TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Łobaza, Justyna A1 - Naumann, Franziska A1 - Gargouri, Hassan A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Long-term ambient surface oxidation of titanium oxynitride films prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition: An XPS study T2 - Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A N2 - The surface oxidation of a titanium oxynitride (TiOxNy) film after long-time storage of 25 month in ambient conditions is investigated. The TiOxNy film is prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using etrakis(dimethylamino)titanium and nitrogen plasma, and the film is characterized by Ar+ ion sputtering of the film surface in combination with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as by angle-resolved XPS. The total thickness of an oxygen-enriched layer at the surface of the TiOxNy films is found to be about 0.7 nm and it consists of a sequence of a 0.4 nm thick TiON/TiO2 enriched layer followed by a 0.3 nm thick TiO2 enriched layer underneath compared to the bulk composition of the film which shows constant values of 29% TiN, 29% TiO2, and 42% TiON. The results suggest that the TiON enrichment takes place initially at the surface followed by a surface and subsurface oxidation. KW - atomic layer deposition (ALD) KW - surface oxidation KW - X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - titanium oxynitride Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5003356 SN - 0734-2101 SN - 1520-8559 VL - 36 IS - 1 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Henkel, Karsten T1 - Intrinsic defects and multiple-atom processes in the oxidic semiconductor Ga₂O₃ T2 - Journal of Applied Physics N2 - We report on the electronic structure of gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) single crystals as studied by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES). We identify intrinsic electronic defects that are formed by mixed-atomic valence states. We differentiate three coexisting defect states that differ in their electronic correlation energy and their spatial localization lengths. Their relative abundance is described by a fractional ionicity with covalent and ionic bonding contributions. For Ga₂O₃, our analyses of the resPES data enable us to derive two main aspects: first, experimental access is given to determine the ionicity based on the original concepts of Pauling and Phillips. Second, we report on multi-atomic energy loss processes in the Ga2p core level and X-ray absorption data. The two experimental findings can be explained consistently in the same context of mixed-atomic valence states and intrinsic electronic defects. KW - resonat photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES) KW - X-Ray absorption KW - gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) KW - intrinsic electronic defects KW - band scheme Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5010740 SN - 0021-8979 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 123 IS - 16 SP - 161596-1 EP - 161596-9 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Wojciechowski, Konrad A1 - Snaith, Henry J. A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Evidence of Nitrogen Contribution to the Electronic Structure of the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ Perovskite T2 - Chemistry - A European Journal N2 - Despite fast development of hybrid perovskite solar cells, there are many fundamental questions related to the perovskite film which remain open. For example, there are contradicting theoretical reports on the role of the or-ganic methylammonium cation (CH₃NH₃+)in the methylam-monium lead triiodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃)perovskite film. From one side it is reported that the organic cation does not contribute to electronic structure of the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ film. From the other side, valence band maximum fluctuations, dependent on the CH₃NH₃+ rotation, have been theoretically predicted. The resonant X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reported here show experimental evidence of nitrogen contribution to the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ electronic structure. Moreover,the observed strong resonances of nitrogen with the I 5s and the Pb 5d-6s levels indicate that the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ valence band is extended up to ~18 eV below the Fermi energy, and therefore one should also consider these shallow core levels while modeling its electronic structure. KW - methylammonium lead triiodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) KW - electronic structure KW - perovskite solar cells KW - resonant X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES) Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201705144 SN - 0947-6539 SN - 1521-3765 VL - 24 IS - 14 SP - 3539 EP - 3544 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Janowitz, Christoph A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Significance of out-of-plane electronic contributions in Bi-cuprates studied by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy at the Cu2p-edge T2 - Superconductor Science and Technology N2 - In high-temperature superconductors with a layered crystal structure, the copper–oxygen planes are commonly considered to dominate the electronic properties around the Fermi energy. As a consequence, out-of-plane contributions are often neglected in the description of these materials. Here we report on a resonant photoemission study of Pb₀,4Bi1,₆Sr₂,₀CaCu₂0₈ ((Pb, Bi)-2212) and Pb₀,₆Bi₁,₄Sr₁.5La₀.5Cu0₆ ((Pb, Bi)-2201)) single crystals to unravel the resonant decay mechanisms at the Cu2p absorption edge. We find evidence for a pronounced polarization dependence caused by two different Auger processes for in-plane and out-of-plane orientations. We deduce that the lowest energy valence state—which is involved in the two Auger processes—consists of three-dimensional contributions by admixed out-of-plane Sr, Bi, and 02p states. It also suggests that the doping-induced charge density is dynamic, fluctuating within the Cu–0 plane, and spills out perpendicular to it. This suggests that out-of-plane electronic degrees of freedom should be included in future consistent theoretical models of these materials. KW - synchrotron radiation KW - polarization dependence KW - 3D hole doping KW - superconductor Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/aaadf6 SN - 0953-2048 SN - 1361-6668 VL - 31 IS - 4 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Mandal, Dipankar A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - One-Pot Synthesis of Copper Oxide Nanowires and PVDF/CuO Composite Films for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Application T2 - Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Reihe 6, Band 53,3 N2 - Copper oxide (CuO) is an attractive p-type oxide semiconductor with narrow band gap that has intriguing properties such as non-toxicity, chemical stability, electrocatalytic activity, abundant availability and low production cost. Polymeric materials have attracted great interest owing to their high flexibility, light weight, low cost production and high resistance against corrosion. