) on quartz glass. The influence of annealing temperature and ambient on the structural, electrical [...] Read more.
Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-laminated films with high electrical conductivity and ultraviolet (UV) transparency were achieved by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature (RT) on quartz glass. The influence of annealing temperature and ambient on the structural, electrical and optical properties of Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-laminated films were investigated in detail. As the annealing temperature increases, the optical bandgap of the Ga2O3-laminated films widens. The Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-laminated films exhibited good photoelectric performance with a figure-of-merit (FOM) value of 5.83 × 10−3 Ω−1, a sheet resistance of 12.55 Ω/sq, a transmittance of 95.15% at 325 nm, and an average transmittance of 77.56% (250~300 nm). All these results suggest that RT-fabricated Ga2O3/Ag/Ga2O3-laminated films show great potential in UV transparent conductive electrodes for UV optoelectronic devices and in flexible electronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles)
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13 pages, 3697 KiB  
Article
Mechanochemically Synthesized Chalcogenide Cu3BiS3 Nanocrystals in an Environmentally Friendly Manner for Solar Cell Applications
by Erika Dutková, Matej Baláž, María Jesús Sayagués, Jaroslav Kováč and Jaroslav Kováč, Jr.
Crystals 2023, 13(3), 487; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030487 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1258
Abstract
Ternary wittichenite Cu3BiS3 nanocrystals were prepared mechanochemically using a planetary ball mill from elemental copper, bismuth and sulfur in a stoichiometric ratio in only 5 min. The orthorhombic wittichenite Cu3BiS3 was nanocrystalline with an approximate crystallite size [...] Read more.
Ternary wittichenite Cu3BiS3 nanocrystals were prepared mechanochemically using a planetary ball mill from elemental copper, bismuth and sulfur in a stoichiometric ratio in only 5 min. The orthorhombic wittichenite Cu3BiS3 was nanocrystalline with an approximate crystallite size of 38 nm ± 9 nm, as confirmed by Rietveld refinement. The nanocrystalline character of orthorhombic Cu3BiS3 was also proven by transmission electron microscopy. The measured Raman spectrum confirmed the formation of pure wittichenite Cu3BiS3. The morphology characterization demonstrated the homogeneity of the sample. The value of the specific surface area for pure mechanochemically prepared Cu3BiS3 after 5 min was 2.7 m2g−1. The optical properties were investigated using UV–Vis absorption and micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy. From the absorption UV–Vis spectrum, the value of the bandgap energy was determined to be 1.52 eV, which creates an assumption for the use of wittichenite Cu3BiS3 in photovoltaic applications. The optoelectrical properties of the prepared Cu3BiS3 nanocrystals were verified by current–voltage measurements in the dark and under white light illumination. The photocurrent increased by 26% compared to the current in the dark at a voltage of 1 V. The achieved results confirmed a very fast and efficient way of synthesizing a ternary wittichenite Cu3BiS3, which can be used for applications in solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles)
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8 pages, 2023 KiB  
Article
Interactions between PTCDI-C8 and Si(100) Surface
by Katarzyna Lament, Miłosz Grodzicki, Piotr Mazur, Agata Sabik, Rafał Lewandków and Antoni Ciszewski
Crystals 2023, 13(3), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030441 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1559
Abstract
PTCDI-C8 molecules are vapor-deposited onto reconstructed Si(100)—(2 × 1) surface under ultra-high vacuum. X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal a bond formation between oxygen atoms of the molecules’ carboxylic groups and Si dangling bonds of the substrate. Following PTCDI—C8 film growth, ultraviolet photoelectron spectra show [...] Read more.
PTCDI-C8 molecules are vapor-deposited onto reconstructed Si(100)—(2 × 1) surface under ultra-high vacuum. X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal a bond formation between oxygen atoms of the molecules’ carboxylic groups and Si dangling bonds of the substrate. Following PTCDI—C8 film growth, ultraviolet photoelectron spectra show a drop in the HOMO level with respect to the Fermi level from 1.8 eV to 2.0 eV and a monotonic work function increase from 2.5 eV up to 3.3 eV. For a film thickness of 6.0 nm, a difference of 1.5 eV between the HOMO level of the film and the valence band maximum of the substrate is accomplished. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles)
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13 pages, 4007 KiB  
Article
Electro-Optic Effect of Laser Photobleaching on Viscoelastic Properties of Chiral Liquid Crystals
by Dorota Dardas, Sebastian Lalik, Zuzanna Nowacka, Tetiana Yevchenko and Monika Marzec
Crystals 2023, 13(2), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13020164 - 17 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1188
Abstract
Viscoelastic properties are one of the most fundamental properties of chiral liquid crystals. In general, their determination is not a straightforward task. The main problem is the multitude of physical parameters needed to determine the value of the elasticity and viscosity constants. It [...] Read more.
Viscoelastic properties are one of the most fundamental properties of chiral liquid crystals. In general, their determination is not a straightforward task. The main problem is the multitude of physical parameters needed to determine the value of the elasticity and viscosity constants. It is also necessary to consider the character of a respective phase. This problem is particularly important in the case of chiral phases such as ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases or in the blue phases. There are several experimental methods to measure viscosity and elasticity constants in chiral phases. These methods use various phenomena to detect deformation, e.g., light transmission, polarization current, light modulation, dielectric constant and helix deformation or helix unwinding. Commonly, an external electric field is used to induce deformation, the homogeneity of which inside the cell is essential. This study is focused on the analysis of the effect of laser photobleaching on the electro-optic properties of the antiferroelectric liquid crystal and on the homogeneity of the electric field. The results obtained by confocal microscopy as a function of the cell depth are presented. The influence of the stabilization procedure of the isolated region performed by controlled laser photobleaching on the electro-optic properties has been studied. The observation was conducted using a polarizing microscope, and numerical analysis of two-dimensional colored textures was performed. The obtained results suggest that laser photobleaching can produce an anchoring effect, which has a positive effect on the electro-optic properties of antiferroelectric liquid crystal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optoelectronics of Thin Films and Nanoparticles)
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