Direct synthesis of PbS/polypyrrole core-shell nanocomposites based on octahedral PbS nanocrystals colloid

PbS/polypyrrole core-shell nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via in situ chemical oxidation polymerization of pyrrole based on the octahedral PbS nanocrystals colloid. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the PbS nanocrystals are as the cores of the nanocomposites and the polypyrrole wrap the octahedral PbS nanocrystals as the shell. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and UV-Vis spectra were used to characterize the structure of the obtained PbS/polypyrrole nanocomposites. A possible formation mechanism of the PbS/polypyrrole core-shell nanocomposites was also proposed.     

Surface synthesis of PbS nanoparticles on silica spheres by a sonochemical approach

A simple sonochemical approach for the preparation of PbS nanoparticles homogeneously coated on sub-micrometer silica spheres has been described. The transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images show that the PbS nanoparticles with size of 30 nm were coated on the silica spheres, without any free nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction reveals that the PbS nanoparticles are of cubic rock-salt structure. Moreover, by dissolving the silica cores with a diluted hydrofluoric acid solution, stable PbS hollow structures were obtained. It is considered that the sonochemical process in which triethanolamine acted as complex agent played an important role for the homogenouse coating of PbS nanoparticles on silica spheres.     

PbS/epoxy resin nanocomposite prepared by a novel method

PbS/epoxy resin nanocomposite is prepared by a novel method. The epoxy resin microemulsion is taken as a microreactor for the formation of PbS nanocrystals. After the reaction, the collected epoxy proved to be a composite with nano-PbS embedded in. The morphological observation of cured PbS/epoxy resin nanocomposite by tunnel electronic microscopy (TEM) indicates that the PbS nanocrystals are dispersed in cured epoxy resin matrix homogenously. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TEM were used to characterize the PbS nanocrystals.     

Shape controllable preparation and characterization of hierarchical PbS submicron cubes via a solvothermal method

The controlled synthesis of PbS nanostructures with crystal morphology of hierarchical submicron cubes has been realized by chemical synthesis between lead acetate trihydrate and sulfur via a solvothermal route. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the products. It was shown that well-dispersed and hierarchical PbS submicron cubes were formed at low temperature. Experiments demonstrated that the morphologies of PbS crystals were significantly influenced by treatment temperature, reaction time, and sulfur sources. A growth model was proposed for the selective formation of hierarchical PbS submicron cubes. Our work demonstrated the growth of hierarchical PbS architectures through a one-step, surfactant-free and solution-phase chemical route under controlled conditions.     

Microwave-controlled facile synthesis of well-defined PbS hexapods

Controlled synthesis of well-defined PbS nanostructures in terms of size and shape has been strongly motivated by their potential applications ranging from solar photovoltaics to near-infrared optics. Hereby, we report a facile microwave-assistant method for ultrafast fabrication of PbS nanostructures, by which uniform PbS hexapods with six arms stretching along six (100) directions of the crystal seeds have been easily synthesized within minutes. Various morphologies including rectangle plates, uniform cubes as well as nanoparticles were obtained by tuning the parameters for the formation of PbS nanocrystals. The results reveal that both concentration and feed ratio of precursors determine the growth of PbS nanocrystals significantly. And higher initial precursor concentration favors the formation of the hexapod structures. The process of crystal growth is monitored through scanning electron microscopy of PbS from different durations of the reaction. This controlled ultrafast synthesis of PbS structures at nanometer and micrometer scale with various morphologies may be promising in large scale fabrication of nanostructures. Based on the systematically study of the growth process, a possible mechanism for the formation of the hexapod-like structure is discussed.     