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a commonly used piezoelectric polymer due to its excellent flexibility and piezoelectric properties. In this work, we adopted a one-pot synthesis of CuO nanowires by facile and selective chemical etching process of Cu substrate. XPS, XRD, SEM data ascribed the formation of polycrystalline CuO nanowires over the entire Cu surface. It has been observed that the uniformity, shape and size of the nanowires could be conveniently controlled by etching time and etchant concentration. We have also prepared piezoelectric nanogenerator based on the flexible PVDF/CuO composite film, where the traditional electrical poling treatment was avoided. In addition, dielectric properties have been studied to demonstrate the role of interfacial polarization. KW - PVDF KW - electroactive phase KW - nanogenerators KW - energy storage Y1 - 2018 UR - https://www.dpg-verhandlungen.de/year/2018/conference/berlin/part/cpp/session/20/contribution/21 SN - 0420-0195 SP - S. 135 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Naumann, Franziska A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Poźarowska, Emilia A1 - Gargouri, Hassan A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Aluminum nitride films prepared by plasma atomic layer deposition using different plasma sources T2 - Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Reihe 6, Band 53,3 N2 - Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films are promising for versatile applications in optoelectronics, electronics, piezoelectrics, and acoustics due to their remarkable properties such as wide band gap, high dielectric constant, low electrical conductivity, good piezoelectric coefficient and high ultrasonic velocity. We present a comparative study of AlN films grown by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition at 350°C silicon wafers in the SENTECH SI ALD LL system using TMA and NH3 where either a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) or a direct PTSA (planar triple spiral antenna) source was applied. The films were characterized by ellipsometry, XPS and electrical measurements. The layer properties are discussed concerning the varied ALD process parameters. In general, the process using the direct PTSA source delivered films with higher refractive index and better homogeneity over the wafer achieving also higher growth rates per cycle (GPC) in reduced total cycle durations. Films with refractive index in the range of 2.05 and permittivity around 8 could be realized with a GPC of 1.54 Å/cycle. KW - Aluminium nitride KW - plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) KW - ellispsometry KW - field emission scanning electron microscopy KW - atomic force microscopy KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy KW - electrical characterization Y1 - 2018 SN - 0420-0195 SP - S. 170 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Kegelmann, Lukas A1 - Kus, Peter A1 - Tsud, Nataliya A1 - Matolínová, Iva A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Matolin, Vladimir A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Room temperature atomic layer deposition for perovskite solar cells T2 - Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft, Reihe 6, Band 53,3 N2 - After few years of efficiency driven research on perovskite solar cells, the focus now is shifting to understand the underlying processes governing the high efficiency and also to obtain long-term stable devices. Among various deposition methods, atomic layer deposition (ALD) may represent one of the best options, being possible to coat substrates in a very efficient way and at very low temperatures. In our previous work [1] we reported that the efficiency of the solar cell containing aged perovskite film can be enhanced twice while covering the perovskite with a thin ALD alumina film at room temperature. In this work, the chemical, electronic and morphological properties of the fresh perovskite film treated by ALD pulses of the trimethylaluminium and water at room temperature investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy will be discused and correlated with the solar cells performance and stability. [1] M. Kot et al., ChemSusChem 2016, 9, 3401. KW - Perovskite solar cells KW - atomic layer deposition KW - X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - atomic force microscopy KW - field emission scanning electron microscopy KW - photo-conversion efficiency Y1 - 2018 SN - 0420-0195 SP - S. 174 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - GEN A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Sen, Shrabanee A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - Enhancement of Electroactive β-phase and Superior Dielectric Properties in Cerium Based Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Composite Films T2 - Materials Today: proceedings N2 - In this work we report on the preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films with various mass fractions (wt%) of hydrated rare earth metal salt [(NH4)4Ce(SO4)4.2H2O] (CAS) and its electroactive phase (β- and γ-phase) formation. It was found that CAS can yield high amount of electroactive phases in PVDF. Compared to the neat PVDF film, a significantly increment of dielectric constant (ε ∼ 41) and a low loss factor (tan δ ∼ 0.8) were observed in the PVDF-CAS composite films. Thus the PVDF-CAS composite films with high electroactive phase and superior dielectric properties may meet the requirements of next generation electronic components. KW - PVDF KW - High amount of electroactive phase KW - Superior dielectric properties Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2017.11.003 SN - 2214-7853 VL - 5 IS - 3 part 3 SP - 10084 EP - 10090 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Tallarida, Massimo A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter ED - Wandelt, Klaus T1 - An (In Situ)² Approach: ALD and resPES Applied to Al₂O₃, HfO₂, and TiO₂ Ultrathin Films T2 - Encyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry: Surface Science and Electrochemistry, Vol. 3.1 N2 - Oxide surface coatings are of importance in tailoring interface properties with respect to surface passivation, adjustment of surface potentials, or providing active centers for surface reactions. In this contribution, we report about surface coatings prepared by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. ALD is known for its conformal growth of ultrathin, dense films which exhibit a low concentration of pinholes. KW - Atomic layer deposition (ALD) KW - Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES) KW - Band scheme KW - Partial density of states (pDOS) KW - Intrinsic charges KW - Intrinsic defects KW - Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) KW - Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) KW - Titanium oxide(TiO₂) Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-0-12-809739-7 SN - 978-0-12-809894-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.13852-1 SP - 18 EP - 26 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Corrêa, Silma Alberton A1 - Das, Chittaranjan A1 - Henkel, Karsten ED - Wandelt, Klaus T1 - Interface Potentials, Intrinsic Defects, and Passivation Mechanisms in Al₂O₃, HfO₂, and TiO₂ Ultrathin Films T2 - Encyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry: Surface Science and Electrochemistry, vol. 3.1 N2 - We study the electronic structure of ultrathin Al₂O₃, HfO₂, and TiO₂ ALD films by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy. We identify intrinsic defects which are responsible for the active sites in interface reactions, for the incorporation of intrinsic charges, and for the formation of local dipole momenta. All of these features determine the surface potentials and the reactivity of the surface of the atomic layer deposition coated systems. We give examples of charges and dipoles in Al₂O₃, on a study of the surface potentials in HfO₂, and relate the intrinsic defects in TiO₂ to their electrochemical relevance. KW - Atomic layer deposition (ALD) KW - Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES) KW - Band scheme KW - Interface potential KW - Intrinsic charges KW - Intrinsic defects KW - Partial density of states (pDOS) KW - Exciton KW - Polaron KW - Ligand-to-metal charge transfer KW - Aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) KW - Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) KW - Titanium Oxide (TiO₂) Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-0-12-809739-7 SN - 978-0-12-814984-3 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.14119-8 