CIS Nanoparticles Research Articles

Photothermally Reconfigurable Biomimetic Photonic Structures Prepared via Crystallization of Polydopamine‐Incorporated Core–Shell Nanoparticles

AbstractSome creatures have periodic nanostructures and chromophores in their flexible organs that allow them to control the color and shape of their skin. Artificial photonic structures that can mimic the aforementioned ability of these natural structures are researched extensively. In this study, polydopamine‐incorporated core–interlayer–shell (CIS‐PDA) nanoparticles capable of shape reconfiguration and expressing vivid structural colors are designed. These nanoparticles can be readily assembled to produce colloidal photonic crystals (CPhCs) and can exhibit vivid structural colors by virtue of their light‐absorbing capability. Soft CPhC films prepared with these nanoparticles undergo stable elastic deformation at 15% strain and exhibit mechanochromic properties. Specifically, the PDA in the CIS nanoparticles can absorb broadband light and exhibit a photothermal effect resembling that of melanosomes in living organisms, which enables self‐healing between multiple CPhC films. Due to their favorable properties, the CPhC films prepared in this study represent promising photothermally reconfigurable photonic materials. Moreover, arbitrarily shaped 2D or 3D surfaces are conformally coated with the films via microimprinting or vacuum wrapping, courtesy of the reconfigurability of these films. These findings suggest that CPhC films prepared with CIS‐PDA nanoparticles can be used as form‐free mechanochromic strain sensors and nonfading optical films for industrial products.

Cisplatin nanoparticles possess stronger anti-tumor synergy with PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors than the parental drug

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors provide an evolution in the field of cancer therapy. This results in unprecedented rates of long-lasting tumor responses, once cancer patients respond to PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors. However, the response rate of most cancers is not greater than 30%, which results in a limited therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, the increase of the therapeutic efficacy of PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors is of utmost importance. Hence, this study demonstrated that the sustained increase of tumor PD-L1 levels induced by long-tumor retaining cisplatin (Cis) nanoparticles improved the therapeutic outcomes of PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Cis-loaded poly(L-glutamic acid)-graft-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) complex nanoparticle (Cisplatin nanoparticle, P-Cis) caused tumor PD-L1 overexpression in a time dependent manner in vitro and amplified tumor PD-L1 signals at 72 h post treatment in vivo. Synergistic tumor inhibition was achieved when P-Cis was combined with PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors, such as BMS-202 and anti-PD1 antibody (aPD1), and a significantly superior tumor inhibition rate was observed in the combination group (P-Cis plus aPD1). In addition, when mice were treated with a single dose of P-Cis plus aPD1, its synergistic anti-tumor effect was much stronger than that of a single dose of Cis plus aPD1, as their Q values were 1.15 and 1.05 in the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumor model, and 1.92 and 0.95 in the B16F10 tumor model, respectively. The single dose of P-Cis could increase tumor PD-L1 expression at 72 h post injection, while a single-dose of Cis did not, thus the sustained tumor PD-L1 overexpression induced by P-Cis was essential for enhancing aPD1 therapy. The sustained tumor PD-L1 overexpression highlighted the involvement of PD1/PD-L1 pathway in tumor cell proliferation and CD8+ T cell weakening and increased the role and possibility of PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors to block the PD1/PD-L1 pathway. Collectively, this study identified a potential clinical treatment with P-Cis plus PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Statement of significanceProgrammed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors provide an evolution in the field of cancer therapy. However, the response rate of most cancers is not greater than 30%, which results in a limited therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, the increase of the therapeutic efficacy of PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors is of utmost importance. Here, Cisplatin (Cis) loaded poly(L-glutamic acid)-graft-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) complex nanoparticle (P-Cis) is found to improve the therapeutic outcomes of PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors via sustained increase of tumor PD-L1 levels, and P-Cis possesses stronger anti-tumor synergy with PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors than the parental drug. This identifies a potential clinical treatment with P-Cis plus PD1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Anisotropic CuInSe2 nanocrystals: synthesis, optical properties and their effect on photoelectric response of dye-sensitized solar cell

