Bicontinuous oxide heteroepitaxy with enhanced photoconductivity

作者:Shao, Pao-Wen; Wu, Yi-Xian; Chen, Wei-Han; Zhang, Mojue; Dai, Minyi; Kuo, Yen-Chien; Hsieh, Shang-Hsien; Tang, Yi-Cheng; Liu, Po-Liang; Yu, Pu; Chen, Yuang; Huang, Rong; Chen, Chia-Hao; Hsu, Ju-Hung; Chen, Yi-Chun; Hu, Jia-Mian*; Chu, Ying-Hao*
来源:Nature Communications, 2023, 14(1).
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-35385-0

摘要

Self-assembled nanocomposites present opportunities for a range of phase morphologies and desirable properties. Here authors present tuneable self-assembled nanostructures in the SnO2:NiO system; the double-percolated system expands the design of self-assembled oxides for practical applications, e.g. in optoelectronics. @@@ Self-assembled systems have recently attracted extensive attention because they can display a wide range of phase morphologies in nanocomposites, providing a new arena to explore novel phenomena. Among these morphologies, a bicontinuous structure is highly desirable based on its high interface-to-volume ratio and 3D interconnectivity. A bicontinuous nickel oxide (NiO) and tin dioxide (SnO2) heteroepitaxial nanocomposite is revealed here. By controlling their concentration, we fabricated tuneable self-assembled nanostructures from pillars to bicontinuous structures, as evidenced by TEM-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy with a tortuous compositional distribution. The experimentally observed growth modes are consistent with predictions by first-principles calculations. Phase-field simulations are performed to understand 3D microstructure formation and extract key thermodynamic parameters for predicting microstructure morphologies in SnO2:NiO nanocomposites of other concentrations. Furthermore, we demonstrate significantly enhanced photovoltaic properties in a bicontinuous SnO2:NiO nanocomposite macroscopically and microscopically. This research shows a pathway to developing innovative solar cell and photodetector devices based on self-assembled oxides.

  • 单位
    清华大学

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