SP - 162 EP - 171 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Janowitz, Christoph T1 - Ionicity of ZnO - a key system for transparent conductive oxides T2 - epl : a letters journal exploring the frontiers of physics N2 - The electronic structure of ZnO is dominated by coexisting electron and ionic states/bonds caused by charge polarization and self-trapping phenomena of the valence charges. Their interplay manifests itself in intrinsic electronic defects which have different degree of spatial localization and electronic correlation. The relative abundance of intrinsic defects can be determined by the ionicity factor fi and its value can be derived from three independent experimental procedures in a consistent way. This approach also explains the complex satellite features in the XPS and XAS data. Ionicity and satellite formation are two experimental findings which can be explained consistently in the same context of mixed-atomic valence states and intrinsic electronic defects. KW - Ionicity KW - zinc oxide (ZnO) KW - resonant photoelectron spectroscopy KW - defect states KW - transparent conductive oxide (TCO) Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/123/27003 SN - 1286-4854 SN - 0295-5075 VL - 123 IS - 2 SP - 27003-p1 EP - 27003-p7 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Kegelmann, Lukas A1 - Das, Chittaranjan A1 - Kus, Peter A1 - Tsud, Nataliya A1 - Matolínová, Iva A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Matolin, Vladimir A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Room temperature atomic layer deposited Al₂O₃ improves perovskite solar cells efficiency over time T2 - ChemSusChem N2 - Electrical characterisation of perovskite solar cells consisting of room-temperature atomic-layer-deposited aluminium oxide (RT-ALD-Al₂O₃) film on top of a methyl ammonium lead triiodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) absorber showed excellent stability of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) over along time. Under the same environmental conditions (for 355 d), the average PCE of solar cells without the ALD layer decreased from 13.6 to 9.6 %, whereas that of solar cells containing 9 ALD cycles of depositing RT-ALD-Al₂O₃on top of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ increased from 9.4 to 10.8 %. Spectromicroscopic investigations of the ALD/perovskite interface revealed that the maximum PCE with the ALD layer is obtained when the so-called perovskite cleaning process induced by ALD precursors is complete. The PCE enhancement over time is probably related to a self-healing process induced by the RT-ALD-Al₂O₃ film. This work may provide a new direction for further improving the long-term stability and performance of perovskite solar cells. KW - Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) KW - Atomic layer deposition (ALD) KW - long time stabilty KW - X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201801434 SN - 1864-5631 SN - 1864-564X VL - 11 IS - 20 SP - 3640 EP - 3648 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Haeberle, Jörg A1 - Müller, Klaus A1 - Janowitz, Christoph A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter ED - Fornari, Robert T1 - Preparation, properties and electronic structure of SnO₂ T2 - Single Crystals of Electronic Materials N2 - This chapter reports about tin oxide (SnO₂), a material which belongs to the transparent conducting oxide family and is best characterized by its high conductivity, high carrier mobility, and the ability to form p-type conductivity. We correlate these properties in terms of localized intrinsic electronic defect states which are resolved by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. We describe SnO₂ in terms of an inhomogeneous, mixed-ionic-covalent semiconductor in which these intrinsic electronic defects state are stabilized. KW - electronic structure KW - tin oxide (SnO₂) KW - resonant photoelectron spectroscopy KW - intrinsic defect states Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-0-08-102096-8 SN - 978-0-08-102097-5 SP - 547 EP - 572 PB - Elsevier, Woodhead Publishing CY - Duxford ER - TY - GEN A1 - Maity, Kuntal A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - Natural Sugar-Assisted, Chemically Reinforced, Highly Durable Piezoorganic Nanogenerator with Superior Power Density for Self-Powered Wearable Electronics T2 - ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces N2 - Natural piezoelectric materials are of increasing interest, particularly for applications in biocompatible, implantable, and flexible electronic devices. In this paper, we introduce a cost-effective, easily available natural piezoelectric material, that is, sugar in the field of wearable piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) where low electrical output, biocompatibility, and performance durability are still critical issues. We report on a high-performance piezoorganic nanogenerator (PONG) based on the hybridization of sugar-encapsulated polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) nanofiber webs (SGNFW). We explore the crucial role of single-crystal sugar having a fascinating structure along with the synergistic enhancement of piezoelectricity during nanoconfinement of sugar-interfaced macromolecular PVDF chains. As a consequence, the SGNFW-based PONG exhibits outstanding electricity generation capability (e.g.,∼100 V under 10 kPa human finger impact and maximum power density of 33 mW/m2) in combination with sensitivity to abundantly available different mechanical sources (such as wind flow, vibration, personal electronics, and acoustic vibration). Consequently, it opens up suitability in multifunctional self-powered wearable sensor designs for realistic implementation. In addition, commercially available capacitors are charged up effectively by the PONG because of its rapid energy storage capability. The high performance of the PONG not only offers“battery-free”energy generation (several portable units of light-emitting diodes and a liquid crystal display screen are powered up without using external storage) but also promises its use in wireless signal transmitting systems, which widens the potential in personal health care monitoring. Furthermore, owing to the geometrical stress confinement effect, the PONG is proven to be a highly durable power-generating device validated by stability test over 10 weeks. Therefore, the organic nanogenerator would be a convenient solution for portable personal electronic devices that are expected to operate in a self-powered manner. KW - natural piezoelectric material KW - sugar KW - PVDF KW - organic piezoelectric nanogenerator KW - high performance and durability KW - self-powered electronics Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b15320 SN - 1944-8244 SN - 1944-8252 VL - 10 SP - 44018 EP - 44032 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Biswas, Anirban A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Maity, Kuntal A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - Influence of In situ Synthesized Bismuth Oxide Nanostructures in Self-poled PVDF-based Nanogenerator for Mechanical Energy Harvesting Application T2 - Polymer Composites N2 - A self-poled piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) based on bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) nanostructures (BNS)-doped poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is demonstrated. The in-situ formation of BNS incorporated in the PVDF matrix is realized through a simple solution casting technique that favors the nucleation and stabilization of 99.6% of the electroactive phase in PVDF (i.e., beta/gamma-phases). The enhancement of the output voltage (3.6 V) and current (2.4mA) of the NG based on a nonelectrically poled BNS containing PVDF composite film is achieved and demonstrated by simple repeated human finger imparting. The improvement of the output performance is influenced