CuInSe2 I–III–VI2 ternary semiconductor considered as one of the most promising semiconductor material which considers a very efficient solar energy conversion material. An organometallic pyrolysis method is used to prepare monodisperse CuInSe2 nanoparticles using a mixture of oleylamine, and trioctylphosphine (TOP) as capping materials. Controlling the particle shape dot, rods or flowers occurs via varying the reaction temperatures (160, 200, 220°C) respectively. The obtained particles have been characterized to determine the shape and size of CuInSe2 nanoparticles using HR-TEM and XRD. The optical and the electronic properties of these particles have been investigated and discussed in details. Then the different shapes of CIS nanoparticles (nanodots, nanorods, and nanoflowers) were introduced to the DSSC to study their effect on the optical switching properties. It was found that the nanoflowers provide better photovoltaic performance than the other shapes; since it reduces the settling time to 50 milliseconds after it was more than 17 second before adding CIS nanoparticles to the cells.

Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Copper Indium Sulfide Nanostructures: Flowers, Platelets and Spheres.

Colloidal semiconductor nanostructures have been widely investigated for several applications, which rely not only on their size but also on shape control. CuInS2 (often abbreviated as CIS) nanostructures have been considered as candidates for solar energy conversion. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) colloidal CIS nanoflowers and nanospheres and two-dimensional (2D) nanoplatelets were selectively synthesized by changing the amount of a sulfur precursor (tert-dodecanethiol) serving both as a sulfur source and as a co-ligand. Monodisperse CIS nanoflowers (~15 nm) were formed via the aggregation of smaller CIS nanoparticles when the amount of tert-dodecanethiol used in reaction was low enough, which changed towards the formation of larger (70 nm) CIS nanospheres when it significantly increased. Both of these structures crystallized in a chalcopyrite CIS phase. Using an intermediate amount of tert-dodecanethiol, 2D nanoplatelets were obtained, 90 nm in length, 25 nm in width and the thickness of a few nanometers along the a-axis of the wurtzite CIS phase. Based on a series of experiments which employed mixtures of tert-dodecanethiol and 1-dodecanethiol, a ligand-controlled mechanism is proposed to explain the manifold range of the resulting shapes and crystal phases of CIS nanostructures.

TEM Characterization of Ball Milled Synthesized CIGS, CIS and CGS Nanoparticles for Energy Applications

TEM Characterization of Ball Milled Synthesized CIGS, CIS and CGS Nanoparticles for Energy Applications

A dual-electrolyte system for photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation using CuInS2-In2O3-TiO2 nanotube array thin film

The utilization of Na2S/Na2SO3 mixture as the electrolyte solution to stabilize sulfide anode in a photoelectrochemical cell for hydrogen evolution generally compromises the current-to-hydrogen efficiency ( η current) of the system. Here, the employment of a dual-electrolyte system, that is, Na2S/Na2SO3 mixture and pH-neutral Na2SO4 as the respective electrolyte solutions in the anode and cathode chambers of a water splitting cell is demonstrated to suppress the photocorrosion of CuInS2-In2O3-TiO2 nanotube (CIS- In2O3- TNT) heterostructure, while simultaneously boosts the η current. Although n-type CIS and In2O3 nanoparticles can be easily formed on TNT array via facile pulse-assisted electrodeposition method, conformal deposition of the nanoparticles homogeneously on the nanotubes wall with preservation of the TNT hollow structure is shown to be essential for achieving efficient charge generation and separation within the heterostructure. In comparison to Na2S/Na2SO3 solution as the sole electrolyte in both the anode and cathode chambers, introduction of dual electrolyte is shown to not only enhance the photostability of the CIS-In2O3-TNT anode, but also lead to near-unity η current as opposed to the merely 20% η current of the single-electrolyte system.

Enhancement of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells performance using CuInS2–Cu2S nanocomposite synthesized by a green method

In the present work, first, In2S3 and Cu2S nanoparticles were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and then annealed at 450 °C for 2 h in an Ar gas until CuInS2–Cu2S nanocomposite was formed. Afterwards, the efficiency of the as-synthesized CIS–Cu2S nanocomposite in quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) was evaluated. For this purpose, the as-prepared CIS–Cu2S nanocomposite was deposited on TiO2 using doctor blade technique, and electrophoresis deposition was used for fabrication of TiO2 layer on the FTO glass substrate. Using CIS–Cu2S nanocomposite led to obtaining 2.01% cell efficiency that in comparison with pure Cu2S (1.14%) and CIS nanoparticles (1.23%), efficiency improvements of 76% and 63% were achieved, respectively.

