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Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) is a p-type semiconductor which has been developed as an absorber layer of polycrystalline thin film solar cells. Generally, Cu-poor and Zn-rich compositions tend to give the highest solar conversion efficiencies. Raman spectroscopy has been used to detect secondary phases such as ZnSe and Cu2SnSe3 in CZTSe thin films. However, the fundamental phonon modes in single-crystal CZTSe with a composition matching that of high-efficiency thin film solar cells have not yet been fully understood. We performed polarized Raman measurements on Cu-poor and Zn-rich single-crystal CZTSe and identified 12 peaks, including two low-frequency peaks. By comparing the polarization dependence of the Raman peaks with a group theoretical analysis, we concluded that the crystal structure of CZTSe single-crystal is kesterite and made appropriate peak assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent advent of hard x-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) opens new areas of science due to their exceptional brightness, coherence, and time structure. In principle, such sources enable studies of dynamics of condensed matter systems over times ranging from femtoseconds to seconds. However, the studies of "slow" dynamics in polymeric materials still remain in question due to the characteristics of the XFEL beam and concerns about sample damage. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of measuring the relaxation dynamics of gold nanoparticles suspended in polymer melts using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), while also monitoring eventual X-ray induced damage. In spite of inherently large pulse-to-pulse intensity and position variations of the XFEL beam, measurements can be realized at slow time scales. The X-ray induced damage and heating are less than initially expected for soft matter materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coherent X-ray scattering beamline at the 9C port of the upgraded Pohang Light Source (PLS-II) at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory in Korea is introduced. This beamline provides X-rays of 5-20 keV, and targets coherent X-ray experiments such as coherent diffraction imaging and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. The main parameters of the beamline are summarized, and some preliminary experimental results are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) is a p-type semiconductor which has been developed as an absorber layer of polycrystalline thin film solar cells. Generally, Cu-poor and Zn-rich compositions tend to give the highest solar conversion efficiencies. Raman spectroscopy has been used to detect secondary phases such as ZnSe and Cu2SnSe3 in CZTSe thin films. However, the fundamental phonon modes in single-crystal CZTSe with a composition matching that of high-efficiency thin film solar cells have not yet been fully understood. We performed polarized Raman measurements on Cu-poor and Zn-rich single-crystal CZTSe and identified 12 peaks, including two low-frequency peaks. By comparing the polarization dependence of the Raman peaks with a group theoretical analysis, we concluded that the crystal structure of CZTSe single-crystal is kesterite and made appropriate peak assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic catalysts can undergo segregation or redistribution of the metals driven by oxidizing and reducing environments. Bragg coherent diffraction imaging (BCDI) was used to relate displacement fields to compositional distributions in crystalline Pt-Rh alloy nanoparticles. Three-dimensional images of internal composition showed that the radial distribution of compositions reverses partially between the surface shell and the core when gas flow changes between O2 and H2. Our observation suggests that the elemental segregation of nanoparticle catalysts should be highly active during heterogeneous catalysis and can be a controlling factor in synthesis of electrocatalysts. In addition, our study exemplifies applications of BCDI for in situ 3D imaging of internal equilibrium compositions in other bimetallic alloy nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]