Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have recently gained increasing interest due to their great potential for photovoltaics. A novel material system based on GaNP NWs is considered to be highly suitable for applications in efficient multi-junction and intermediate band solar cells. This work shows that though the bandgap energies of GaN(x)P(1-x) alloys lie within the visible spectral range (i.e., within 540-650 nm for the currently achievable x < 3%), coaxial GaNP NWs grown on Si substrates can also harvest infrared light utilizing energy upconversion. This energy upconversion can be monitored via anti-Stokes near-band-edge photoluminescence (PL) from GaNP, visible even from a single NW. The dominant process responsible for this effect is identified as being due to two-step two-photon absorption (TS-TPA) via a deep level lying at about 1.28 eV above the valence band, based on the measured dependences of the anti-Stokes PL on excitation power and wavelength. The formation of the defect participating in the TS-TPA process is concluded to be promoted by nitrogen incorporation. The revealed defect-mediated TS-TPA process can boost efficiency of harvesting solar energy in GaNP NWs, beneficial for applications of this novel material system in third-generation photovoltaic devices.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.201401342 | DOI Listing |
Nanoscale Horiz
January 2025
Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) convert near-infrared (IR) light into higher-energy visible light, allowing them to be used in applications such as biological imaging, nano-thermometry, and photodetection. It is well known that the upconversion luminescent efficiency of UCNPs can be enhanced by using a host material with low phonon energies, but the use of low-vibrational-energy inorganic ligands and non-epitaxial shells has been relatively underexplored. Here, we investigate the functionalization of lanthanide-doped NaYF UCNPs with low-vibrational-energy SnS ligands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Key Laboratory for High Efficiency Energy Conversion Science and Technology of Henan Province, International Joint Research Laboratory of New Energy Materials and Devices of Henan Province, School of Physics and Electronics, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China.
Multimode luminescent materials exhibit tunable photon emissions under different excitation or stimuli channels, endowing them high encoding capacity and confidentiality for anti-counterfeiting and encryption. Achieving multimode luminescence into a stable single material presents a promising but remains a challenge. Here, the downshifting/upconversion emissions, color-tuning persistent luminescence (PersL), temperature-dependent multi-color emissions, and hydrochromism are integrated into Er ions doped CsNaYbCl nanocrystals (NCs) by leveraging shallow defect levels and directed energy migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRSC Adv
January 2025
College of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University Dalian 116622 Liaoning P. R. China
Photocatalytic technology for removing organic dye pollutants has gained considerable attention because of its ability to harness abundant solar energy without requiring additional chemical reagents. In this context, YF spheres doped with Yb, Er, Tm (YF) are synthesized using a hydrothermal method and are subsequently coated with a layer of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) with Au nanoparticles (NPs) adsorbed onto the surface to create a core-shell structure, designated as YF: Yb, Er, Tm@CN-Au (abbreviated as YF@CN-Au). The core-shell composites demonstrate remarkable stability, broadband absorption, and exceptional photocatalytic activity across the ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) spectral range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Adv
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge CB3 0FS UK
The ability to convert light to higher energies through triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) is attractive for a range of applications including solar energy harvesting, bioimaging and anti-counterfeiting. Practical applications require integration of the TTA-UC chromophores within a suitable host, which leads to a compromise between the high upconversion efficiencies achievable in liquids and the durability of solids. Herein, we present a series of methacrylate copolymers as TTA-UC hosts, in which the glass transition temperature ( ), and hence upconversion efficiency can be tuned by varying the co-monomer ratios (-hexyl methacrylate (HMA) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA)).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, P. R. China.
Developing single-particle nanocomposite with aqueous-phase orthogonal multicolor phosphorescence or multimodal luminescence holds great significance for optical coding, anti-counterfeiting encryption, bioimaging, and biosensing. However, it faces challenges such as a limited range of emission wavelengths and difficulties in controlling the synthesis process. In this work, a conjugate structure manipulation integrated luminophor confinement strategy is proposed to prepare carbon dots@upconversion nanoparticles (CDs@UCNPs) featuring aqueous-phase orthogonal multicolor room-temperature phosphorescence-upconversion luminescence (RTP-UCL) through wet-chemical synthetic methods.
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