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Browsing by Author "Bao, Ningzhong"

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    Efficient Thermolysis Route to Monodisperse Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanocrystals with Controlled Shape and Structure
    (Nature Portfolio, 2014) Zhang, Xiaoyan; Guo, Guobiao; Ji, Cheng; Huang, Kai; Zha, Chenyang; Wang, Yifeng; Shen, Liming; Gupta, Arunava; Bao, Ningzhong; Nanjing Tech University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Monodisperse Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals with tunable shape, crystalline phase, and composition are synthesized by efficient thermolysis of a single source precursor of mixed metal-oleate complexes in hot organic solvents with dissolved sulfur sources. Suitable tuning of the synthetic conditions and the Cu/(Zn + Sn) ratio of the precursor has enabled precise control of the crystalline phase in the form of kesterite, or a newly observed wurtzite structure. Nanocrystals with morphology in the form of spherical, rice-like, or rod-like shapes are obtained over a wide range of compositions (0.5 <= Cu/(Zn + Sn) <= 1.2). Both the final products and intermediates for each shape exhibit consistent composition and structure, indicating homogenous nucleation and growth of single-phase nanocrystals. Thin films prepared from colloidal nanocrystal suspensions display interesting shape-dependent photoresponse behavior under white light illumination from a solar simulator.
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    Synthesis of Hierarchical Nanoporous Microstructures via the Kirkendall Effect in Chemical Reduction Process
    (Nature Portfolio, 2015) Gao, Ling; Pang, Chao; He, Dafang; Shen, Liming; Gupta, Arunava; Bao, Ningzhong; Nanjing Tech University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    A series of novel hierarchical nanoporous microstructures have been synthesized through one-step chemical reduction of micron size Cu2O and Co3O4 particles. By controlling the reduction time, nonporous Cu2O microcubes sequentially transform to nanoporous Cu/Cu2O/Cu dented cubic composites and hollow eightling-like Cu microparticles. The mechanism involved in the complex structural evolution is explained based on oxygen diffusion and Kirkendall effect. The nanoporous Cu/Cu2O/Cu dented cubic composites exhibit superior electrochemical performance as compared to solid Cu2O microcubes. The reduction of nonporous Co3O4 also exhibits a uniform sequential reduction process from nonporous Co3O4 to porous Co3O4/CoO composites, porous CoO, porous CoO/Co composites, and porous foam-like Co particles. Nanoscale channels originate from the particle surface and eventually develop inside the entire product, resulting in porous foam-like Co microparticles. The Kirkendall effect is believed to facilitate the formation of porous structures in both processes.
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    Synthesis of Wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanosheets with Exposed High-Energy (002) Facets for Fabrication of Efficient Pt-Free Solar Cell Counter Electrodes
    (Nature Portfolio, 2018) Zhang, Xiaoyan; Xu, You; Zhang, Junjie; Dong, Shuai; Shen, Liming; Gupta, Arunava; Bao, Ningzhong; Nanjing Tech University; Southeast University - China; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting nanomaterials have generated much interest both because of fundamental scientific interest and technological applications arising from the unique properties in two dimensions. However, the colloidal synthesis of 2D quaternary chalcogenide nanomaterials remains a great challenge owing to the lack of intrinsic driving force for its anisotropic growth. 2D wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanosheets (CZTS-NS) with high-energy (002) facets have been obtained for the first time via a simple one-pot thermal decomposition method. The CZTS-NS exhibits superior photoelectrochemical activity as compared to zero-dimensional CZTS nanospheres and comparable performance to Pt counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells. The improved catalytic activity can be attributed to additional reactive catalytic sites and higher catalytic reactivity in high-energy (002) facets of 2D CZTS-NS. This is in accordance with the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which indicates that the (002) facets of wurtzite CZTS-NS possess higher surface energy and exhibits remarkable reducibility for I-3(-) ions. The developed synthetic method and findings will be helpful for the design and synthesis of 2D semiconducting nanomaterials, especially eco-friendly copper chalcogenide nanocrystals for energy harvesting and photoelectric applications.