RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we hear from Michael Dooley from Professor Shubham Vyas’ group at the Colorado School of Mines, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Light-driven interfaces for PFAS detection and destruction’.
RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we hear from Scott E. Crawford. Dr Scott Crawford is a research physical scientist at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, where he researches materials for luminescent and quantum sensing of various energy relevant analytes, including economically critical metals. He discusses his recently published article entitled ‘Zinc adeninate metal–organic framework-coated optical fibers for enhanced luminescence-based detection of rare earth elements’.
Scott E. Crawford, Ward A. Burgess, Ki-Joong Kim, John P. Baltrus and Nathan A. Diemler
RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024,1, 689-698, DOI: 10.1039/D4LF00001C
RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field.
RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first few issues which can be read for free here. To celebrate our recently-published articles, we asked our authors to share some comments on their work.
In this post, we hear from Dr Yabu and their team, providing some insight into their recently published article entitled Rare-metal-free high-performance water-activated paper battery: a disposable energy source for wearable sensing devices.
“The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 caused widespread devastation, including in Sendai, where Tohoku University is located. We witnessed many people being swept away by the tsunami during the disaster. If the exact location of those caught in the tsunami or lost at sea could have been known immediately, some lives might have been saved.
We have successfully developed a metal-air paper battery that generates electricity by absorbing water, using our unique catalyst technology, which can be utilized as a power source for global positioning system (GPS). The smart life jacket, equipped with this battery and GPS, can instantly transmit location information via GPS when it gets wet, allowing for precise identification of the position of individuals in need of rescue.
Our group aims to contribute to the safety of people working at sea and to rescue efforts during disasters through the manufacturing of this smart life jackets equipped with the high-performance batteries, and the integration of sensor components such as GPS.”
From left to right: Prof Yabu, Mr Ishibashi, Prof Ono, and Mr Ito discussing application of a metal-air paper battery to a smart life jacket equipped with a GPS sensor.
Kosuke Ishibashi, Shimpei Ono, Jun Kamei, Koju Ito and Hiroshi Yabu
RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024, 1, 435-442 DOI: 10.1039/D3LF00258F
RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field.
RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first few issues which can be read for free here. To celebrate our recently-published articles, we asked our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we hear from Zong-Xuan She and Professor Sheng-Hsiung Yang from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, as they discuss their recently published article entitled ‘Interfacial modification between NiOx and perovskite layers with hexafluorophosphate salts for enhancing device efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells‘.
Could you please introduce yourself and give us a brief summary of the research?
“The first author of this research is Zong-Xuan She who received guidance from Prof. Sheng-Hsiung Yang and obtained his Master of Science degree from National Yang Ming Chiao University in 2024, specializing in the fabrication and evaluation of perovskite solar cells. In this work, Zong-Xuan discovered that three hexafluorophosphate salts can serve as interfacial modifiers for reducing surface defects on NiOx, improving contact between NiOx and perovskite layers, and enhancing photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells.”
What aspect of your work are you most excited about?
“As the main author of the research, Zong-Xuan is delighted to present an effective and inexpensive way to augment the performance of perovskite solar cells, especially prolonged device lifetimes over 108 days or longer. Considering the low price and processability of the proposed hexafluorophosphate salts, our results may help to boost the development of perovskite-related products.”
What do you find most challenging about your research?
“Detailed analysis and interpretation of various unknown data are always challenging in scientific researches. For example, the XPS spectra of NiOx before and after salt modification looked alike at first sight; by deconvoluting the original XPS signals carefully and calculating the Ni3+/Ni2+ ratio, we realized that the conductivity of NiOx was improved by introducing those hexafluorophosphate salts, especially NH4PF6.”
What’s next for you?
“The three hexafluorophosphate salts are proven to modify the surface properties of NiOx effectively. We speculate that those salts may also work on other types of metal oxides, such as CuO, WO3, and V2O5. We will also seek for other hexafluorophosphate salts with different cations to further improve the performance of NiOx-based perovskite solar cells.”
Mr Zong-Xuan She received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Optoelectronic Physics at Chinese Culture University in 2021. He obtained his Master of Science degree from the Institute of Lighting and Energy Photonics at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in 2024. His research focuses on the fabrication and evaluation of perovskite solar cells using NiOx as the hole transport layer. |
Professor Sheng-Hsiung Yang received his dual Ph.D. degrees in materials science from University of Nantes, France and in applied chemistry from National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Taiwan in 2004. He joined the Institute of Lighting and Energy Photonics at NCTU in 2009 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2022. Merging with National Yang Ming University in 02/2021, NCTU is now known as National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). Prof Yang is currently Director of the Institute of Lighting and Energy Photonics at NYCU since 02/2022. His research interests include the synthesis of ionic conjugated polymers and perovskite nanocrystals, preparation of nanostructured metal oxides, and fabrication of optoelectronic devices for photovoltaic and light-emitting applications. |
Zong-Xuan She and Sheng-Hsiung Yang
RSC Appl. Interfaces, 2024, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/D3LF00258F
RSC Applied Interfaces is a dedicated, interdisciplinary reference journal for cutting-edge research on the applications of surfaces and interfaces. In addition to the applied focus, work considered for publication in RSC Applied Interfaces is expected to be highly original and of top quality. The journal seeks to report major scientific advances beyond the state of the art, at the cutting edge of this interdisciplinary field.
Zinc adeninate metal–organic framework-coated optical fibers for enhanced luminescence-based detection of rare earth elements