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The interplay between structure and magnetic couplings is essential for scientific research and designing functional oxide BiFeO 3 (BFO)-CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) heteroepitaxy on demand. Several research has been conducted to study this coupling mechanism such as by using various substrates to modify the strain state of BFO-CFO via misfit strain hence altering the magnetic anisotropy and further magnetoelectric coupling. In this present research, we investigate the effect of the composition ratio of CFO nanopillars on the magnetic properties of BFO-CFO heteroepitaxy to shed light on the relation between the strain and interfacial effect of nanopillars-matrix in this system. The difference ratio of BFO and CFO compositions in the system induces a modification of the vertical strain imposed on the BFO and CFO phases hence the interfacial coupling between them is also modified. The magnetic anisotropy of the samples varies depending upon the composition ratio of BFO and CFO phases indicating the effect of modulation of strain-state modification on magnetic coupling behavior in the BFO-CFO system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and development of the next-generation power-efficient CIGS solar cells are at the research forefront due to their potential applications in renewable energy. Due to rich fundamental properties such as chemical and physical structures of the CIGS layer, cell scaffolding, and its promising applications like low cost, easy integration, and high efficiency, the CIGS-based solar cell systems are of considerable interest and received tremendous attention. In this article, we review the CIGS solar cells from the point of view of structural engineering. We explain the intrinsic parts of crystalline, optical, and electronic structures of the CIGS absorber layer up to the extrinsic part of the cell multilayer structure. For intrinsic structure, we primarily review the modification of the crystallinity or chemical composition of the CIGS and the effects that these modifications have on the physical properties such as the adjustment of the bandgap grading, effect of impurity or doping, selenization, oxidation processes, and the surface morphology and structure orientation. For extrinsic structure, the effect of substrates, electrical back contact, windows, n -buffer, grid, and antireflection layers will be discussed further, as well as the possibility of their tandem use with other solar cell thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-friendly CZTS solar cells having moderate power conversion efficiency (PCE) could be easily modified into wearable devices through green synthesis. [Display omitted] Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) is considered a solar cell material alternative to CuInGaSe 2 (CIGS); they have almost the same performance; except for power conversion efficiency (PCE). CZTS is stable beyond organic solar cells. Considering it's low-cost and eco-friendly, CZTS has become one of the best candidates to replace Si-, GaAs- and Cd-based solar cells in the marketplace. By using an appropriate fabrication strategy, CZTS solar cells could be transformed into wearable devices. Thus, a comprehensive study on how to boost the CZTS solar cell's performance is very crucial to increase their value. In this review, we compile information and strategy to increase the PCE of the CZTS solar cell and how to transform it into wearable devices. It starts from the explanation of CZTS's structure and properties up to their development in the next-generation of solar cell devices. A proper choice of eco-friendly complement layer in CZTS solar cells is presented. The recent fabrication together with the green synthesis approach is also explained. We also propose a plausible strategy for the commercialization and waste management of CZTS solar cells. We believe that the present article paves the way for increasing the realization of CZTS solar cells in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have successfully prepared Co x Fe 3-x O 4 /ZnO/graphite nanocomposites [x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5] as radar-absorbing materials. The X-ray diffraction characterization results signified that the crystallite size of Co x Fe 3-x O 4 in the nanocomposites increased from 8.5 nm to 11 nm as x increased. However, the crystallite sizes of ZnO and graphite were constant at around 55.1 and 25.8 nm, respectively. The presence of such phases was also detected at the wavenumbers of 400–560, 678, and 1637 cm−1, originating from M − O [M = Fe, Co], Zn–O, and C C bonds, respectively. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectra also showed the presence of Fe, Co, Zn, and C as constituents of the nanocomposites. The optical absorption of the nanocomposites was observed at a wavelength of 390 nm, showing bandgap values of 2.991–3.029 eV. The nanocomposites had superparamagnetic features, with magnetic saturation values between 12.78 and 25.27 emu/g, which decreased following the increase in x composition. Interestingly, the Co x Fe 3-x O 4 /ZnO/graphite nanocomposites attained a maximum reflection loss of −32.26 dB at the frequency of 11.82 GHz. In general, the reflection loss increased following the increase in x composition. Therefore, the prepared Co x Fe 3-x O 4 /ZnO/graphite nanocomposites can be a potential candidate as radar-absorbing materials with excellent performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]