Enhanced Photoelectrical Response of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Single-Nanowire Solar Cells by Front-Opening Crescent Design.

We report an approach for substantially enhancing the light-trapping and photoconversion efficiency of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) single-nanowire solar cells (SNSCs) by engineering the cross section of the nanowire from circular into a front-opening crescent shape. The proposed SNSCs show a broadband and highly tunable optical absorption compared to the conventional circular counterparts under both transverse electric and transverse magnetic incidences, enabling an enhancement ratio of over 40 % in both the photocurrent density and the photoconversion efficiency in a-Si:H SNSCs with a diameter of 200 nm. We further show that the superior performance can be well maintained under a wide range of incident angle and is robust to the blunt crescent edges.

Wafer-Scale Integration of Inverted Nanopyramid Arrays for Advanced Light Trapping in Crystalline Silicon Thin Film Solar Cells.

Crystalline silicon thin film (c-Si TF) solar cells with an active layer thickness of a few micrometers may provide a viable pathway for further sustainable development of photovoltaic technology, because of its potentials in cost reduction and high efficiency. However, the performance of such cells is largely constrained by the deteriorated light absorption of the ultrathin photoactive material. Here, we report an efficient light-trapping strategy in c-Si TFs (~20 μm in thickness) that utilizes two-dimensional (2D) arrays of inverted nanopyramid (INP) as surface texturing.

A new method applicable to study solid compounds with multiple polyhedral structures.

A new direct summation method, named as polyhedron method, is proposed to calculate Madelung energy. This method calculates sums of electrostatic interactions over sets of neutral polyhedron unit pairs rather than conventional ion pairs; this gives Madelung constant in a matrix. With robustly rapid convergence, polyhedron method is generally applicable for complex compounds containing multiple polyhedral building-blocks and numerical polyhedral connection modes.

Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity Regulation in Solution-Gated Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Electric-Double-Layer Transistors.

In the biological nervous system, synaptic plasticity regulation is based on the modulation of ionic fluxes, and such regulation was regarded as the fundamental mechanism underlying memory and learning. Inspired by such biological strategies, indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) electric-double-layer (EDL) transistors gated by aqueous solutions were proposed for synaptic behavior emulations. Short-term synaptic plasticity, such as paired-pulse facilitation, high-pass filtering, and orientation tuning, was experimentally emulated in these EDL transistors.

Compressible Graphene-Coated Polymer Foams with Ultralow Density for Adjustable Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielding.

The fabrication of low-density and compressible polymer/graphene composite (PGC) foams for adjustable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding remains a daunting challenge. Herein, ultralightweight and compressible PGC foams have been developed by simple solution dip-coating of graphene on commercial polyurethane (PU) sponges with highly porous network structure. The resultant PU/graphene (PUG) foams had a density as low as ∼0.

Dual-doping to suppress cracking in spinel LiMn2O4: a joint theoretical and experimental study.

Electrochemical cycling stabilities were compared for undoped and Al/Co dual-doped spinel LiMn2O4 synthesized by solid state reactions. We observed the suppression of particle fracture in Al/Co dual-doped LiMn2O4 during charge/discharge cycling and its distinguishable particle morphology with respect to the undoped material. Systematic first-principles calculations were performed on undoped, Al or Co single-doped, and Al/Co dual-doped LiMn2O4 to investigate their structural differences at the atomistic level.

A superhydrophobic zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-90) with high steam stability for efficient recovery of bioalcohols.

A superhydrophobic zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-90) with high steam stability is prepared through post-functionalization via an amine condensation reaction. The developed superhydrophobic ZIF-90 is highly promising as an effective and reusable adsorbent for bio-alcohol recovery.

Flexible and Adhesive Surface Enhance Raman Scattering Active Tape for Rapid Detection of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables.

The efficient extraction of targets from complex surfaces is vital for technological applications ranging from environmental pollutant monitoring to analysis of explosive traces and pesticide residues. In our present study, we proposed a proof-of-concept surface enhance Raman scattering (SERS) active substrate serving directly to the rapid extraction and detection of target molecules. The novel substrate was constructed by decorating the commercial tape with colloidal gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), which simultaneously provides SERS activity and "sticky" of adhesive.

Bottom-Up Synthesis and Sensor Applications of Biomimetic Nanostructures.

The combination of nanotechnology, biology, and bioengineering greatly improved the developments of nanomaterials with unique functions and properties. Biomolecules as the nanoscale building blocks play very important roles for the final formation of functional nanostructures. Many kinds of novel nanostructures have been created by using the bioinspired self-assembly and subsequent binding with various nanoparticles.

A low-cost mullite-titania composite ceramic hollow fiber microfiltration membrane for highly efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsion.

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion is considered to be difficult to treat. In this work, a low-cost multi-layer-structured mullite-titania composite ceramic hollow fiber microfiltration membrane was fabricated and utilized to efficiently remove fine oil droplets from (O/W) emulsion. In order to reduce membrane cost, coal fly ash was effectively recycled for the first time to fabricate mullite hollow fiber with finger-like and sponge-like structures, on which a much more hydrophilic TiO2 layer was further deposited.

Mechanical Robust and Self-Healable Supramolecular Hydrogel.

Development of self-healing polymers with spontaneous self-healing capability and good mechanical performance is highly desired and remains a great challenge. Here, mechanical robust and self-healable supramolecular hydrogels have been fabricated by using poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) brushes modified silica nanoparticles (SiO2 @PDMAEMA) as multifunctional macrocrosslinkers in a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) network structure. The SiO2 nanoparticles serve as noncovalent crosslinkers, dissipating energy, whereas the electrostatic interactions between cationic PDMAEMA and anionic PAA render the hydrogel self-healing property.

