Niobium doped zinc oxide nanorods as an electron transport layer for high-performance inverted polymer solar cells.

Title Niobium doped zinc oxide nanorods as an electron transport layer for high-performance inverted polymer solar cells.
Authors H. Naz; R.Nauman Ali; Q. Liu; S. Yang; B. Xiang
Journal J Colloid Interface Sci
DOI 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.10.041
Abstract

The wet chemical synthesis, characterization and applications of Nb doped ZnO nanorods in bulk heterojunction inverted polymer solar cells are presented in this paper. Zn1-xNbxO with x ranging from 0.01 to 0.07 were successfully synthesized using a novel facile solution-processed wet chemical method. The structural and optical properties of the undoped and Nb doped ZnO nanorods were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible near infrared, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. A clear red shift was observed in the absorption spectra of Nb doped samples compared to the undoped ZnO nanorods. The defect emission peak in the PL spectrum of the Nb doped nanorods completely disappeared at the highest dopant concentration of x=0.07. These undoped and Nb doped ZnO nanorods, in amalgamation with PTB7-Th:PC71BM, were used in the inverted polymer solar cells as an electron transport layer which gives better power conversion efficiencies compared to the pure nanorods.

Citation H. Naz; R.Nauman Ali; Q. Liu; S. Yang; B. Xiang.Niobium doped zinc oxide nanorods as an electron transport layer for high-performance inverted polymer solar cells.. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2018;512:548554. doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2017.10.041

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Niobium

See more Niobium products. Niobium (atomic symbol: Nb, atomic number: 41) is a Block D, Group 5, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 92.90638. Niobium Bohr ModelThe number of electrons in each of niobium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 12, 1 and its electron configuration is [Kr] 4d4 5s1. The niobium atom has a radius of 146 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 207 pm. Niobium was discovered by Charles Hatchett in 1801 and first isolated by Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand in 1864. In its elemental form, niobium has a gray metallic appearance. Niobium has the largest magnetic penetration depth of any element and is one of three elemental type-II superconductors (Elemental Niobiumalong with vanadium and technetium). Niobium is found in the minerals pyrochlore, its main commercial source, and columbite. The word Niobium originates from Niobe, daughter of mythical Greek king Tantalus.

Zinc

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