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Two morphologies of In 2 S 3 film were synthesized directly on FTO surface with microwave-assistant solution method. With reaction time/temperature/microwave power increasing, In 2 S 3 film assembled by hierarchical flower-like structure (In 2 S 3 flower) transformed into In 2 S 3 film assembled by net-like structure (In 2 S 3 net) with increased size and crystallinity. Compared to In 2 S 3 flower, In 2 S 3 net displayed stronger light-harvesting ability with higher charge separation, contributing to stronger photocurrent and lower charge transfer resistance. Based on the excellent photoelectrical properties, TiO 2 /In 2 S 3 /CuInS 2 /spiro-oMeTAD solar cells were fabricated with two In 2 S 3 films as the buffer layers as compared to the device without In 2 S 3 , which displayed obviously higher photovoltaic parameters due to the decreased surface defects on TiO 2 and the increased complementary absorption from In 2 S 3. Furthermore, the device with In 2 S 3 net presented higher short current density (J sc) than that with In 2 S 3 flower because the thicker In 2 S 3 layer strengthened the contribution of complementary light-harvesting. However, it displayed lower open circuit voltage (V oc), which was attributed to the presence of defects on the surface of overgrown In 2 S 3 for increased interfacial recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • In 2 O 3 film is used as an electron transport layer in Perovskite Solar Cells. • The In 2 O 3 electron transport layer is prepared by electron beam evaporation. • In 2 O 3 layer can improve the film formation quality and crystallinity of perovskite. • The photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells is enhanced by In 2 O 3 layer. In perovskite solar cells, the interface plays a crucial role in photovoltaic performance because excitons dissociate and compound at the interface. In this paper, the optical absorption layer of In 2 O 3 planar perovskite solar cells is studied, which is an efficient intermediate layer between the TiO 2 electron transport layer and perovskite. The modification of the In 2 O 3 interlayer increases the average power conversion efficiency from 6.74% to 10.68%. Based on this background, some other feature descriptions are also carried out. The results show that the photovoltaic performance can be improved by depositing the In 2 O 3 interlayer, mainly due to the improved film morphology, reduced recombination center, bulk carrier concentration and Hall mobility. It has been shown that In 2 O 3 can be used as an efficient interface material on all-inorganic perovskite solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel adsorbents, poly([2-(methacryloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) modified magnetic chitosan particles (DMCPs), were synthesized via free radical polymerization and applied to adsorb Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The effects of pH (2–11), Cr(VI) concentration (10–200 mg/L) and contact time (0–420 min) on the adsorption performance were evaluated. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of DMCPs was much larger than that of magnetic chitosan particles (MCPs) in the examined pH range and decreased with Cl − concentration increasing, indicating that electrostatic interaction and ion exchange are the governing mechanisms of Cr(VI) adsorption by DMCPs. The Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model fitted the experimental data well. The maximum adsorption capacity of DMCPs is 153.85 mg/g. Besides, Cr(VI)-loaded DMCPs could be easily separated and efficiently regenerated. Therefore, DMCPs are promising candidates for Cr(VI) adsorption owing to their excellent performance in a wide pH range, easy separation and good reusability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A magnetically separable amphoteric biosorbent (PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS) was fabricated. • The PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS displayed effective adsorption performance for Cr(VI) and Cu(II). • Adsorption behaviors of Cr(VI) and Cu(II) in single and binary systems were studied. • Ion exchange, electrostatic and coordination (chelation) interactions are involved in Cr(VI) (Cu(II)) adsorption. Here we unveiled a novel magnetically separable amphoteric biosorbent (PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS) and investigated its adsorption behavior toward two classes of heavy metals, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and copper (Cu(II)) ions from water. Results indicated that the adsorption behavior of PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS for Cr(VI) was well described by Langmuir model; while for Cu(II) adsorption, the Freundlich model was the better one. Based on the kinetic results, both Cr(VI) and Cu(II) adsorption on PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. To evaluate the reusability and stability of PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS, regeneration tests were carried out for five cycles. Furthermore, the applicable feasibility of PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS in the real water matrix (including the single and binary pollutant systems) was studied, and results suggested the promising potential of PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS for large-scale application. Apart from these, the surface interactions between PD-Fe 3 O 4 @CCS and heavy metal ions in single and binary systems were systematically investigated based on FTIR and XPS analyses, which provided an essential implication for comprehending the interactions between biosorbents and contaminants in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic biosorbents (PMCCs) were designed and fabricated by radical polymerization. • PMCCs had specific morphological and molecular structure for ciprofloxacin removal. • PMCCs exhibited excellent adsorption capacity of 527.93 mg·g−1 for ciprofloxacin. • The adsorption mechanisms of ciprofloxacin by PMCCs were systematically elucidated. • PMCCs displayed rapid separation and favorable reusability. Magnetic biosorbents with specific morphological and molecular structure (PMCCs) were designed for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) from water. Radical polymerization method was applied to immobilize the designed polymer brushes onto core-shell shaped magnetic microspheres to fabricate PMCCs. PMCCs exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 527.93 mg·g−1, which is much higher