Facile Approach for Metallic Precursor Engineering for Efficient Kesterite Thin-Film Solar Cells.

Kesterite-based CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells (TFSCs) are a promising candidate for low-cost, clean energy production owing to their environmental friendliness and the earth-abundant nature of their constituents. However, the advancement of kesterite TFSCs has been impeded by abundant defects and poor microstructure, limiting their performance potential. In this study, we present efficient Ag-alloyed CZTSSe TFSCs enabled by a facile metallic precursor engineering approach.

Tidal and vertical flow constructed wetland treatment for graywater modeling and reusing with biochar cadmium adsorption.

This study addresses a persistent environmental concern related to graywater discharge from households, highlighting its potential to contribute to increased pollution in water bodies. To mitigate this issue, the research explores the use of subsurface flow-built wetlands, specifically focusing on the innovative application of constructed tidal and vertical flow wetlands (CTWFWs) as wastewater treatment systems. The study not only evaluates the efficacy of these CTWFW systems but also delves into the crucial aspects of their operation and their interactions with the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of graywater.

Rapid Synthesis of Ultrathin Ni:FeOOH with In Situ-Induced Oxygen Vacancies for Enhanced Water Oxidation Activity and Stability of BiVO Photoanodes.

The coupling of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts with photoanodes is a promising strategy for enhancing the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance by passivating photoanode's surface defect states and facilitating charge transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. However, a serious interface recombination issue caused by poor interface and OER catalysts coating quality often limits further performance improvement of photoanodes. Herein, a rapid Fenton-like reaction method is demonstrated to produce ultrathin amorphous Ni:FeOOH catalysts with in situ-induced oxygen vacancies (Vo) to improve the water oxidation activity and stability of BiVO photoanodes.

Degradation of magenta dye using cavitation-based transducers to glass marble: Lab to semi-pilot scale operations.

In the present work, the degradation of magenta dye has been investigated using ultrasonic (US) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at a laboratory scale. Additionally, the investigation was conducted at a semi-pilot scale by employing hydrodynamic cavitation and a novel air-marble cavitation reactor. Initially, optimization studies such as the effect of initial dye concentration and catalyst loading of TiO and MnO followed by the effect of combined catalyst loading (TiO /MnO ) on the extent of degradation have been studied at a capacity of 3 L.

Emerging Chalcohalide Materials for Energy Applications.

Semiconductors with multiple anions currently provide a new materials platform from which improved functionality emerges, posing new challenges and opportunities in material science. This review has endeavored to emphasize the versatility of the emerging family of semiconductors consisting of mixed chalcogen and halogen anions, known as "chalcohalides". As they are multifunctional, these materials are of general interest to the wider research community, ranging from theoretical/computational scientists to experimental materials scientists.

Emerging Surface, Bulk, and Interface Engineering Strategies on BiVO for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell that collects and stores abundant sunlight to hydrogen fuel promises a clean and renewable pathway for future energy needs and challenges. Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO ), having an earth-abundancy, nontoxicity, suitable optical absorption, and an ideal n-type band position, has been in the limelight for decades. BiVO is a potential photoanode candidate due to its favorable outstanding features like moderate bandgap, visible light activity, better chemical stability, and cost-effective synthesis methods.

Kesterite Solar Cells: Insights into Current Strategies and Challenges.

Earth-abundant and environmentally benign kesterite CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) is a promising alternative to its cousin chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) (CIGS) for photovoltaic applications. However, the power conversion efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells has been stagnant at 12.6% for years, still far lower than that of CIGS (23.

A Facile Process for Partial Ag Substitution in Kesterite CuZnSn(S,Se) Solar Cells Enabling a Device Efficiency of over 12.

A cation substitution in CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) offers a viable strategy to reduce the open-circuit voltage ()-deficit by altering the characteristics of band-tail states, antisite defects, and related defect clusters. Herein, we report a facile single process, i.e.

8% Efficiency CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) Thin Film Solar Cells on Flexible and Lightweight Molybdenum Foil Substrates.

The use of flexible and highly conducting molybdenum (Mo) foil as a substrate offers several advantages such as a high thermal stability, smooth surface, and chemical inertness for the fabrication of high-efficiency thin film solar cells (TFSCs) by lowering the manufacturing costs. Here, we report a record preliminary efficiency of ∼8% for sputtered-grown CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) TFSCs on flexible and lightweight Mo foils. Careful studies were focused on identifying the role of preparative parameters such as annealing temperature, absorber composition, and post-preparative optimization to bridge the obtained record efficiency of ∼8% to a previous record efficiency of 7.

Band Tail Engineering in Kesterite CuZnSn(S,Se) Thin-Film Solar Cells with 11.8% Efficiency.

Herein, we report a facile process, i.e., controlling the initial chamber pressure during the postdeposition annealing, to effectively lower the band tail states in the synthesized CZTSSe thin films.

