177,023 research outputs found
Enhanced photovoltaic properties in bilayer BiFeO3/Bi-Mn-O thin films
No full textWe report an external solar power conversion efficiency of ∼1.43% in BiFeO3(BFO)/BiMnO3(BMO) bilayer thin films. Both films are epitaxially grown on (111) oriented niobium doped SrTiO3 (NSTO) single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. By illuminating the BFO/BMO films under 1 Sun (AM 1.5 G), we found a remarkably high fill factor of ∼0.72, much higher than values reported for devices based on BFO or BMO alone. In addition, we demonstrate that the photocurrent density and photovoltage are tunable by changing the polarization direction in the BFO/BMO bilayer, as confirmed by the macroscopic polarization-voltage (P-V) hysteresis loop. This effect is described in terms of a more favorable energy band alignment of the electrode/bilayer/NSTO heterostructure junction, which controls photocarrier separation
Photovoltaic properties of Bi2FeCrO6 films epitaxially grown on (100)-oriented silicon substrates
No full textWe demonstrate the promising potential of using perovskite Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCO) for niche applications in photovoltaics (PV) (e.g. self-powered sensors that simultaneously exploit PV conversion and multiferroic properties) or as a complement to mature PV technologies like silicon. BFCO thin films were epitaxially grown on silicon substrates using an MgO buffer layer. Piezoresponse force microscopy measurements revealed that the tensile strained BFCO phase exhibits a polarization predominantly oriented through the in-plane direction. The semiconducting bandgap of the ordered BFCO phase combined with ferroelectric properties, opens the possibility of a ferroelectric PV efficiency above 2% in a thin film device and the use of ferroelectric materials simultaneously as solar absorber layers and carrier separators in PV devices. A large short circuit photocurrent density of 13.8 mA cm-2 and a photovoltage output of 0.5 V are typically obtained at FF of 38% for BFCO devices fabricated on silicon. We believe that the reduced photovoltage is due to the low diffusion length of photogenerated charge carriers in the BFCO material where the ferroelectric domains are predominately oriented in-plane and thus do not contribute efficiently to the photocharge separation process
Improved photovoltaic performance from inorganic perovskite oxide thin films with mixed crystal phases
No full textInorganic ferroelectric perovskites are attracting attention for the realization of highly stable photovoltaic cells with large open-circuit voltages. However, the power conversion efficiencies of devices have been limited so far. Here, we report a power conversion efficiency of ~4.20% under 1 sun illumination from Bi-Mn-O composite thin films with mixed BiMnO3 and BiMn2O5 crystal phases. We show that the photocurrent density and photovoltage mainly develop across grain boundaries and interfaces rather than within the grains. We also experimentally demonstrate that the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit photocurrent measured in the films are tunable by varying the electrical resistance of the device, which in turn is controlled by externally applying voltage pulses. The exploitation of multifunctional properties of composite oxides provides an alternative route towards achieving highly stable, high-efficiency photovoltaic solar energy conversion
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Photoelectrochemical properties of BiMnO 3 thin films and nanostructures
No full textWe report and compare the properties of BiMnO3 (BMO) nanostructures and thin films as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical solar cells. BMO films are grown on Niobium doped SrTiO3 crystalline substrates using pulse laser deposition. Nanoscale patterns of BMO are obtained by depositing through nanostencils, namely shadow masks with nanometer-scale circular apertures. We demonstrate that BMO nanostructures exhibit superior photoelectrochemical properties, compared to BMO thin films when used as photoelectrodes in cells for hydrogen production. A photocurrent density of ∼0.9 mA cm−2 at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl (1.38 V vs RHE) under 1 Sun is recorded for BMO nanostructures. On the other hand, BMO films exhibit a photocurrent density of ∼40 μA cm−2 at 0.4 V vs Ag/AgCl (0.98 V vs RHE) under 2 Sun which is four times higher than that recorded under 1 Sun illumination (∼10 μA cm−2 at 0.4 V vs Ag/AgCl). Mott-Schottky analysis evidences n-type characteristics for both BMO thin films and nanostructures. According to band alignment with respect to the redox potential of water, we conclude that both types of photoelectrodes are suitable for oxygen evolution reaction