PbS量子点/ZnO纳米片复合膜的制备及其光电化学性能

通过两步法合成PbS量子点(QDs)修饰ZnO纳米片复合膜. 首先利用电化学法在掺氟的SnO₂导电玻璃(FTO)上生长ZnO纳米片, 然后在ZnO纳米片上通过逐次化学浴法沉积PbS量子点形成PbS/ZnO复合膜. 利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)详细表征了样品的表面形貌和晶体结构, 并研究了PbS/ZnO复合膜作为量子点敏化太阳能电池光阳极的紫外-可见吸收谱、光电化学性能和表面光电压谱. 对比ZnO纳米片经PbS量子点修饰前后, 发现PbS量子点修饰后光阳极的光吸收和光伏响应均从紫外区拓宽到了可见光区, 同时光电化学性能有了显著提高, 短路电流密度从敏化前的0.1 mA/cm²增加到0.7 mA/cm², 效率由0.04%增加到0.57%. 与单一ZnO纳米片相比, PbS/ZnO复合膜的表面光伏响应强度明显增强, 说明PbS与ZnO之间形成了有利于光生电荷分离的异质结, 从而导致了PbS/ZnO复合膜光电性能的增加.     

Preparation and room temperature photoluminescence characterization of PbS/Si(100) thin films

PbS nanoparticles and smooth nanocrystalline thin films (nc-PbS) were prepared by chemical precipitation from aqueous solutions. Polyethylene oxide and isopropyl alcohol were used as additives in the aqueous solution, which results in the enhancement of the blue luminescence of PbS thin films. The introduction of isopropyl reduced the grain size and increases the optical gap of the PbS particles. The size of PbS particles was estimated to be ~ 3.5 nm. The broad emission bands exhibited were composed by a multiple overlapping peaks. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity was significantly influenced by the excitation wavelength. Indeed, intense blue luminescence was obtained under 230 nm compared to that obtained under 325 nm excitation wavelength. The PL emission from PbS nanoparticles was less intense than the luminescence of PbS thin films. The high PL intensity of the thin films was attributed to the lower density of defects introduced in the thin films during the chemical bath deposition growth process compared the defects density of PbS powder.     

Morphology control of lead sulfide particles in mixed systems of poly-(styrene-alt-maleic acid) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

The novel starlike PbS particles were successfully synthesized for the first time in a mixed system of poly-(styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMA) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The as-prepared hierarchically starlike PbS particles have six symmetric perpendicular arms or arm groups, each of which consists of parallel rods or ellipsoids that are perpendicular to the arm. Moreover, spherical and cubic-shaped PbS particles were facilely produced via varying the concentration of CTAB in the mixed system. The presence of CTAB in the mixed system played a key role in the formation of unusual PbS stars. The faster growth rate in six 〈1 0 0〉 directions of PbS crystals induced by the organic additives were thought to be responsible for the formation of such novel starlike PbS particles.     

Comparison of carrier multiplication yields in PbS and PbSe nanocrystals: the role of competing energy-loss processes

Infrared band gap semiconductor nanocrystals are promising materials for exploring generation III photovoltaic concepts that rely on carrier multiplication or multiple exciton generation, the process in which a single high-energy photon generates more than one electron-hole pair. In this work, we present measurements of carrier multiplication yields and biexciton lifetimes for a large selection of PbS nanocrystals and compare these results to the well-studied PbSe nanocrystals. The similar bulk properties of PbS and PbSe make this an important comparison for discerning the pertinent properties that determine efficient carrier multiplication. We observe that PbS and PbSe have very similar biexciton lifetimes as a function of confinement energy. Together with the similar bulk properties, this suggests that the rates of multiexciton generation, which is the inverse of Auger recombination, are also similar. The carrier multiplication yields in PbS nanocrystals, however, are strikingly lower than those observed for PbSe nanocrystals. We suggest that this implies the rate of competing processes, such as phonon emission, is higher in PbS nanocrystals than in PbSe nanocrystals. Indeed, our estimations for phonon emission mediated by the polar Fr?hlich-type interaction indicate that the corresponding energy-loss rate is approximately twice as large in PbS than in PbSe.     