Facile, Room Temperature, Electroless Deposited (Fe Mn )OOH Nanosheets as Advanced Catalysts: The Role of Mn Incorporation.

Herein, bimetallic iron (Fe)-manganese (Mn) oxyhydroxide ((Fe Mn )OOH, FeMnOOH) nanosheets on fluorine-doped tin oxide conducting substrates and on semiconductor photoanodes are synthesized by a facile, room temperature, electroless deposition method as catalysts for both electrochemical and photo-electrochemical (PEC) water splitting, respectively. Surprisingly, Mn-doped FeOOH can significantly modulate the nanosheet morphology to increase the active surface area, boost more active sites, and augment the intrinsic activity by tuning the electronic structure of FeOOH. Due to the 2D nanosheet architecture, the optimized FeMnOOH exhibits superior electrochemical activity and outstanding durability for the oxygen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of 246 mV at 10 mA cm and 414 mV at 100 mA cm , and long-term stability for 40 h without decay, which is comparable to the best electrocatalysts for water oxidation reported in the literature.

Symmetric supercapacitor: Sulphurized graphene and ionic liquid.

Symmetric supercapacitor is advanced over simple supercapacitor device due to their stability over a large potential window and high energy density. Graphene is a desired candidate for supercapacitor application since it has a high surface area, good electronic conductivity and high electro chemical stability. There is a pragmatic use of ionic liquid electrolyte for supercapacitor due to its stability over a large potential window, good ionic conductivity and eco-friendly nature.

Aqueous-Solution-Processed CuZnSn(S,Se) Thin-Film Solar Cells via an Improved Successive Ion-Layer-Adsorption-Reaction Sequence.

A facile improved successive ionic-layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) sequence is described for the fabrication of CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells (TFSCs) via the selenization of a precursor film. The precursor films were fabricated using a modified SILAR sequence to overcome compositional inhomogeneity due to different adsorptivities of the cations (Cu, Sn, and Zn) in a single cationic bath. Rapid thermal annealing of the precursor films under S and Se vapor atmospheres led to the formation of carbon-free CuZnSnS (CZTS) and CZTSSe absorber layers, respectively, with single large-grained layers.

Chemically Deposited CdS Buffer/Kesterite CuZnSnS Solar Cells: Relationship between CdS Thickness and Device Performance.

Earth-abundant, copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS), kesterite, is an attractive absorber material for thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). However, the open-circuit voltage deficit (V-deficit) resulting from a high recombination rate at the buffer/absorber interface is one of the major challenges that must be overcome to improve the performance of kesterite-based TFSCs. In this paper, we demonstrate the relationship between device parameters and performances for chemically deposited CdS buffer/CZTS-based heterojunction TFSCs as a function of buffer layer thickness, which could change the CdS/CZTS interface conditions such as conduction band or valence band offsets, to gain deeper insight and understanding about the V-deficit behavior from a high recombination rate at the CdS buffer/kesterite interface.

A Simple Aqueous Precursor Solution Processing of Earth-Abundant Cu2SnS3 Absorbers for Thin-Film Solar Cells.

A simple and eco-friendly method of solution processing of Cu2SnS3 (CTS) absorbers using an aqueous precursor solution is presented. The precursor solution was prepared by mixing metal salts into a mixture of water and ethanol (5:1) with monoethanolamine as an additive at room temperature. Nearly carbon-free CTS films were formed by multispin coating the precursor solution and heat treating in air followed by rapid thermal annealing in S vapor atmosphere at various temperatures.

Wurtzite CZTS nanocrystals and phase evolution to kesterite thin film for solar energy harvesting.

A quaternary indium- and gallium-free kesterite (KS)-based compound, copper zinc tin sulfide (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS), has received significant attention for its potential applications in low cost and sustainable solar cells. It is well known that the reaction time, reactivity of the precursors, and types of capping ligands used during the synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) strongly influence the crystallographic phase of the NCs. In this research, a non-toxic and green synthetic strategy for both the synthesis of CZTS NCs and the fabrication of a highly efficient CZTS absorber layers using an ink formulation without a toxic solvent, which meets the comprehensive framework for green chemistry that covers major aspects of the environmental strain, is demonstrated.

Towards environmentally benign approaches for the synthesis of CZTSSe nanocrystals by a hot injection method: a status review.

With the earth's abundance of kesterite, recent progress in chalcogenide based Cu2ZnSn(Sx,Se1-x)4 (CZTSSe) thin films has drawn prime attention in thin film solar cells (TFSCs) research and development. This review is focused on the current developments in the synthesis of CZTS nanocrystals (NCs) using a hot injection (HI) technique and provides comprehensive discussions on the current status of CZTSSe TFSCs. This article begins with a description of the advantages of nanoparticulate based thin films, and then introduces the basics of this technique and the corresponding growth mechanism is also discussed.