Thin Layer Of SnO2 Research Articles

Understanding the Space-Charge Layer in SnO2 for Enhanced Electron Extraction in Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin oxide (SnO2) has been widely used as an n-type metal oxide electron transport layer in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) owing to its superior electrical and optical properties and low-temperature synthesis process. In particular, the interfacial effect between indium tin oxide (ITO) and SnO2 is an important parameter that controls the charge transport properties and device performance of the PSCs. Therefore, understanding the interfacial effect of ITO/SnO2 and its role in PSCs is crucial, but it is not studied intensively. Herein, we investigated the space-charge effect at the interface of ITO/SnO2 using transfer length measurement and conductive atomic force microscopy as a function of SnO2 thickness. Moreover, optical, morphologic, and device measurements were performed to determine the optimal SnO2 thickness for PSCs. The space-charge effect was identified in ITO/SnO2 when the SnO2 layer was very thin due to electron depletion near the interface. Interestingly, a critical kink point was observed at approximately 10 nm SnO2 thickness, indicating the electron depletion and weak charge transfer behavior of the device. Thus, a thickness around 20 nm was favorable for the best PSC performance because charge transport behavior in the thin SnO2 layer was depressed by electron depletion. However, when the thickness of SnO2 exceeded 50 nm, the device performance deteriorated due to increased series resistance. This study provides a strategy to tune the electron transport layer and boost the charge transport behavior in PSCs, making important contributions to optimizing SnO2-based PSCs.

Thin layer vs. nanoparticles: Effect of SnO2 addition to PtRhNi nanoframes for ethanol oxidation reaction

When designing catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cell applications (DEFC), four main parameters must be considered: shape, structure, size, and chemical composition. According to this knowledge, it is assumed that polyhedral hollow Pt-based nanoframes, with the addition of Rh and SnO2 with a size below 50 nm, could be a promising nanocatalysts for the anode of DEFC. In this work, two different PtRhNi/SnO2 nanoframes-based catalysts are obtained. First consists of PtRhNi nanoframes covered with small, about 3 nm, SnO2 nanoparticles (PtRhNi/SnO2 NPs); and second is the PtRhNi nanoframes covered with a thin and incomplete SnO2 layer (PtRhNi/SnO2 TL). Both nanocatalysts were tested toward ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and show higher activity in comparison to PtRhNi nanoframes without SnO2 (PtRhNi NFs) addition and commercially used Pt nanoparticles. Especially, the electrochemical durability and stability of obtained nanocatalysts were tested. It was shown that both PtRhNi/SnO2 nanoframes-based catalysts develop similar mass and specific activity, as well as nearly the same onset potential, but their stability is significantly different. It turns out, that catalyst based on PtRhNi nanoframes covered with a thin SnO2 layer is susceptible to degradation, while the catalyst consisting of PtRhNi nanoframes covered with SnO2 nanoparticles is much more durable and could be used as an efficient catalyst toward EOR.

Synthesis and Characterization of SnO2 Thin Film Semiconductor for Electronic Device Applications

Synthesis and characterization of SnO2 thin films with various types of doping materials such as aluminum, fluorine and indium have been successfully carried out. This study aims to determine the effect of various types of doping materials on the quality of thin films such as the energy band gap produced. The results showed that the higher the doping concentration, the more transparent the layer formed. In addition, the optical properties of thin films such as band gap energy are affected by the applied doping. The direct and indirect values ​​of the largest band gap energy for the percentage of 95:5% are 3.62 eV and 3.92 eV are found in the SnO2: In thin layer. Meanwhile, the lowest direct and indirect values ​​of band gap energy are in the thin layer of SnO2:(Al+F+In) for a percentage of 85:15%, namely 3.41 eV and 3.55 eV. The greater the amount of doping given, the smaller the bandgap energy produced. In addition, the more combinations of doping mixtures (aluminum, fluorine, and indium) given, the smaller the bandgap energy produced. This shows that the quality of a thin film of SnO2 produced is influenced by the amount of concentration and the type of doping used

Hydrophilic and Conductive Carbon Nanotube Fibers for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF) is a highly conductive and porous platform to grow active materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Here, we prepared SnO2@CNTF based on sulfonic acid-functionalized CNTF to be used in LIB anodes without binder, conductive agent, and current collector. The SnO2 nanoparticles were grown on the CNTF in an aqueous system without a hydrothermal method. The functionalized CNTF exhibited higher conductivity and effective water infiltration compared to the raw CNTF. Due to the enhanced water infiltration, the functionalized CNTF became SnO2@CNTF with an ideal core–shell structure coated with a thin SnO2 layer. The specific capacity and rate capability of SnO2@-functionalized CNTF were superior to those of SnO2@raw CNTF. Since the SnO2@CNTF-based anode was free of a binder, conductive agent, and current collector, the specific capacity of the anode studied in this work was higher than that of conventional anodes.