Biomimetic synthesis of PbS nanocubes in the lysozyme solution

Cubic phase PbS nanocubes were fabricated using lysozyme as template by biomimetic synthesis method at room temperature. The prepared nanocubes are uniform and monodispersed with homogeneous size around 45 nm. The interaction of Pb²⁺/PbS with the lysozyme was studied through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the shift of characteristic IR peaks of the lysozyme suggesting that Pb²⁺/PbS can react with − OH and − NH groups of the lysozyme. Optical properties of the obtained PbS nanocubes were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. PbS nanocrystals exhibit a well-defined emission feature at 470 nm excited by 300 nm wavelength (λ_ex). The experimental results indicated that the lysozyme not only induced nucleation, but also inhibited the further growth of PbS crystals and play an important role in formation of PbS nanocubes.     

Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy of ligand-capped PbS nanocrystals

PbS nanocrystals are synthesized using colloidal techniques and have their surfaces capped with oleic acid. The absorption band edge of the PbS nanocrystals is tuned between 900 and 580?nm. The PbS nanocrystals exhibit tuneable photoluminescence with large non-resonant Stokes shifts of up to 500?meV. The magnitude of the Stokes shift is found to be dependent upon the size of PbS nanocrystals. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy of the PbS nanocrystals reveals that the photoluminescence has an extraordinarily long lifetime of 1?μs. This long fluorescence lifetime is attributed to the effect of dielectric screening similar to that observed in other IV-VI semiconductor nanocrystals.     

凹陷立方体PbS纳米结构的溶剂热合成及其性能研究

以硝酸铅和硫脲为反应前驱体,以一种新的表面活性剂四正丁基溴化铵为封端剂,采用简单的溶剂热法在160℃反应24h成功制备了大量PbS纳米结构。利用XRD、SEM、TEM、荧光光谱以及拉曼光谱表征了产物的形貌、结构和物相。结果表明,所制备的PbS呈立方体状,其6个(100)面向内凹陷形成了独特的凹陷立方体结构,边长约为1.5μm;实验证明反应时间对产物的形貌具有重要的影响。并提出了凹陷立方体的形成机理。     

The transitional heterojunction behavior of PbS/ZnO colloidal quantum dot solar cells

The nature of charge separation at the heterojunction interface of solution processed lead sulphide-zinc oxide colloidal quantum dot solar cells is investigated using impedance spectroscopy and external quantum efficiency measurements to examine the effect of varying the zinc oxide doping density. Without doping, the device behaves excitonically with no depletion region in the PbS layer such that only charge carriers generated within a diffusion length of the PbS/ZnO interface have a good probability of being harvested. After the ZnO is photodoped such that the doping density is near or greater than that of the PbS, a significant portion of the depletion region is found to lie within the PbS layer increasing charge extraction (p-n operation).     

A facile method to prepare PbS nanorods

PbS nanorods with an average diameter of about 30 nm have been successfully prepared through a simple polyglycol-assisted route for the first time. The obtained PbS nanorods have been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electronic diffraction (SAED). Experiments show that polyglycol plays an important role for the control of the morphology of PbS nanostructures. The preliminary result of the UV-vis absorption spectrum of the PbS nanorods is also presented.     

树枝状与球状PbS纳米结构的组装合成及其形成机理研究

以醋酸铅为铅源,硫代乙酰胺为硫源,在表面活性剂SDS单独作用和表面活性剂SDS和CTAB共同作用下可选择性地组装合成出颗粒以相同晶面粘连组装成的单晶树枝状PbS纳米结构和颗粒以不相同晶面粘连组装成的多晶球状PbS纳米结构,而且提高反应物浓度能起到调节树枝状和球状PbS纳米结构尺寸的作用.对树枝状和球状PbS纳米结构的形成机理进行了初探,发现SDS单独作用时其烷基链起到的软模板作用有利于PbS小颗粒组装成树枝状的PbS纳米结构.当反应溶液中再加入适量的CTAB时,它在溶液中形成微胶束起到了软模板作用,迫使颗粒粘连组装成球状PbS纳米结构,有效地限制树枝状结构的生长.     