than reported adsorbents, owing to the complete stretch of polymer brushes and increased active sites as well as enhanced interaction. The investigation on the adsorption behavior of PMCCs for CIP manifested that CIP adsorption well fitted the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that CIP adsorption onto PMCCs was spontaneous and exothermic. Further recycling experiments showed a loss of less than 20% in the CIP adsorption capacity after five times, demonstrating the reusability of the as-designed biosorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel surface-decorated magnetic chitosan biopolymer (VMCP) was fabricated. • VMCP exhibited significantly improved removal performance toward Cr(VI). • Simultaneous adsorption and reduction of VMCP for Cr(VI) was investigated. • The mechanisms of Cr(VI) removal by VMCP were elucidated. Poly(4-vinyl pyridine) decorated magnetic chitosan biopolymer (VMCP), as an absorbent and reductant, was prepared and used to remove hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solution. Compared with undecorated magnetic biopolymer, VMCP exhibited significantly improved removal performance under identical experimental conditions. The kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics of Cr(VI) adsorption onto VMCP were investigated. Results demonstrated that the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of VMCP was 344.83 mg/g, which was considerably higher than most reported adsorbents. The mechanism for Cr(VI) removal was explored based on XPS and FTIR analyses. The main mechanisms were concluded to be Cr(VI) adsorption onto the positively charged VMCP surface and the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), followed by coordination between Cr(III) and N atoms. The easy regeneration, satisfactory reusability, and remarkable performance in column tests revealed the high potential of VMCP in treating Cr(VI)-contaminated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a simple and cost-effective wet chemical method is presented to form quasi-inverted pyramids (QIP) on ultrathin c -Si for efficient light trapping and sufficient wettability. The QIP is fabricated by a well-known two-step Ag assisted chemical etching method followed by a post nanostructure rebuilding (NSR) process. The variation of [Ag + ] realizes the modulation of QIP size from sub-micro scale to micro scale. The comparable average absorptance value of 50 µm c -Si with double-sided QIP fabricated under 0.5 mM [Ag + ] (QIP-50) to that of 182 µm c -Si with double-sided conventional micro-scale pyramid in the spectral range of 300 – 1100 nm demonstrates an over 3.6-fold reduction in material usage. In comparison with nanopores-structured light-trapping configuration, the QIP-50 possesses much smaller specific surface area of ~2.39, which alleviates the surface recombination losses. After wet oxidation treatment, the water contact angle (WCA) of QIP-50 (35.73°) can achieve a comparable value to that of wet oxidized polished wafer (33.30°), demonstrating sufficient wettability of the QIP for high efficiency ultrathin c -Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. The finding of QIP with both efficient light trapping and superior wettability provides a new opportunity to improve the performance of ultrathin c -Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells with a simple process at low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report inverted pyramidal nanostructure based multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells with a high conversion efficiency of 18.62% in large size of 156 × 156 mm 2 wafers. The nanostructures were fabricated by metal assisted chemical etching process followed by a post nano structure rebuilding (NSR) solution treatment. With increasing NSR treatment time, the reflectance and the dimensions of micro oval pits were both influenced. Resulting from both the light trapping ability and passivation efficiency, 500 nm inverted pyramid structure exhibited an ideal solar cell performance. The best solar cell showed a low reflectivity of 3.29% and a 0.91 mA cm −2 increase of short-circuit current density, and its efficiency was 0.45% higher than the acid textured solar cell. This technique presented a great potential to be a standard process for producing highly efficient mc-Si solar cells in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, flexible, robustly adhesive, surface smooth and oxide-resistive AgNWs/AZO composite transparent conductive films (TCFs) were prepared by spin-coating solvothermal derived AgNWs followed by magnetron sputtering AZO protective layer, after which, annealing treatment at 200 ℃ for 20 min was adopted to further increase the performance of the composite film. The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scan electron microscopy, scanning probe microscope, UV–Vis spectrophotometer and four point probe. The best result of AgNWs/AZO composite films was the one with a transmittance of 85% at 550 nm accompanied with a low sheet resistance of 19 Ω/□ by controlling the spin-coating times fixed at three. The figure of merit for the composite TCFs was 10.4, which was larger than the value of 8.8 for commercial ITO film. These amazing results would render the AgNWs /AZO composite TCFs an ideal candidate to replace conventional ITO for its potential application in flexible devices including OPV and OLED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite was obtained by a hydrothermal treatment of the mixture of CZTS and graphene oxide (GO). The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scan electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and Brunauer–Emmmett–Teller (BET) test. The electrochemical performance of CZTS particles and CZTS/RGO composite used as supercapacitor electrodes was tested for the very first time. The electrochemical measurement demonstrated that the specific capacitance for CZTS/RGO in 3 M KOH aqueous electrolyte was as high as 591 F/g at a current density of 0.25 A/g which was four times larger than that of pure CZTS (138 F/g). Increasing the current density to 1 A/g, the specific capacitance of CZTS/RGO composite was kept as high as 248.5 F/g. After 1000 cycles, the capacity retention was still maintained at 80.6%. It was concluded that the high conductivity and large surface area of RGO resulted in the lower charge transfer and ion diffusion resistance in CZTS/RGO composite, which synergistically enhanced the capacitive performance of composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]