The Effect of Temperature Variations on the Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Film with Doping Aluminum, Fluorine and Indium for Semiconductor Electronic Devices

The manufacture of a thin layer of SnO2: (Al + F + In) was carried out by using the sol-gel spin coating method on a glass substrate with various temperatures (25, 50, 100, 150, and 200 °C).The purpose of this study is to determine the optical properties of thin layers which include transmittance, absorbance, band gap energy and activation energy. The optical properties of the coating were characterized using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 200-1100 nm. The results showed that the absorbance value increased with increasing temperature at a wavelength of 300 nm. The absorbance values ​​obtained for temperature variations were in the percentages of 95: 5% and 75: 25%, respectively 3.46-4.50 and 3.96-5.76. The transmittance value obtained increased, namely 73.00-86.30% and 74.20-99.30%. In addition, the energy band gap decreased from 3.60-3.41 eV and 3.57-3.31 eV for direct allowed, while 3.69-3.58 eV and 3.65-3.54 eV for indirect allowed. Activation energy decreased from 2.00-1.18 eV and 1.60-1.12 eV. In general, the absorbance and transmittance values ​​increase with increasing ripening temperature and the addition of doping aluminum, fluorine, and indium, while the bandgap energy and activation energy values ​​obtained decrease with increasing ripening temperature and increasing the doping percentage of aluminum, fluorine, and indium. The decrease in the value of the bandgap energy and the activation energy can make it easier for electrons to move from the valence band to the conduction band so that the material is slightly conductive and acts as a semiconductor.

Fabrication of anode and cathode layers for back-contact solar cells by microsphere lithography

The concept of back-contact device architecture for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is a promising alternative to PSCs with the traditional sandwich-type device architecture. The most convenient and low cost method to fabricate back-contact electrodes for PSCs is using microsphere lithography as it can be performed without expensive photolithography tools and cleanroom environment. Deposition of a monolayer of polystyrene microbeads on the surface of cathode substrates (conductive transparent oxide glass substrates covered with a thin layer of SnO2) is achieved through a self-assembly process. The self-assembly process is based on electrostatic attraction forces between negatively charged microbeads and the positively charged cathode surface. The self-assembled monolayer of polystyrene microbeads is used as a sacrificial polymer mask to fabricate the anode layer on top of cathodes. The back-contact electrodes are obtained after removing the sacrificial polymer mask through a lift-off process.

Synthesis of SnO2 Thin Coatings by Indium and Aluminum Mixed Doping using the Sol-Gel Spin-Coating Technique

This research succeeded in creating a thin layer of SnO2 and SnO2: In+Al through a synthesis process with the sol-gel spin-coating technique on a glass substrate. The manufacture of this thin layer uses the basic material SnCl2.2H2O, and the doping material InCl3.4H2O and AlCl3. This thin layer is made with variations in doping concentration, number of layers, and heating temperature. The results of the synthesis of SnO2: In+Al films show that the thin film formed is more transparent when the doping concentration and the number of layers is increased. Meanwhile, the thin layer that forms is increasingly not transparent when heated at higher temperatures

Enhancement of Acetone Gas-Sensing Responses of Tapered WO3 Nanorods through Sputtering Coating with a Thin SnO2 Coverage Layer.

WO3–SnO2 composite nanorods were synthesized by combining hydrothermal growth of tapered tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanorods and sputter deposition of thin SnO2 layers. Crystalline SnO2 coverage layers with thicknesses in the range of 13–34 nm were sputter coated onto WO3 nanorods by controlling the sputtering duration of the SnO2. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results demonstrated that crystalline hexagonal WO3–tetragonal SnO2 composite nanorods were formed. The microstructural analysis revealed that the SnO2 coverage layers were in a polycrystalline feature. The elemental distribution analysis revealed that the SnO2 thin layers homogeneously covered the surfaces of the hexagonally structured WO3 nanorods. The WO3–SnO2 composite nanorods with the thinnest SnO2 coverage layer showed superior gas-sensing response to 100–1000 ppm acetone vapor compared to other composite nanorods investigated in this study. The substantially improved gas-sensing responses to acetone vapor of the hexagonally structured WO3 nanorods coated with the SnO2 coverage layers are discussed in relation to the thickness of SnO2 coverage layers and the core–shell configuration of the WO3–SnO2 composite nanorods.