by the generation of the electroactive polar beta-phase in PVDF, due to the electrostatic interactions between the –CH2–/–CF2– dipoles of PVDF and the surface charge of the BNS. The NGs are able to charge up capacitors demonstrating that the power generation from such a hybrid device structure can be utilized for powering various portable devices. KW - Nanogenerators KW - energy harvesting KW - PVDF KW - bismuth oxide KW - Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - X-ray diffraction (XRD) KW - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.24628 SN - 0272-8397 SN - 1548-0569 VL - 40 IS - S1 SP - E265 EP - E274 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Naumann, Franziska A1 - Gargouri, Hassan A1 - Tarnawska, Lidia Lupina A1 - Wilker, Viola A1 - Kus, Peter A1 - Pożarowska, Emilia A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Rouissi, Zied A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Comparison of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition AlN films prepared with different plasma sources T2 - Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A N2 - A comparative study of thin aluminum nitride (AlN) films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition in the SENTECH SI ALD LL system applying either a direct inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or an indirect capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) source is presented. The films prepared with the ICP source (based on a planar triple spiral antenna) exhibit improved properties concerning the growth rate per cycle, total cycle duration, homogeneity, refractive index, fixed and mobile electrical charges, and residual oxygen content compared to the CCP source, where the comparison is based on the applied plasma power of 200 W. The increase of the plasma power to 600 W in the ICP process significantly reduces the residual oxygen content and enhances the electrical breakdown field. The AlN layers grown under these conditions, with a growth rate per cycle of 1.54 Å/cycle, contain residual oxygen and carbon concentrations of about 10% and 4%, respectively, and possess a refractive index of 2.07 (at 632.8 nm). KW - Plamsa-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) KW - inductively coupled KW - capacitively coupled KW - plamsa source KW - ellipsometry KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - X-ray diffraction (XRD) KW - Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) KW - capacitance-voltage (CV) KW - atomic force microscopy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5079628 SN - 0734-2101 SN - 1520-8559 VL - 37 IS - 2 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kotwica, Tomasz A1 - Domaradzki, Jarosław A1 - Wojcieszak, Damian A1 - Sikora, Andrzej A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Analysis of surface properties of Ti-Cu-Ox gradient thin films using AFM and XPS investigations T2 - Materials Science-Poland N2 - The paper presents results of investigations on surface properties of transparent semiconducting thin films based on (Ti-Cu)oxide system prepared using multi-magnetron sputtering system. The thin films were prepared using two programmed profiles of pulse widt hmodulation coefficient, so called V- and U-shape profiles. The applied powering profiles allowed fabrication of thin films with gradient distribution of Ti and Cu elements over the thickness of deposited layers. Optical investigations allowed determination of transparency of prepared films that reached up to 60 % in the visible part of optical radiation, which makes them attractive for the transparent electronics domain. Surface properties investigations showed that the surface of mixed (Ti-Cu)oxides was sensitive to adsorption, in particular to carbon dioxide and water vapor. Soft etching with argon ions resulted in surface cleaning from residuals, however, deoxidation of Cu-oxide components was also observed. KW - surface KW - gradient distribution KW - thin film oxide Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2478/msp-2018-0100 SN - 0137-1339 SN - 2083-1331 SN - 2083-134X VL - 36 IS - 4 SP - 761 EP - 768 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Janowitz, Christoph A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Out-of-plane electronic contributions in Bi-cuprates studied by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy at the Cu 2p edge T2 - Verhandlungen der DPG N2 - In high-temperature superconductors with a layered crystal structure out-of-plane contributions are often neglected, while the copper-oxygen planes are commonly considered to dominate the electronic properties around the Fermi energy. Here we report on a resonant photoemission study of (Pb,Bi)2201 and (Pb,Bi)2212 single crystals to unravel the resonant decay mechanisms at the Cu 2p absorption edge. We demonstrate a pronounced polarization dependence caused by two different Auger processes for in-plane and out-of-plane orientations. We deduce that the lowest energy valence state being involved in the two Auger processes, consists of three-dimensional contributions by admixed out-of-plane Sr, Bi, and O 2p states. It also suggests that the doping-induced charge density is dynamic, fluctuating within the Cu-O plane, and spills out perpendicular to it. C. Janowitz and D. Schmeißer, Supercond. Sci. Technol. 31, 045006 (2018) KW - high-temperature superconductors KW - resonant photoemission spectroscopy KW - single crystal KW - doping-induced charge density Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.dpg-verhandlungen.de/year/2019/conference/regensburg/part/tt/session/49/contribution/19 SN - 0420-0195 SP - 403 EP - 403 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mahmoodinezhad, Ali A1 - Pożarowska, Emilia A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Flege, Jan Ingo T1 - Depth profiling of PEALD-AlN films based on Al2p XPS peak decomposition T2 - Verhandlungen der DPG N2 - AlN has remarkable properties (wide band gap, low electrical and thermal conductivity, high dielectric constant, piezoelectricity) and is attractive for (opto)electronic and sensor applications. However, high oxygen content within nitride films is always a critical issue due to the thermodynamically favorable oxidation against nitridation resulting in deteriorated materials properties. In order to clarify whether the oxidation is a surface-limited or a bulk process elemental depth profiling is essential. In this work XPS in combination with Ar+ sputtering is applied to carry out depth profiling of AlN films prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using different parameters (plasma source, power and pulse duration). Particularly, the Al2p core levels are analyzed where the signals are decomposed into four components, representing weaker contributions of pure AlN and aluminum oxide phases as well as stronger signals of mixed oxygen-rich and nitrogen-rich phases. After sputtering (providing access to the deeper part of the film) the pure AlN phase content increases while the pure aluminum oxide content stays relatively constant. These issues are discussed with regard to the preparation parameters employed and accompanying XRD and electrical measurements. KW - X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - peak decomposition KW - plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) KW - aluminium nitride (AlN) Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.dpg-verhandlungen.de/year/2019/conference/regensburg/part/ds/session/14/contribution/25 SN - 0420-0195 SP - 157 EP - 157 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - GEN A1 - Roy, Krittish A1 - Ghosh, Sujoy Kumar A1 - Sultana, Ayesha A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Xie, Mengying A1 - Bowen, Christopher Rhys A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - A Self-Powered Wearable Pressure Sensor and Pyroelectric Breathing Sensor Based on GO Interfaced PVDF