Recoil effects in valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are studied for both abb-trifluorostyrene and styrene molecular crystal systems. The gradual changes of XPS spectra excited by several photon energies are theoretically investigated within the tight-binding approximation and harmonic approximation of lattice vibrations and have been explained in terms of not only atomic mass but also atomic orbital (AO) population. The recoil effect of valence band photoemission strongly depends on the population and partial photoionization cross section (PICS) of AOs as well as the masses of composite atoms. In abb-trifluorostyrene F 2p dominant bands show the recoil shift close to free F atom recoil shift, and C 2s dominant bands show that to free C atom recoil shift, whereas the mixed bands of C and F give rise to the peak asymmetries due to their different recoil shifts. For these systems, hydrogen contribution is negligibly small which is in contrast to our previous results for the crystals composed of small organic molecules. We also discuss some potential uses of the recoil shifts for these systems.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac4000865 | DOI Listing |
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Institute of New Energy Technology, College of Physics & Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Trigonal selenium (t-Se) is a promising wide-band-gap photovoltaic material with a high absorption coefficient, abundant resources, simple composition, nontoxicity, and a low melting point, making it suitable for absorbers in advanced indoor and tandem photovoltaic applications. However, severe electrical losses at the rear interface of the t-Se absorber, caused by work function and lattice mismatches, limit the voltage output and overall performance. In this study, a strategy to enhance carrier transport and collection by modifying interfacial chemical interactions is proposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
January 2025
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
Employing density functional theory for ground state quantum mechanical calculations and the non-equilibrium Green's function method for transport calculations, we investigate the potential of CdS, ZnS, CdZnS, and ZnCdS as tunnel barriers in magnetic tunnel junctions for spintronics. Based on the finding that the valence band edges of these semiconductors are dominated by p orbitals and the conduction band edges by s orbitals, we show that symmetry filtering of the Bloch states in magnetic tunnel junctions with Fe electrodes results in high tunneling magnetoresistances and high spin-polarized current (up to two orders of magnitude higher than in the case of the Fe/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junction).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem C Nanomater Interfaces
January 2025
Institute de Quimica Computacional i Catálisi, Universitat de Girona, Girona 17003 Spain.
Creating sustainable and stable semiconductors for energy conversion via catalysis, such as water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, is a major challenge in modern materials chemistry, propelled by the limited and dwindling reserves of platinum group metals. Two-dimensional hexagonal borocarbonitride (h-BCN) is a metal-free alternative and ternary semiconductor, possessing tunable electronic properties between that of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene, and has attracted significant attention as a nonmetallic catalyst for a host of technologically relevant chemical reactions. Herein, we use density functional theory to investigate the stability and optoelectronic properties of phase-separated monolayer h-BCN structures, varying carbon concentration and domain size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
Doped semiconductors can exhibit metallic-like properties ranging from superconductivity to tunable localized surface plasmon resonances. Diamond is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that is rendered electronically active by incorporating a hole dopant, boron. While the effects of boron doping on the electronic band structure of diamond are well-studied, any link between charge carriers and plasmons has never been shown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Grundlagen von Energiematerialien, Institut für Physik, Technische Universität Ilmenau, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany.
To date, III-V semiconductor-based tandem devices with GaInP top photoabsorbers show the highest solar-to-electricity or solar-to-fuel conversion efficiencies. In photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, however, III-V semiconductors are sensitive, in terms of photochemical stability and, therefore, require suitable functional layers for electronic and chemical passivation. GaN films are discussed as promising options for this purpose.
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