Upcycled synthesis and extraction of carbon‐encapsulated iron carbide nanoparticles for gap Plasmon applications in perovskite solar cells

Abstract

An effective method for obtaining large amounts of metal nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated by carbon layers through upcycling from floating-catalyst aerosol chemical vapor-deposited carbon nanotubes is demonstrated. NPs with diameters of less than 20 μm are selectively extracted from the synthesized carbon assortments through sonication, centrifugation, and filtration. The particles show an aggregation behavior owing to the π-π interaction between the graphitic carbon shells surrounding the iron carbides. By controlling the degree of the aggregation and arrangement, the light scattering by the gap-surface plasmon effect in perovskite solar cells is maximized. Application of the NPs to the devices increased the power conversion efficiency from 19.71% to 21.15%. The short-circuit current density (J SC ) trend over the particle aggregation time accounts for the plasmonic effect. The devices show high stability analogue to the control devices, confirming that no metal-ion migration took place thanks to the encapsulation.

Reaction Atmosphere-Controlled Thermal Conversion of Ferrocene to Hematite and Cementite Nanomaterials─Structural and Spectroscopic Investigations

“…Hematite with bandgap of around 2.2 eV, acts as an n-type semiconductor and possesses a magnetic spin-flop transition at ∼260 K . Conversely, iron carbides have found useful applications in different fields, particularly because of their magnetic, catalytic, and mechanical properties. ,,, Structurally, they are intermetallic compounds consisting of iron and carbon that range in composition from FeC to Fe 7 C. Among these different forms of iron carbides, cementite (Fe 3 C) is the most popular, and it possesses an orthorhombic crystal structure and huge application potential. ,− Study of iron carbide materials in the nanometric range is a complex as well as challenging part of research because of the delicate balance among the various phases of the dominant components.…”

“… 2 , 5 , 13 , 14 Structurally, they are intermetallic compounds consisting of iron and carbon that range in composition from FeC to Fe 7 C. Among these different forms of iron carbides, cementite (Fe 3 C) is the most popular, and it possesses an orthorhombic crystal structure and huge application potential. 3 , 15 − 17 Study of iron carbide materials in the nanometric range is a complex as well as challenging part of research because of the delicate balance among the various phases of the dominant components.…”