Synthesis of PbS/poly (vinyl-pyrrolidone) nanocomposite

A simple solution growth method for synthesis of nanocomposite of PbS nanoparticles in poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) (PVP) polymer is described. The nanocomposite is prepared from methanolic solution of lead acetate (PbAc), thiourea (TU) and PVP at room temperature (∼27 °C). Optical absorption spectrum of PbS/PVP nanocomposite solution shows strong absorption from 300 to 650 nm with significant bands at 400 and 590 nm which is characteristic of nanoscale PbS. Spin-coated nanocomposite films on glass have an absorption edge at ∼650 nm with band gap of 2.55 eV. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of PbS/PVP nanocomposite and PVP shows strong chemical bond between PbS nanoparticles and host PVP polymer. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) images reveal that 5-10 nm PbS particles are evenly embedded in PVP polymer. The formation of PbS is confirmed by selective area electron diffraction (SAED) of a typical nanoparticle.     

A Novel Hydrothermal Synthesis of Single Crystalline PbS Nanorods and Their Characterization

1.IntroductionDuring the past decade,one-dimensional(1D)nanos-tructures,such as nanorods,nanowires,nanobelts andnanotubes,have attracted increasing attentions due totheir novel electrical,optical and magnetic properties,and their potential applications in nanoscale eletronics,photonics and functional materials[1~3].Great effortshave been made to prepare1D semiconductor nanostruc-tures such as Si nanowires[4],ZnO nanorods[5]and GaNnanowires[6].At the same time,chalcogenide nanostruc-tures su…     

Quantum dot/carbon nanotube/silicon double heterojunctions for multi-band room temperature infrared detection

We report on the observation of room temperature multi-band photocurrent response from a novel structure formed by interior loading of PbS quantum dots into carbon nanotubes grown on silicon. In addition to a mid infrared photoresponse band at ～ 0.22 eV due to the carbon nanotubes and one band at 1.1 eV corresponding to silicon, two bands in the mid/near infrared at 0.63 and 0.82 eV, corresponding to the first and second exciton bands of the PbS quantum dots, are observed in photocurrents measured at room temperature, in uncooled operation. We have also observed a red shift of the 0.63 and 0.82 eV bands with cooling that reflects a behavior typical for PbS and supports the hypothesis that these photoresponse bands are due to absorption in the PbS quantum dots.     

Synthesis of Fe alloyed PbS thin films and investigation of their photovoltaic properties

Lead sulfide (PbS) and iron (Fe)-alloyed PbS thin films with different Fe concentrations were synthesized by chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique, which is suitable for cost on glass substrates at room temperature. The structural, elemental and optical properties of the synthesized thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and optical absorption measurements, respectively. It was observed that Fe dopant alters crystal size and energy band gap of PbS although it does not change the structure of PbS. PbS and Fe-alloyed PbS thin films with different Fe concentrations were grown on zinc tin oxide (Zn₂SnO₄) substrates coated on fluorine-alloyed tin oxide conductive glasses to investigate their photovoltaic properties. Incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) and current density (J)–voltage (V) measurements were carried out to determine IPCE (%) and power conversion efficiency (η%) values of thin films. As a result, it was observed that as the concentration of Fe dopant is increased in Fe-alloyed PbS thin films, there is an increase in η%.     

Quantum dot size dependent J-V characteristics in heterojunction ZnO/PbS quantum dot solar cells

The current-voltage (J-V) characteristics of ZnO/PbS quantum dot (QD) solar cells show a QD size-dependent behavior resulting from a Schottky junction that forms at the back metal electrode opposing the desirable diode formed between the ZnO and PbS QD layers. We study a QD size-dependent roll-over effect that refers to the saturation of photocurrent in forward bias and crossover effect which occurs when the light and dark J-V curves intersect. We model the J-V characteristics with a main diode formed between the n-type ZnO nanocrystal (NC) layer and p-type PbS QD layer in series with a leaky Schottky-diode formed between PbS QD layer and metal contact. We show how the characteristics of the two diodes depend on QD size, metal work function, and PbS QD layer thickness, and we discuss how the presence of the back diode complicates finding an optimal layer thickness. Finally, we present Kelvin probe measurements to determine the Fermi level of the QD layers and discuss band alignment, Fermi-level pinning, and the V(oc) within these devices.