Hydrothermal synthesis is described of layered lithium iron selenide hydroxides Li_1–xFe_x(OH)Fe_1–ySe (x ∼ 0.2; 0.02 < y < 0.15) with a wide range of iron site vacancy concentrations in the iron selenide layers. This iron vacancy concentration is revealed as the only significant compositional variable and as the key parameter controlling the crystal structure and the electronic properties. Single crystal X-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements are used to demonstrate that superconductivity at temperatures as high as 40 K is observed in the hydrothermally synthesized samples when the iron vacancy concentration is low (y < 0.05) and when the iron oxidation state is reduced slightly below +2, while samples with a higher vacancy concentration and a correspondingly higher iron oxidation state are not superconducting. The importance of combining a low iron oxidation state with a low vacancy concentration in the iron selenide layers is emphasized by the demonstration that reductive postsynthetic lithiation of the samples turns on superconductivity with critical temperatures exceeding 40 K by displacing iron atoms from the Li_1–xFe_x(OH) reservoir layer to fill vacancies in the selenide layer.

Thin film solar cells based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) are complex devices which have great potential for achieving high conversion efficiencies. Lack of understanding in materials issues and device physics slows down the rapid progress of these devices. This paper combines relevant results from the literature with new results from a research programme based on electro-plated CdS and CdTe. A wide range of analytical techniques was used to investigate the materials and device structures. It has been experimentally found that n-, i- and p-type CdTe can be grown easily by electroplating. These material layers consist of nano- and micro-rod type or columnar type grains, growing normal to the substrate. Stoichiometric materials exhibit the highest crystallinity and resistivity, and layers grown closer to these conditions show n → p or p → n conversion upon heat treatment. The general trend of CdCl₂ treatment is to gradually change the CdTe material’s n-type electrical property towards i-type or p-type conduction. This work also identifies a rapid structural transition of CdTe layer at 385 ± 5 °C and a slow structural transition at higher temperatures when annealed or grown at high temperature. The second transition occurs after 430 °C and requires more work to understand this gradual transition. This work also identifies the existence of two different solar cell configurations for CdS/CdTe which creates a complex situation. Finally, the paper presents the way forward with next generation CdTe-based solar cells utilising low-cost materials in their columnar nature in graded bandgap structures. These devices could absorb UV, visible and IR radiation from the solar spectrum and combine impact ionisation and impurity photovoltaic (PV) effect as well as making use of IR photons from the surroundings when fully optimised.