Understanding the Chemical Nature of the Buried Nanostructures in Low Thermal Conductive Sb-Doped SnTe by Variable-Energy Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Nanoprecipitates embedded in a matrix of thermoelectric materials decrease the lattice thermal conductivity significantly by extensive heat carrying phonon scattering. Recently, two-dimensional layered intergrowth nanostructures of SnmSb2nTe3n+m embedded in SnTe matrix have provided record low lattice thermal conductivity in SnTe, but an understanding of the chemical nature of these layered nanostructures is still not clear. Herein, we studied the chemical nature of the intergrowth nanostructures of a series Sb-doped SnTe by variable-energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at synchrotron, which is well known to probe buried interfaces and embedded nanostructures. The primary oxidation states of Sb, Sn, and Te in these intergrowth structures are found to be in +3, +2, and −2, respectively, which is expected from the composition. However, both the Sn and Sb are found to be slightly oxidized in the surface. From the intensity variation with photon energy, we have found a thin layer of SnO2 (∼4.5 nm) on the s...

Self-Relaxant Superelastic Matrix Derived from C60 Incorporated Sn Nanoparticles for Ultra-High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

Homogeneously dispersed Sn nanoparticles approximately ⩽10 nm in a polymerized C60 (PC60) matrix, employed as the anode of a Li-ion battery, are prepared using plasma-assisted thermal evaporation coupled by chemical vapor deposition. The self-relaxant superelastic characteristics of the PC60 possess the ability to absorb the stress-strain generated by the Sn nanoparticles and can thus alleviate the problem of their extreme volume changes. Meanwhile, well-dispersed dot-like Sn nanoparticles, which are surrounded by a thin SnO2 layer, have suitable interparticle spacing and multilayer structures for alleviating the aggregation of Sn nanoparticles during repeated cycles. The Ohmic characteristic and the built-in electric field formed in the interparticle junction play important roles in enhancing the diffusion and transport rate of Li ions. SPC-50, a Sn-PC60 anode consisting of 50 wt % Sn and 50 wt % PC60, as confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, exhibited the highest electrochemical performance. The resulting SPC-50 anode, in a half-cell configuration, exhibited an excellent capacity retention of 97.18%, even after 5000 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g-1 with a discharge capacity of 834.25 mAh g-1. In addition, the rate-capability performance of this SPC-50 half-cell exhibited a discharge capacity of 544.33 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 10 000 mA g-1, even after the current density was increased 100-fold. Moreover, a very high discharge capacity of 1040.09 mAh g-1 was achieved with a capacity retention of 98.67% after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1. Futhermore, a SPC-50 full-cell containing the LiCoO2 cathode exhibited a discharge capacity of 801.04 mAh g-1 and an areal capacity of 1.57 mAh cm-2 with a capacity retention of 95.27% after 350 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g-1.

Tuning Sn-Catalysis for Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to CO via the Core/Shell Cu/SnO2 Structure.

Tin (Sn) is known to be a good catalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate in 0.5 M KHCO3. But when a thin layer of SnO2 is coated over Cu nanoparticles, the reduction becomes Sn-thickness dependent: the thicker (1.8 nm) shell shows Sn-like activity to generate formate whereas the thinner (0.8 nm) shell is selective to the formation of CO with the conversion Faradaic efficiency (FE) reaching 93% at -0.7 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). Theoretical calculations suggest that the 0.8 nm SnO2 shell likely alloys with trace of Cu, causing the SnO2 lattice to be uniaxially compressed and favors the production of CO over formate. The report demonstrates a new strategy to tune NP catalyst selectivity for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 via the tunable core/shell structure.

ZnO-Au-SnO2 Z-scheme photoanodes for remarkable photoelectrochemical water splitting.