Nanofibers T2 - ACS Applied Nano Materials N2 - This paper reports a self-powered,flexible, piezo- and pyro-electric hybrid nanogenerator (NG) device that can be fixed on different locations of human skin for detecting static and dynamic pressure variations and can also monitor temperature fluctuations during the respiration process. An efficient and cost-effective fabrication strategy has been developed to create electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/graphene oxide (GO) nanofibers, which are used to create a highly sensitive wearable pressure sensor and pyroelectric breathing sensor. The sensor can accurately and rapidly detect pressures as low as 10 Pa with a high sensitivity (4.3 V/kPa), a key performance indicator for wearable sensors. Importantly, the sensor exhibits a high sensitivity to bending and stretching by finger, wrist, and elbow. The pressure sensor is also highly sensitive to vocal vibrations when attached to the human throat. The device can generate a maximum output power density of∼6.2 mW/m2 when subjected to a compressive stress, which enhances its range of applications. Moreover, it is demonstrated that doping with GO improves the pyroelectric energy harvesting and sensing performance of the device under repeated temperature fluctuations. The PVDF/GO-based nanogenerator has a maximum pyroelectric output power density of∼1.2 nW/m2 and can sense temperature changes during respiration, which makes it promising as a pyroelectric breathing sensor. It is demonstrated that processing of the PVDF-GO self-powered multifunctional pressure and pyroelectric breathing sensor can be up-scaled for fabricating compact and high-performance electronic skins for application in health monitoring, motion detection, and portable electronics. KW - piezo- and pyro-electric hybrid nanogenerator KW - poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF)/graphene oxide (GO) nanofibers KW - wearable pressure sensor KW - breathing sensor Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.9b00033 SN - 2574-0970 VL - 2 IS - 4 SP - 2013 EP - 2025 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Obstarczyk, Agata A1 - Kaczmarek, Danuta A1 - Wojcieszak, Damian A1 - Mazur, Michał A1 - Domaradzki, Jarosław A1 - Kotwica, Tomasz A1 - Pastuszek, Roman A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mazur, Piotr A1 - Kot, Małgorzata T1 - Tailoring optical and electrical properties of thin-film coatings based on mixed Hf and Ti oxides for optoelectronic application T2 - Materials and Design N2 - In this work multi-magnetron sputtering stand was used for the deposition of the mixed oxides thin films based on HfO2 and TiO2. In order to obtain various material composition the power released to each magnetron (containing metallic hafnium and titanium targets) was precisely selected. Structural, surface, optical, electrical and mechanical properties of as-deposited coatings were analyzed. Depending on the hafnium content in the deposited thin films various types of the microstructure was obtained, i.e. HfO2-monoclinic, amorphous and TiO2-rutile. Increase of Ti content above 28 at. % in the as-prepared mixed oxides coatings caused their amorphization. It was found that with an increase of Ti content in prepared coatings their surface roughness and simultaneously water contact angle decreased. Performed measurements of electrical properties revealed that the lowest leakage current density in the range of 10−7 – 10−8 A/cm2 was obtained for amorphous coatings. Moreover, the tailoring of the dielectric constant was possible by a proper selection of material composition and microstructure of the deposited thin films. Average transparency in the visible wavelength region was in the range of ca. 79–86%. The influence of material composition and structure on shifting of the fundamental absorption edge and optical bandgap energy was also observed. The refractive index increased with an increase of Ti content, while extinction coefficient was the lowest for amorphous coatings. Additionally, hardness values were dependent on the material composition and optical packing density and were in the range from 7.6 GPa to 10.1 GPa. KW - Magnetron sputtering KW - Optical coatings KW - Electrical properties KW - Mixed oxides KW - HfO2 KW - TiO2 KW - High-k oxides KW - Amorphous thin films Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2019.107822 SN - 0264-1275 VL - 175 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Müller, Klaus A1 - Rachow, Fabian A1 - Günther, Vivien A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Methanation of Coke Oven Gas with Nickel-based catalysts T2 - International Journal of Environmental Science N2 - For a complete transition from fossil to CO₂ neutral energy supply new energy storage concepts are needed that allow energy supply in times of absence of regenerative power production as during dark doldrums. A promising renewable energy storage approach is the power to gas (to power) technique based on the production of synthetic natural gas (also called e-methane) by methanation of CO₂ with H₂. The latter is usually produced by electrolysis. In any power to gas concept, electrolysis is a very critical part, due to its high costs, stability issues, or limited power of required electrolysers. As an alternative source of hydrogen, we investigate the methanation of coke oven gas (COG). COG is a byproduct of the carbon rich coke production from coal for the steel industry, with a high amount of hydrogen (~60vol%). Coke oven gas furthermore contains CH₄(~25vol%), CO (5-8vol%), and CO₂(1-3vol%), making it an attractive feedstock for the production of synthetic energy carriers like methane. In the present study, the authors investigate the direct conversion of CO and CO₂ from COG into e-methane. Compared to stoichiometric conversion, the COG hydrogen content is too high for catalytic methanation of CO₂. In order to achieve a higher methane yield, the addition of CO₂ from air, flue gas, or coal gasification can compensate the surplus of hydrogen in the coke oven gas. The process is evaluated by the conversion of CO and CO₂, the catalyst selectivity towards higher hydrocarbons for varying temperatures, and the CH₄ yield. KW - Coke Oven Gas KW - CO₂ recycling KW - Power to Gas (PtG) KW - Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) KW - e-methane KW - Sabatier-Reaction Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.iaras.org/iaras/home/caijes/methanation-of-coke-oven-gas-with-nickel-based-catalysts UR - https://iaras.org/iaras/filedownloads/ijes/2019/008-0009(2019).pdf SN - 2367-8941 IS - 4 SP - 73 EP - 79 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Pożarowska, Emilia A1 - Kegelmann, Lukas A1 - Tsud, Nataliya A1 - Kot, Małgorzata T1 - Point Defect-Mediated Interface Formation and Appearance of a Cooper Minimum for AlOₓ Atomic-Layer-Deposited Films on CH₃NH₃PbI₃ T2 - The Journal of Physical Chemistry. C N2 - We report on the interaction of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ substrates with AlOx films prepared by atomic layer deposition at room temperature. We use synchrotron radiation-based photoemission spectroscopy and study the Pb 4f, I 3d, and Al 2p core levels as well as the corresponding valence band states (Pb 5d and O 2p). A Cooper minimum is observed for both the Pb 5d and O 2p states, and it indicates that the bonding at the interface must be covalent. We focus on the electronic properties of the substrate and its interface and identify a delicate charge balance between polaronic and excitonic states in MAPI and AlOₓ. The perovskite vacancy sites, identified by changes in the core-level intensities, mediate the charge balance and covalent interaction. KW - Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy KW - Al₂O₃-CH₃NH₃PbI₃ interaction KW - Cooper minimum KW - point defects in CH₃NH₃PbI₃ KW - electronic structure of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b05282 SN - 1932-7447 SN - 1932-7455 VL - 123 IS - 38 SP - 23352 EP - 23360 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Müller, Klaus A1 - Kegelmann, Lukas A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Tsud, Nataliya A1 - Kús, Peter A1 - Matolinová, Iva A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Al2O3-Atomic Layer Deposited Films on CH3NH3PbI3 : Intrinsic Defects and Passivation Mechanisms T2 - Energy Technology , The Journal of Physical Chemistry C N2 - The initial interaction of atomic layer deposited films of Al2O3 at room temperature on CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) films is studied. Synchrotron radiation–based photoelectron spectroscopy is applied to analyze the initial changes in the Al-derived features by comparing samples with different Al2O3 film thicknesses. It is found that polarons and excitons, both intrinsic defects of Al2O3, play a key role in the interface formation. The polaronic states uptake a charge from the MAPI substrate. This charge is transferred to and stabilized in the excitonic state of Al2O3 which is assigned to predominately tetrahedral coordinated Al sites. This charge transfer is initiated by vacancies present in the MAPI substrate and stabilizes a covalent bonding at the Al2O3–MAPI interface but also causes a roughening of the interface which may lead to the formation of grain boundaries. On top of the rough interface, 2D Al2O3 clusters with an increasing number of octahedrally coordinated Al—O bonds grow, and with increasing Al2O3 coverage, they introduce self-healing of the structural defects. KW - charge donation and transfer cycles KW - covalent interfaces KW - defect monitoring KW - model of Al2O3–CH3NH3PbI3 interactions KW - resonant photoelectron spectroscopy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ente.201900975 SN - 2194-4288 SN - 2194-4296 VL - 7 IS - 11 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Mahmoodinezhad, Ali A1 - Janowitz, Christoph A1 - Naumann, Franziska A1 - Plate, Paul A1 - Gargouri, Hassan A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Flege, Jan Ingo T1 - Low-temperature growth of gallium oxide thin films by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition T2 - Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A N2 - Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) applying a capacitively coupled plasma source where trimethylgallium (TMGa) as the gallium precursor and oxygen (O2) plasma were used in a substrate temperature (Ts)in the range of 80–200 °C. TMGa exhibits high vapor pressure and therefore facilitates deposition at lower substrate temperatures. The Ga2O3 films were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The SE data show linear thickness evolution with a growth rate of ∼0.66 Å per cycle and inhomogeneity of ≤2% for all samples. The refractive index of the Ga2O3 thin films is 1.86 ± 0.01 (at 632.8 nm) and independent of temperature, whereas the bandgap slightly decreases from 4.68 eV at Ts of 80 °C to 4.57 eV at 200 °C. XPS analysis revealed ideal stoichiometric gallium to oxygen ratios of 2:3 for the Ga2O3 layers with the lowest carbon contribution of ∼10% for the sample prepared at 150 °C. The permittivity of the layers is 9.7 ± 0.2 (at 10 kHz). In addition, fixed and mobile oxide charge densities of 2–4E12 and 1–2E12 cm−2, respectively, were observed in the C-V characteristics. Moreover, the Ga2O3 films show breakdown fields in the range of 2.2–2.7 MV/cm. Excellent optical and electrical material properties are maintained even at low substrate temperatures as low as 80 °C. Hence, the TMGa/O2 PEALD process is suitable for electronic and optoelectronic applications where low-temperature growth is required. KW - Plamsa enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) KW - low-temperature growth KW - gallium oxide (Ga2O3) KW - x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy KW - spectroscopic ellipsometry KW - capacitance voltage measurements Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5134800 SN - 0734-2101 SN - 1520-8559 VL - 38 IS - 2 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Dorp, Dennis H. von A1 - Nyns, Laura A1 - Cuypers, Daniel A1 - Ivanov, Tsvetan A1 - Brizzi, Simone A1 - Tallarida, Massimo A1 - Fleischmann, Claudia A1 - Hönicke, Philipp A1 - Müller, Matthias A1 - Richard, Olivier A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - De Gendt, Stefan A1 - Lin, Dennis H. C. A1 - Adelmann, Christoph T1 - Amorphous Gadolinium Aluminate as a Dielectric and Sulfur for Indium Phosphide Passivation T2 - ACS Applied Electronic Materials N2 - The passivation of n-type InP (100) using sulfur in combination with a gadolinium aluminate (GAO) dielectric layer has been studied. Photoluminescence, minority-carrier lifetime, and capacitance−voltage measurements indicate that a (NH4)2S vapor passivation step prior to atomic layer deposition of the oxide effectively lowers the interface state density. Surface and interface chemistry were studied by synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES). The effect of ex situ surface passivation after native oxide removal in HCl solution was examined. It was observed that surface reoxidation occurred during (NH4)2S vapor exposure, leading to the formation of Inx(HPO4)y. S was present on the surface as a sulfide in both surface and subsurface sites. After atomic layer deposition of GAO, sulfates were detected in addition to Inx(HPO4)y, which was confirmed by near-edge X-ray absorptionfine structure analysis. The S in the stack was quantified using reference-free grazing incidence X-rayfluorescence analysis. X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that Gd was oxidized and present in the 3+ oxidation state, most likely as a phosphate close to the InP interface and possibly mixed with sulfates. Energy-dependent SRPES measurements of Al 2p and Gd 4d core levels, complemented by transmission electron microscopy, further suggest that the dielectric layer was segregated. Valence band measurements confirm the effective passivation of InP, indicating unpinning of the surface Fermi level. KW - III−V KW - InP KW - sulfur passivation KW - atomic layer deposition KW - gadolinium aluminate KW - rare earth oxide KW - dielectric Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.9b00388 SN - 2637-6113 VL - 1 IS - 11 SP - 2190 EP - 2201 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Maity, Kuntal A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - Self-Powered Human-Health Monitoring through Aligned PVDFNanofibers Interfaced Skin-Interactive Piezoelectric Sensor T2 - ACS Applied Polymer Materials N2 - Flexible and wearable e-skin sensors are attracting a great interest for their smart sensing applications in next-generation electronics. However, implant ability, sensitivity, and biosignal detection capability in a self-powered manner are the prime concerns in embedded devices. In particular, electrode compatibility and imperishability have become challenging issues in wearable sensors due to the poor compatibility and fragileness of metal electrodes. In this context, we report on a skin-interactive metal-free spongy electrode in a piezoelectric sensor where highly aligned poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers (NFs) arrays are introduced as the piezoelectric active component and conducting polyaniline- (PANI-) coated PVDF (PANI−PVDF) NFs mats served as flexible electrodes. Notably, a 99% yield of piezoelectric phases of the aligned PVDF arrays is the key factor to exhibit promising mechano-sensitivity (0.8 V/kPa) performance that in turn helps in human-health monitoring. The sensor shows excellent mechanical to electrical energy conversion that enable to sense human finger touch (10 V under 10 kPa) with energy conversion efficiency of 53%. Most importantly, due to the compatible electrodes excellent mechanical stability has been found showing negligible degradation over 12,000 periodic cycles. Furthermore, under mechanical stimuli, it is also possible to charge up a capacitor (1μF) to 4 V within 60 s confirming the possibility to use the device as a self-powered piezo-organic-e-skin sensor (POESS). This type of structural design enables to trace elusive movement of muscles and the operation in several conditions such as bending, compression and stretching. We demonstrated various human gestures monitoring, such as wrist bending, neck stretching, and arm compressions, throat movements during drinking water, coughing actions, and swallowing. In addition, diverse specific phonation recognition, heart-pulse measurement and its respective short-time Fourier transform (STFT) analysis indicate an efficient and convenient way of monitoring human-health status particularly in hospital-free mode. KW - e-skin sensor KW - piezoelectric nanofibers KW - PVDF KW - flexible electrode KW - health-care monitoring KW - self-powered electronics Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.9b00846 SN - 2637-6105 VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - 862 EP - 878 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Vorokhta, Mykhailo A1 - Wang, Zhiping A1 - Snaith, Henry J. A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Flege, Jan Ingo T1 - Thermal stability of CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x versus [HC(NH2)2]0.83Cs0.17PbI2.7Br0.3 perovskite films by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy T2 - Applied Surface Science N2 - The thermal stability of CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x and [HC(NH2)2]0.83Cs0.17PbI2.7Br0.3 perovskite films was studied in-situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that below 85 °C both of them are relatively stable. After annealing above 85 °C, we observe a clear perovskite surface decomposition, i.e., a release of organic cations and creation of “metallic lead”. The mixed cation lead mixed halide perovskite, however, decomposes at a much lower rate. For both perovskite films, the metallic to the total lead ratio changes with the same rate for the same annealing temperatures. The release of A-site cations from the ABX3 crystal structure of perovskite and/or creation of “metallic lead” causes also a small shift of the valence band maximum towards the Fermi level. The release of [HC(NH2)2]± or Cs± is not as significant as the release of CH3NH3±; therefore, it may explain why [HC(NH2)2]0.83Cs0.17PbI2.7Br0.3 solar cells are thermally more stable. Therefore, as the stability of CH3NH3PbIxCl3-x is same as the stability of [HC(NH2)2]0.83Cs0.17PbI2.7Br0.3 below 85 °C, there must be more severe degradation pathways that are currently underappreciated on the solar cell level. KW - Hybrid organic inorganic perovskite solar cells KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy KW - Film degradation KW - Thermal stability Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.145596 SN - 0169-4332 SN - 1873-5584 VL - 513 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Das, Chittaranjan A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Hellmann, Tim A1 - Wittich, Carolin A1 - Mankel, Eric A1 - Zimmermann, Iwan A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Nazeeruddin, Mohammad Khaja A1 - Jaegermann, Wolfram T1 - Atomic Layer-Deposited Aluminum Oxide Hinders Iodide Migration and Stabilizes Perovskite Solar Cells T2 - Cell Reports Physical Science N2 - Iodide migration causes degradation of the perovskite solar cells. Here,we observe the direct migration of iodide into the hole-transport layer in a device. We demonstrate that ultrathin room temperature atomic layer-deposited Al2O3 on the perovskite surface very effectively hinders the migration. The perovskite-Al2O3 interface enables charge transfer across the Al2O3 layer in the solar cells, without causing any drastic changes in the properties of the perovskite absorber. Furthermore, it helps to preserve the initial properties of the perovskite film during exposure to light and air under real operating conditions, and thus, improves the stability of the solar cells. The ultrathin Al2O3 layer deposited at room temperature significantly increases the lifetime of the perovskite solar cells, and we hope this may be a step toward the mass production of stable devices. KW - perovskite solar cells KW - iodine migration KW - stability KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - atomic layer deposition (ALD) KW - aluminum oxide (Al2O3) Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100112 SN - 2666-3864 VL - 1 IS - 7 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Kegelmann, Lukas A1 - Köbler, Hans A1 - Vorokhta, Mykhailo A1 - Escudero, Carlos A1 - Kúš, Peter A1 - Šmíd, Břetislav A1 - Tallarida, Massimo A1 - Albrecht, Steve A1 - Abate, Antonio A1 - Matolínová, Iva A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Flege, Jan Ingo T1 - In situ Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Reveals the Influence of Photon Flux and Water on the Stability of Halide Perovskite T2 - ChemSusChem N2 - For several years, scientists have been trying to understand the mechanisms that reduce the long‐term stability of perovskite solar cells. In this work, we examined the effect of water and photon flux on the stability of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films and solar cells using in situ near‐ambient pressure X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP‐XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and current density–voltage (J–V) characterization. The used amount of water vapor (up to 1 mbar) had a negligible impact on the perovskite film. The higher the photon flux, the more prominent were the changes in the NAP‐XPS and FESEM data; also, a faster decline in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and a more substantial hysteresis in the J‐V characteristics were observed. Based on our results, it can be concluded that the PCE decrease originates from the creation of Frenkel pair defects in the perovskite film under illumination. The stronger the illumination, the higher the number of Frenkel defects, leading to a faster PCE decline and more substantial hysteresis in the J‐V sweeps. KW - field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) KW - Frenkel defects KW - near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) KW - perovskite KW - photon-induced degradation Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202001527 SN - 1864-5631 SN - 1864-564X VL - 13 IS - 21 SP - 5722 EP - 5730 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ghosh, Sujoy Kumar A1 - Sinha, Tridib Kumar A1 - Xie, Mengying A1 - Bowen, Christopher Rhys A1 - Garain, Samiran A1 - Mahanty, Biswajit A1 - Roy, Krittish A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Kim, Jin Kuk A1 - Mandal, Dipankar T1 - Temperature–Pressure Hybrid Sensing All-Organic Stretchable Energy Harvester T2 - ACS Applied Electronic Materials N2 - The design and development of intrinsically stretchable all-organic self-powered sensors concurrently perceiving temperature and pressure remain a challenge but deliver an exciting platform to realize environmentally friendly wearable electronics. In this approach, a biomimetic all-organic stretchable energy harvester is designed by a xylitol-added poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS/Xyl) film as a compatible overlay electrode with polyaniline-reinforced one-dimensional aligned poly(vinylidene fluoride) hybrid electroactive soft nanowires. The gradient of elastic modulus between the electrode and the active nanowire component enables the all-organic device to manifest excellent power-generating performance under external temperature fluctuation (∼3 μW/m2 under ΔT ∼ 92 K) and mechanical force (∼31 μW/cm2 at 30 N). Importantly, the device renders simultaneous energy scavenging of temperature and pressure changes under pressing and stretching conditions (∼20%). The excellent mechanosensitivity (∼100 mV/N), fast response time (∼1 ms), outstanding mechanical and thermal stability, and good temperature resolution <10 K enable the harvester to act as an epidermal sensor, which simultaneously detects and discriminates both subtle pressure and thermal deviations exposed to an epidermis surface. The real-time recording and wireless transferring of physiological signals to a smartphone indicate an effective way to realize remote healthcare monitoring for early intervention. KW - all-organic KW - piezoelectric KW - pyroelectric KW - energy harvester KW - sensor KW - healthcare monitoring Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.0c00816 SN - 2637-6113 VL - 3 IS - 1 SP - 248 EP - 259 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Richter, Matthias R. A1 - Cheng, Wen-Hui A1 - Crumlin, Ethan J. A1 - Drisdell, Walter S. A1 - Atwater, Harry A. A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Lewis, Nathan S. A1 - Brunschwig, Bruce S. T1 - X‑ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Resonant X‑ray Spectroscopy Investigations of Interactions between Thin Metal Catalyst Films and Amorphous Titanium Dioxide Photoelectrode Protection Layers T2 - Chemistry of Materials N2 - The use of electrochemistry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and resonant X-ray spectroscopy has unlocked the paradox of interfacial hole conduction through amorphous TiO2 (a-TiO2) to deposited Ni, Ir, and Au metal catalysts. Although electrocatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction derived from metallic Ir and Ni have mutually similar overpotentials in alkaline media, Si/a-TiO2/Ir interfaces exhibit higher overpotentials than Si/a-TiO2/Ni interfaces. The data allow formulation of full band energy diagrams for n-Si/a-TiO2/metal interfaces for M = Ni, Ir, or Au. Although both Ni and Ir produce band bending in a-TiO2 favoring hole conduction, only Ni creates multiple states within the a-TiO2 band gap at the a-TiO2/Ni interface, which produces a quasi-metallic interface at the a-TiO2/Ni junction. Au, however, produces a flat-band interface that limits hole conduction without any new band gap states. KW - X‑ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy KW - Resonant X‑ray Spectroscopy KW - titanium oxide KW - oxygen-evolution reaction KW - protection layer KW - interface interaction Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c04043 SN - 0897-4756 SN - 1520-5002 VL - 33 IS - 4 SP - 1265 EP - 1275 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Müller, Klaus A1 - Israel, Johannes A1 - Rachow, Fabian A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter ED - Ramirez Reina, Tomas ED - Odriozola, José Antonio ED - Arellano-García, Harvey T1 - Sabatier-Based Direct Synthesis of Methane and Methanol Using CO2 from Industrial Gas Mixtures T2 - Engineering Solutions for CO2 Conversion KW - Sabatier reaction KW - CO2 emission reduction KW - industrial CO2 sources Y1 - 2021 SN - 978-3-527-34639-4 SP - 253 EP - 280 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ET - 1 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Internal chemical potential in mixed covalent-ionic photosensitive systems T2 - Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A N2 - The internal chemical potential Γ of mixed covalent-ionic systems represents the potential differences between the covalent and the ionic intrinsic defect states located within the ionic gap. It is the key parameter to control the carrier densities, the stability regimes, and the photosensitive properties of materials. In this work, we describe first the quantitative analysis of the carrier densities in dependence on the internal potential Nπ(Γ) based on the common features of the electronic structure of mixed covalent-ionic materials. Subsequently, this method is applied on two mixed covalent-ionic materials, i.e., formamidinium lead triiodide and gallium oxide, as representatives of the respective families of perovskites (halides) and transparent conducting oxide thin films. Based on this analysis, the carrier densities as well as the photosensitivity mechanisms and the related specific properties of these materials in dependence on their internal chemical potential are discussed. KW - Polarons KW - Transport properties KW - Rectifier KW - Electrical properties and parameters KW - Perovskites KW - Thin films KW - Chemical compounds KW - Chemical potential KW - Photodissociation Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0004179 SN - 0734-2101 VL - 43 (2025) IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - American Vacuum Society ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter A1 - Müller, Klaus A1 - Henkel, Karsten T1 - Photosensitive and Rectifying Properties of Ga2O3 Described by Polaronic Screened Electrons and Internal Potentials T2 - Journal of Physical Chemistry C N2 - The photosensitive and rectifying properties of Ga2O3 are described by (n-type) intrinsic (π-) electrons. These polaronic screened multiatomic carriers populate the intrinsic defect states within the ionic gap; their spectroscopic evidence is based on resonant photoemission spectroscopy data that also provide the ionicity factor of Ga2O3 and the size of the ionic gap. The π-electron density depends on the internal potential and its photo- and field-induced dipole contributions, and it describes the observed combined ohmic-exponential carrier densities and current–voltage dependences. The π-electron dynamics is caused by pairing and dissociation dipoles in the bulk of Ga2O3. The material properties of the electrode contribute via external chemical potentials and define the criteria for ohmic and rectifying contacts. This quantitative and predictive concept not only convinces by perfect agreement with published experimental data but also points toward the achievable performance limits of UV absorbers and rectifying devices. KW - Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy KW - quantitative π-electron densities KW - multi-atomic quasi-particles KW - photosensitivity and rectifier devices Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c05785 SN - 1932-7447 SN - 1932-7455 VL - 127 IS - 47 SP - 23077 EP - 23089 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kot, Małgorzata A1 - Gawlińska‐Nęcek, Katarzyna A1 - Pożarowska, Emilia A1 - Henkel, Karsten A1 - Schmeißer, Dieter T1 - Photosensitivity and carrier densities of perovskite solar absorbers T2 - Advanced science N2 - Dark and light current–voltage characteristics of perovskite solar absorbers are analyzed in terms of their carrier densities. The analysis reveals p‐type large polarons as a dominant carrier type in the investigated perovskite solar cells. The mechanism causing photosensitivity is attributed to the dissociation (and pairing) of bipolarons to large polarons (and vice versa) that are controlled by the internal potential Γ. As an example, the polaron concept is tested for a formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite solar cell. The individual steps of the data analysis are demonstrated and determine the ionicity factor of this perovskite film, quantify the density of the large polarons, and predict the gain and loss of photo‐induced carriers. It is deduced that a reversible light‐on/off operation can only occur when the bias voltage never exceeds a critical value of the internal potential. The results gained in this study suggest that the novel analysis can be successively applied on different hybrid perovskite materials, too. KW - Bipolarons KW - Ionicity factor KW - Large polarons KW - Perovskite solar cells Y1 - 2025 UR - https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/advs.202412711 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202412711 SN - 2198-3844 VL - 12 IS - 16 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley CY - Hobken, New Jersey ER -