Pure spin-Hall magnetoresistance in Rh/Y3Fe5O12 hybrid.

We report an investigation of anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and anomalous Hall resistance (AHR) of Rh and Pt thin films sputtered on epitaxial Y(3)Fe(5)O(12) (YIG) ferromagnetic insulator films. For the Pt/YIG hybrid, large spin-Hall magne toresistance (SMR) along with a sizable conventional anisotropic magnetoresistance (CAMR) and a nontrivial temperature dependence of AHR were observed in the temperature range of 5-300 K. In contrast, a reduced SMR with negligible CAMR and AHR was found in Rh/YIG hybrid.

Edge-mediated skyrmion chain and its collective dynamics in a confined geometry.

The emergence of a topologically nontrivial vortex-like magnetic structure, the magnetic skyrmion, has launched new concepts for memory devices. Extensive studies have theoretically demonstrated the ability to encode information bits by using a chain of skyrmions in one-dimensional nanostripes. Here, we report experimental observation of the skyrmion chain in FeGe nanostripes by using high-resolution Lorentz transmission electron microscopy.

Control of Ambipolar Transport in SnO Thin-Film Transistors by Back-Channel Surface Passivation for High Performance Complementary-like Inverters.

For ultrathin semiconductor channels, the surface and interface nature are vital and often dominate the bulk properties to govern the field-effect behaviors. High-performance thin-film transistors (TFTs) rely on the well-defined interface between the channel and gate dielectric, featuring negligible charge trap states and high-speed carrier transport with minimum carrier scattering characters. The passivation process on the back-channel surface of the bottom-gate TFTs is indispensable for suppressing the surface states and blocking the interactions between the semiconductor channel and the surrounding atmosphere.

Light Trapping Enhancement in a Thin Film with 2D Conformal Periodic Hexagonal Arrays.

Applying a periodic light trapping array is an effective method to improve the optical properties in thin-film solar cells. In this work, we experimentally and theoretically investigate the light trapping properties of two-dimensional periodic hexagonal arrays in the framework of a conformal amorphous silicon film. Compared with the planar reference, the double-sided conformal periodic structures with all feature periodicities of sub-wavelength (300 nm), mid-wavelength (640 nm), and infrared wavelength (2300 nm) show significant broadband absorption enhancements under wide angles.

Magnetic skyrmion transistor: skyrmion motion in a voltage-gated nanotrack.

Magnetic skyrmions are localized and topologically protected spin configurations, which are of both fundamental and applied interests for future electronics. In this work, we propose a voltage-gated skyrmion transistor within the well-established framework of micromagnetics. Its operating conditions and processes have been theoretically investigated and demonstrated, in which the gate voltage can be used to switch on/off a circuit.

Enhanced magnetic refrigeration properties in Mn-rich Ni-Mn-Sn ribbons by optimal annealing.

The influence of annealing time on temperature range of martensitic phase transition (ΔT(A-M)), thermal hysteresis (ΔThys), magnetic hysteresis loss (ΔMhys), magnetic entropy change (ΔS(M)) and relative refrigeration capacity (RC) of the Mn-rich Ni43Mn46Sn11 melt spun ribbons have been systematically studied. By optimal annealing, an extremely large ΔS(M) of 43.2 J.

Realization of 13.6% Efficiency on 20 μm Thick Si/Organic Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cells via Advanced Nanotexturing and Surface Recombination Suppression.

Hybrid silicon/polymer solar cells promise to be an economically feasible alternative energy solution for various applications if ultrathin flexible crystalline silicon (c-Si) substrates are used. However, utilization of ultrathin c-Si encounters problems in light harvesting and electronic losses at surfaces, which severely degrade the performance of solar cells. Here, we developed a metal-assisted chemical etching method to deliver front-side surface texturing of hierarchically bowl-like nanopores on 20 μm c-Si, enabling an omnidirectional light harvesting over the entire solar spectrum as well as an enlarged contact area with the polymer.

Large-Area Nanosphere Self-Assembly by a Micro-Propulsive Injection Method for High Throughput Periodic Surface Nanotexturing.

A high throughput surface texturing process for optical and optoelectric devices based on a large-area self-assembly of nanospheres via a low-cost micropropulsive injection (MPI) method is presented. The novel MPI process enables the formation of a well-organized monolayer of hexagonally arranged nanosphere arrays (NAs) with tunable periodicity directly on the water surface, which is then transferred onto the preset substrates. This process can readily reach a throughput of 3000 wafers/h, which is compatible with the high volume photovoltaic manufacturing, thereby presenting a highly versatile platform for the fabrication of periodic nanotexturing on device surfaces.

All-magnetic control of skyrmions in nanowires by a spin wave.

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected nanoscale objects, which are promising building blocks for novel magnetic and spintronic devices. Here, we investigate the dynamics of a skyrmion driven by a spin wave in a magnetic nanowire. It is found that (i) the skyrmion is first accelerated and then decelerated exponentially; (ii) it can turn L-corners with both right and left turns; and (iii) it always turns left (right) when the skyrmion number is positive (negative) in the T- and Y-junctions.

Highly efficient electron transport obtained by doping PCBM with graphdiyne in planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cells.

Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells have recently emerged at the forefront of photovoltaics research. Here, for the first time, graphdiyne (GD), a novel two dimension carbon material, is doped into PCBM layer of perovskite solar cell with an inverted structure (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x)/PCBM:GD/C60/Al) to improve the electron transport. The optimized PCE of 14.