Enhanced transient photovoltaic characteristics of core–shell ZnSe/ZnS/L-Cys quantum-dot-sensitized TiO_2 thin-film

Photoanodic properties greatly determine the overall performance of quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells（QDSCs）. In the present report, the microdynamic behaviors of carriers in the nanocomposite thin-film, a Zn Se QD-sensitized mesoporous La-doped nano-TiO2 thin-film, as a potential candidate for photoanode, are probed via nanosecond transient photovoltaic（TPV） spectroscopy. The results confirm that the L-Cys ligand has a dual function serving as a stabilizer and molecular linker. Large quantities of interface states are located at the energy level with a photoelectric threshold of1.58 eV and a quantum well（QW） depth of 0.67 eV. This QW depth is approximately 0.14 eV deeper than the depth of QW buried in the Zn Se QDs, and a deeper QW results in a higher quantum confinement energy. A strong quantum confinement effect of the interface state may be responsible for the excellent TPV characteristics of the photoanode. For example, the peak intensity of the TPV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film lasts a long time, from 9.40 × 10^（-7） s to 2.96 × 10^（-4） s,and the end time of the PTV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film is extended by approximately an order of magnitude compared with those of the TiO2 substrate and the QDs. The TPV characteristics of the QD-sensitized thin-film change from p-type to n-type for the QDs before and after sensitizing. These properties strongly depend on the extended diffusion length of the photogenerated carries and the reduced recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, resulting in prolonged carrier lifetime and an increased level of electron injection into the TiO2 thin-film substrate.

A novel SAXS/XRD/XAFS combined technique for in-situ timeresolved simultaneous measurements

Synchrotron radiation based combined technique can provide multiple structural information simultaneously,which is an important development direction of structural detection.In this study,a novel small-angle X-ray scattering/X-ray diffraction/X-ray absorption fine structure(SAXS/XRD/XAFS)combined setup was constructed,where an area detector,a curved detector,and a point detector are,respectively,used for the measurements of SAXS,XRD,and XAFS signals.A detailed description about the combined setup was given.A minitype diamond detector coupled to a SAXS beamstop was used to record the transmitted X-ray intensity,making the scattering(SAXS and XRD)signal measurement compatible with the absorption(XAFS)signal measurement,avoiding mechanical switching.The two-way sampling strategy was used to acquire XAFS signals,shortening the non-counting time.The two-way and one-way sampling strategies were discussed.High-frequency sampling scheme was used to collect experimental signals,improving the measurement efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio.A detailed description and discussion about the high-frequency scheme were also given in this paper.Except the rotation of monochromator,there is no mechanical movement in measurements,time resolution may reach the level of seconds.Using this SAXS/XRD/XAFS combined setup,SAXS,XRD,and XAFS signals can be acquired simultaneously.With some in-situ sample environment system,the newlydeveloped combined technique can be used to track the structure evolution in complex fluids.During the formation processes of(BiO)2CO3 and ZnAPO-34 particles,the changes of in-situ experimental data with reaction time demonstrate that SAXS/XRD/XAFS combined technique is feasible to track the dynamic process.