For the first time a ZnO nanorod-based Z-scheme heterostructure system was proposed and realized for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting. The samples were prepared by depositing a thin layer of SnO2 on the Au surface of Au particle-decorated ZnO nanorods. For ZnO-Au-SnO2 nanorods, the embedded Au can mediate interfacial charge transfer by promoting electron transfer from the conduction band of SnO2 to the valence band of ZnO. This vectorial charge transfer resulted in the situation that the photoexcited electrons accumulated at ZnO while the photogenerated holes concentrated at SnO2, giving ZnO-Au-SnO2 substantially high redox powers. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectra suggested that the interfacial charge transfer across the ZnO/Au/SnO2 interface was significantly improved as a result of the Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism. With the substantially high redox powers and significantly improved interfacial charge transfer, ZnO-Au-SnO2 nanorods performed much better as a photoanode in photoelectrochemical water splitting than pristine ZnO, plasmonic Au-decorated ZnO and type-II SnO2-coated ZnO nanorods did. The present study has provided a viable approach to exploit Z-scheme photoanodes in the design of efficient artificial photosynthesis systems for solar energy conversion.

P‐Si/SnO2/Fe2O3 Core/Shell/Shell Nanowire Photocathodes for Neutral pH Water Splitting

Silicon is one of the promising materials for solar water splitting and hydrogen production; however, it suffers from two key factors, including the large external potential required to drive water splitting reactions at its surface and its instability in the electrolyte. In this study, a successful fabrication of novel p‐Si/n‐SnO2/n‐Fe2O3 core/shell/shell nanowire (css‐NW) arrays, consisting of vertical Si NW cores coated with a thin SnO2 layer and a dense Fe2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) shell, and their application for significantly enhanced solar water reduction in a neutral medium is reported. The p‐Si/n‐SnO2/n‐Fe2O3 css‐NW structure is characterized in detail using scanning, transmission, and scanning transmission electron microscopes. The p‐Si/n‐SnO2/n‐Fe2O3 css‐NWs show considerably improved photocathodic performances, including higher photocurrent and lower photocathodic turn‐on potential, compared to the bare p‐Si NWs or p‐Si/n‐SnO2 core/shell NWs (cs‐NWs), due to increased optical absorption, enhanced charge separation, and improved gas evolution. As a result, photoactivity at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and a low onset potential in the neutral solution are achieved. Moreover, p‐Si/n‐SnO2/n‐Fe2O3 css‐NWs exhibit long‐term photoelectrochemical stability due to the Fe2O3 NCs shell well protection. These results reveal promising css‐NW photoelectrodes from cost‐effective materials by facile fabrication with simultaneously improved photocathodic performance and stability.

Facile Au catalyst loading on the inner shell of hollow SnO2 spheres using Au-decorated block copolymer sphere templates and their selective H2S sensing characteristics.

Hollow SnO2 spheres functionalized by Au catalysts were synthesized via the use of Au-decorated block copolymer (Au-BCP) sphere templates. Uniformly distributed Au nanoparticles on BCP spheres were prepared by the infiltration of Au precursors into polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) spheres. A thin SnO2 layer was coated on the Au-BCP spheres using RF sputtering at room temperature without morphological deformation of the spheres. The Au nanoparticles were uniformly transferred from the Au-BCP spheres to the inner shells of the hollow SnO2 spheres followed by decomposition of BCP spheres. The Au-loaded hollow SnO2 spheres exhibited a superior H2S sensitivity (Rair/Rgas = 17.4 at 5 ppm) with remarkably selective characteristics with a minor response (Rair/Rgas < 2.5 at 5 ppm) toward other interfering gases. Our results pave the way for a new catalyst loading method using Au-BCP spheres for the uniformly distributed Au NPs on the SnO2 layers.

SnO2 As an Effective Protection Layer of Electrospun Carbon Nanowires Based Catalyst for PEMFC Applications

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) can provide clean and long lasting electrical energy while being portable and operated at relatively low temperatures. However, a reduction of the fabrication costs and an improved durability are pivotal to a successful market introduction of this technology. A more effective utilisation of the highly priced Pt catalyst and the use of more durable materials for the catalyst supports are the core of the development of novel, market ready PEMFC. This could be achieved by moving away from the current standard based on Pt nanoparticles supported on amorphous carbon.We propose a novel catalyst obtained combining electrospinning of carbon nanowires and microwave Pt synthesis with atomic layer deposition of a protective functional metal oxide layer. We studied the morphology and electrochemical properties of this novel structure and demonstrated that the addition of a thin SnO2 layer deposited by ALD increase the durability without reducing the Pt activity for the oxygen reduction and that synergistic utilisation of the oxide and Pt can increase the activity towards methanol and ethanol oxidation.