Biobased Cellulosic–CuInS2 Nanocomposites for Optoelectronic Applications

A generic approach to design optoelectronic devices using renewable biopolymers is demonstrated. As a proof of principle, a biopolymer/CuInS2 nanocomponent-based solar cell has been assembled by using a cellulose derivative with a reasonable life cycle performance, namely, trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC). The solar cells are manufactured using a mixture of copper and indium xanthates as precursors, which decompose and form CIS nanoparticles within the biopolymer matrix during a thermal treatment, which was investigated by in situ combined grazing incidence small and wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The growth of the nanoparticles is thereby controlled by the TMSC matrix. The nanocrystals exhibit an average diameter of approximately 4 nm. Using this composite, it was possible to fabricate solar cells, generating current in a wide range of the solar spectrum and exhibiting power conversion efficiencies of ca. 1%.

Evaluation of electrical and optical characteristics of ZnO/CdS/CIS thin film solar cell

In this study, device modeling and simulation are conducted to explain the effects of each layer thickness and temperature on the performance of ZnO/CdS/CIS thin film solar cells. Also, the thicknesses of the CIS and CdS absorber layers are considered in this work theoretically and experimentally. The calculations of solar cell performances are based on the solutions of the well-known three coupling equations: the continuity equation for holes and electrons and the Poisson equation. Our simulated results show that the efficiency increases by reducing the CdS thickness. Increasing the CIS thickness can increase the efficiency but it needs more materials. The efficiency is more than 19% for a CIS layer with a thickness of 2 μm. CIS nanoparticles are prepared via the polyol route and purified through centrifugation and precipitation processes. Then nanoparticles are dispersed to obtain stable inks that could be directly used for thin-film deposition via spin coating. We also obtain x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak intensities and absorption spectra for CIS experimentally. Finally, absorption spectra for the CdS window layer in several deposition times are investigated experimentally.

TEM Characterization of Ball Milled CIS and CIGS Nanoparticles

TEM Characterization of Ball Milled CIS and CIGS Nanoparticles

Hydrothermal Synthesis of N-Acetyl-l-cysteine-capped CuInS2 Nanoparticles

Abstract CuInS2 (CIS) nanoparticles (NPs) were hydrothermally prepared by the reaction of Cu2+, In2+, and Na2S in the presence of N-acetyl-l-cysteine as a stabilizer. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the resultant CIS NPs indicated that the chalcopyrite NPs could be obtained. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data suggested that Cu2+ is reduced to Cu+ during the reaction process. The absorption and photoluminescence peaks of the NPs were clearly red-shifted with increasing size of the particles. Our method will aid in the synthesis of other I–III–VI ternary compounds.

Synthesis and characterization of CuInSe2 nanocrystals via facile microwave approach and study of their behavior in solar cell

Copper indium selenide, CuInSe2, crystals with different morphologies and particle sizes were obtained via a simple microwave reaction among different copper precursors, indium chloride (InCl3) and selenium tetrachloride (SeCl4). The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The effect of copper precursor, microwave time, and power on the particle size and morphology has been investigated. The band gap of CuInSe2 nanoparticles was calculated by UV–vis and PL spectrum. The thin film of CIS nanoparticles and solar cell were fabricated and characterized by I–V curve.

저가의 cryogenic milling 비진공법을 이용한 나노입자 CuInSe2광흡수층 제조

Chalcopyrite material (CIS) is known to be a very prominent absorber layer for high efficiency thin film solar cells. Current interest in the photovoltaic industry is to identify and develop more suitable materials and processes for the fabrication of efficient and cost-effective solar cells. Various processes have been being tried for making a low cost CIS absorber layer, this study obtained the CIS nanoparticles using commercial powder of 6 mm pieces for low cost CIS absorber layer by high frequency ball milling and cryogenic milling. And the CIS absorber layer was prepared by paste coating using milled-CIS nanoparticles in glove box under inert atmosphere. The chalcopyrite thin films were successfully made after selenization at the substrate temperature of in 30 min, CIS solar cell of Al/ZnO/CdS/CIS/Mo structure prepared under various deposition process such as evaporation, sputtering and chemical vapor deposition respectively. Finally, we achieved CIS nanoparticles solar cell of electric efficient 1.74 % of Voc 29 mV, Jsc 35 FF 17.2 %. The CIS nanoparticles-based absorber layers were characterized by using EDS, XRD and HRSEM.