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
Multiferroic Bi2FeCrO6 based p-i-n heterojunction photovoltaic devices
No full textPhotovoltaic devices made of ferroelectric films are being widely studied, due to their efficient charge separation driven by the internal polarization as well as above-bandgap generated photovoltages. These features may enable power conversion efficiencies (PCE) exceeding the Shockley-Queisser limit, which characterizes conventional semiconductor-based solar cells. However, improving the PCE of such devices is still a challenge, mainly due to the weak charge transport and collection induced by the recombination of photocarriers. Here, we fabricated p-i-n heterojunction devices based on double-perovskite multiferroic Bi2FeCrO6 thin films. The latter act as intrinsic absorbers, sandwiched between hole- and electron-transporting layers, a p-type NiO and an n-type Nb-doped SrTiO3 semiconductor, respectively. Under 1 sun illumination, the optimized p-i-n device yields an open-circuit voltage of 0.53 V and a short-circuit current density of 8.0 mA cm-2, leading to a PCE of ca. 2.0%, a four-fold enhancement compared to that of the i-n device architecture
Epitaxial Bi2FeCrO6 Multiferroic Thin Film as a New Visible Light Absorbing Photocathode Material
No full textFerroelectric materials have been studied increasingly for solar energy conversion technologies due to the efficient charge separation driven by the polarization induced internal electric field. However, their insufficient conversion efficiency is still a major challenge. Here, a photocathode material of epitaxial double perovskite Bi2FeCrO6 multiferroic thin film is reported with a suitable conduction band position and small bandgap (1.9-2.1 eV), for visible-light-driven reduction of water to hydrogen. Photoelectrochemical measurements show that the highest photocurrent density up to -1.02 mA cm-2 at a potential of -0.97V versus reversible hydrogen electrode is obtained in p-type Bi2FeCrO6 thin film photocathode grown on SrTiO3 substrate under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight. In addition, a twofold enhancement of photocurrent density is obtained after negatively poling the Bi2FeCrO6 thin film, as a result of modulation of the band structure by suitable control of the internal electric field gradient originating from the ferroelectric polarization in the Bi2FeCrO6 films. The findings validate the use of multiferroic Bi2FeCrO6 thin films as photocathode materials, and also prove that the manipulation of internal fields through polarization in ferroelectric materials is a promising strategy for the design of improved photoelectrodes and smart devices for solar energy conversion. A new photocathode material Bi2FeCrO6 with a small bandgap (1.9-2.1 eV) and a suitable conduction band position to photoreduce water to H2 is reported. The highest photocurrent density (ca. -1.0 mA cm-2) is obtained at ca. -1.0 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode. The photocurrent could be further tuned through modulating the ferroelectric polarization
Highly Sensitive Switchable Heterojunction Photodiode Based on Epitaxial Bi2FeCrO6 Multiferroic Thin Films
No full textPerovskite multiferroic oxides are promising materials for the realization of sensitive and switchable photodiodes because of their favorable band gap (<3.0 eV), high absorption coefficient, and tunable internal ferroelectric (FE) polarization. A high-speed switchable photodiode based on multiferroic Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCO)/SrRuO3 (SRO)-layered heterojunction was fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The heterojunction photodiode exhibits a large ideality factor (n = ∼5.0) and a response time as fast as 68 ms, thanks to the effective charge carrier transport and collection at the BFCO/SRO interface. The diode can switch direction when the electric polarization is reversed by an external voltage pulse. The time-resolved photoluminescence decay of the device measured at ∼500 nm demonstrates an ultrafast charge transfer (lifetime = ∼6.4 ns) in BFCO/SRO heteroepitaxial structures. The estimated responsivity value at 500 nm and zero bias is 0.38 mA W-1, which is so far the highest reported for any FE thin film photodiode. Our work highlights the huge potential for using multiferroic oxides to fabricate highly sensitive and switchable photodiodes
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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