SnO2-reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons as anodes for lithium ion batteries with enhanced cycling stability

A nanocomposite material of SnO2-reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons has been developed. In this composite, the reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons are uniformly coated by nanosized SnO2 that formed a thin layer of SnO2 on the surface. When used as anodes in lithium ion batteries, the composite shows outstanding electrochemical performance with the high reversible discharge capacity of 1,027 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g after 165 cycles and 640 mAh/g at 3.0 A/g after 160 cycles with current rates varying from 0.1 to 3.0 A/g and no capacity decay after 600 cycles compared to the second cycle at a current density of 1.0 A/g. The high reversible capacity, good rate performance and excellent cycling stability of the composite are due to the synergistic combination of electrically conductive reduced graphene oxide nanoribbons and SnO2. The method developed here is practical for the large-scale development of anode materials for lithium ion batteries.

Nanosized thin SnO₂ layers doped with Te and TeO₂ as room temperature humidity sensors.

In this paper the humidity sensing properties of layers prepared by a new method for obtaining doped tin oxide are studied. Different techniques—SEM, EDS in SEM, TEM, SAED, AES and electrical measurements—are used for detailed characterization of the thin layers. The as-deposited layers are amorphous with great specific area and low density. They are built up of a fine grained matrix, consisting of Sn- and Te-oxides, and a nanosized dispersed phase of Te, Sn and/or SnTe. The chemical composition of both the matrix and the nanosized particles depends on the ratio RSn/Te and the evaporation conditions. It is shown that as-deposited layers with RSn/Te ranging from 0.4 to 0.9 exhibit excellent characteristics as humidity sensors operating at room temperature—very high sensitivity, good selectivity, fast response and short recovery period. Ageing tests have shown that the layers possess good long-term stability. Results obtained regarding the type of the water adsorption on the layers' surface help better understand the relation between preparation conditions, structure, composition and humidity sensing properties.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on nanoparticle-decorated ZnO/SnO2 core/shell nanoneedle arrays

Novel ZnO/SnO2 core–shell nanoneedle arrays were developed with a two-step synthesis strategy. The strategy combines two processes: a hydrothermal synthesis of a ZnO nanoneedle array and a coating of a SnO2 layer on the surface of the ZnO nanoneedle. The addition of F− to the hydrothermal reaction solution played an important role in the formation of the ZnO nanoneedle array. The ZnO/SnO2 core–shell structure was successfully achieved after depositing a thin SnO2 layer on the ZnO nanoneedle by dip-coating. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on ZnO/SnO2 core–shell nanoneedle arrays were assembled, and a high conversion efficiency (η) of around 4.71% was obtained at 0.9 suns. This can be attributed to the advantages of the core–shell structure. On the one hand, it affords a larger surface area for a more dye loading and light harvesting, which result in enhancing the photocurrent of the DSSC. On the other hand, the core/shell structure passivates nanoneedle surface defects for suppressing the recombination, which leads to the increase of the open-circuit voltage. Accordingly, the enhanced photocurrent and open-circuit voltage have led to a prominent increase in the photovoltaic efficiency of around 4.71%, which is much higher than that of an ordinary ZnO nanoneedle array-based DSSC.

Investigation of porosity and heterojunction effects of a mesoporous hematite electrode on photoelectrochemical water splitting

In this paper, we report the porosity and heterojunction effects of hematite (α-Fe2O3) on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting properties. The worm-like mesoporous hematite thin films (MHFs) with a pore size of ~9 nm and a wall thickness of ~5 nm were successfully obtained through the self-assembly process. MHFs formed on FTO showed much better PEC properties than those of nonporous hematite thin films (NP-HF) owing to the suppression of charge recombination. The PEC data of MHFs under front and back illumination conditions indicated that the porous structure allows the diffusion of electrolyte deep inside the MHF increasing the number of holes to be utilized in the water oxidation reaction. A heterojunction structure was formed by introducing a thin layer of SnO2 (~15 nm in thickness) between the MHF and FTO for a dramatically enhanced PEC response, which is attributed to the efficient electron transfer. Our spectroscopic and electrochemical data show that the SnO2 layer functions as an efficient electron transmitter, but does not affect the recombination kinetics of MHFs.

Design and Fabrication of Low-Power Planar Type Gas Sensor

In this paper we describe the fabrication steps and the implementation of a planar type gas sensing applications with suspended structure, which presents very low power consumption. Simulations with the finite element model tool show homogeneous temperature distribution across the sensitive film. The device attached with a spin-coated thin layer of SnO2 showed a reasonable sensing performance to hydrogen.