A Direct Route Towards Polymer/Copper Indium Sulfide Nanocomposite Solar Cells

Polymer/copper indium sulfide (CIS) nanocomposite solar cells are prepared via a capper free in situ preparation route using copper and indium xanthates as precursors, which decompose and form CIS nanoparticles in the polymer matrix during a mild thermal treatment. The solar cells generate current in a wide range of the solar spectrum and exhibit efficiencies up to 2.8%.

Growth and structural properties of pulsed laser-ablated CuInSe 2 nanoparticles by pulsed-laser ablation and selenization process

Nanoparticles of CuInSe 2 (CIS) were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation. The effect of the preparation conditions on the structural properties of the CIS nanoparticles was investigated. The CIS nanoparticles showed a more developed structural property after treatment in Se-evaporated atmosphere. By X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, increase of Se amounts in the CIS nanoparticles was confirmed. Enhancement of phonon modes in the CIS nanoparticles was observed in Raman scattering spectroscopy while secondary phases like In 2Se 3 or CuAu structure-related peak were identified in the spectra. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicated that the individual nanoparticles were embedded in matrix of some amorphous layers and diffraction patterns representing the chalcopyrite structure were also scrutinized.

Charge transfer in blends of P3HT and colloidally prepared CuInS 2 nanocrystals

CuInS 2 (CIS) is a suitable semiconductor for thin film photovoltaics and also a promising candidate to replace CdSe in hybrid polymer/nanoparticle solar cells, advantages being the lower toxicity and the better absorption properties. In this work, crystalline nanoparticles of CuInS 2 were successfully synthesized with uniform size and shape by means of colloidal chemistry. Photo-induced absorption spectroscopy was used to study charge transfer between poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and the CIS nanoparticles. The appearance of signals corresponding to positive polarons provides evidence that charge transfer is possible in the P3HT/CIS system.

Synthesis of CuInSe2 Nanoparticles by Solvothermal Method

<TEX>$CuInSe_2$</TEX> (CIS) nanoparticles of chalcopyrite structure were directly synthesized by a solvothemal method in an autoclave with diethylamine as a solvent. A morphology change of the nanoparticles was observed as a function of reaction temperatures and times. Dense rod-type CIS nanoparticles with width of <TEX>$5\sim10mm$</TEX> and length in the range of 30-80 nm were obtained at <TEX>$180^{\circ}C$</TEX> for 36 hrs whereas spherical particles with diameter in the range of 5-10 nm were observed at <TEX>$250^{\circ}C$</TEX> for 36 hrs. The formation of the rod-like nanoparticles in diethylamine, without double N-chelation, was explained by the Solution-Liquid-Solid (SLS) mechanism.

Synthesis of CuInSe&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and CuInGaSe&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Nanoparticles by Solvothermal Route

Chalcopyrite CuInSe 2 (CIS) and CuInGaSe 2&lt;/sub(CIGS) nanoparticles were directly synthesized by a solvothemal route in an autoclave with alkylamine as a solvent. The rod-like CIS nanoparticles with widths of 5-10 nm and lengths of 10-30 nm were obtained at 180°C for 36 hour whereas spherical nanoparticles with diameter in the range of 10-80 nm were observed at 200- 250 °C for 36 hour. A morphology change from spherical to rod-like CIS nanoparticles was observed at 190 °C as reaction time increased from 36 to 60 hour. The formation of the rod-like nanoparticles in diethylamine, without double N-chelation, was explained by the SLS (Solution- Liquid-Solid) mechanism. Spherical CIGS nanoparticles with diameter in the range of 30-80 nm were obtained in ethylenediamine at 280 °C for 14 hour. The products were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM).