Work Function-Tunable Amorphous Carbon-Silver Nanocomposite Hybrid Electrode for Optoelectronic Applications

Arul Varman Kesavan, Byeong Ryong Lee, Kyung Rock Son, Atul C. Khot, Tukaram D. Dongale, Vignesh Murugadoss, Praveen C. Ramamurthy, Tae Geun Kim

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    24 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Parameters such as electrode work function (WF), optical reflectance, electrode morphology, and interface roughness play a crucial role in optoelectronic device design; therefore, fine-tuning these parameters is essential for efficient end-user applications. In this study, amorphous carbon-silver (C-Ag) nanocomposite hybrid electrodes are proposed and fully characterized for solar photovoltaic applications. Basically, the WF, sheet resistance, and optical reflectance of the C-Ag nanocomposite electrode are fine-tuned by varying the composition in a wide range. Experimental results suggest that irrespective of the variation in the graphite-silver composition, smaller and consistent grain size distributions offer uniform WF across the electrode surface. In addition, the strong C-Ag interaction in the nanocomposite enhances the nanomechanical properties of the hybrid electrode, such as hardness, reduced modulus, and elastic recovery parameters. Furthermore, the C-Ag nanocomposite hybrid electrode exhibits relatively lower surface roughness than the commercially available carbon paste electrode. These results suggest that the C-Ag nanocomposite electrode can be used for highly efficient photovoltaics in place of the conventional carbon-based electrodes.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)4284-4293
    Number of pages10
    JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
    Volume13
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jan 27

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    A.V.K. conceived the idea and conducted the experiments. B.R.L., K.R.S., A.C.K., and T.D.D. provided professional suggestions and helped during the experiments. A.V.K., V.M., and P.C.R. analyzed the data and wrote the paper. T.G.K. fully assisted with paper writing, provided resources, and was responsible for funding acquisition.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2021 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

    Keywords

    • carbon
    • electrode
    • interface engineering
    • nanocomposite
    • optoelectronic applications
    • silver

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Materials Science

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