The affordable and scalable synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles that are biocompatible without additional functionalization steps has been a growing field of research, stimulated by numerous prospective applications of these NPs. In the case of phytosynthesized or biogenic noble metal NPs, the mechanism of NP stabilization by biomolecules contained in each particular plant extract or living organism determines the possible applications of these NPs. In this work, we investigated Ag NPs synthesized in water with plant extracts of common toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) and two species of pepper (Capsicum annuum and Capsicum chinense). From FTIR and XPS, we drew conclusions about the composition of the functional groups and molecules that stabilize NPs in each extract, such as polysaccharide compounds (pectins, cellulose, glycosides and phenolic acids). Distinct characteristic IR features of amide I and amide II proteins were observed, which are common in plant extracts, while features of amide III were not distinctly observed in our extracts. A Raman spectroscopy study revealed weak own-SERS activity of the biomolecules of the extract and high efficiency of the NPs in the enhancement of “external” analytes, such as dyes and antibodies. This is the first report of the efficient SERS application of phytosynthesized Ag NPs.

Semiconductor Cu₂ZnSn(S_xSe_1–x)₄ (CZTSSe) solid solution is considered as a perspective absorber material for solar cells. However, during its synthesis or deposition, any modification in the resulting optical properties is hardly predicted. In this study, experimental and theoretical analyses of CZTSSe bulk crystals and thin films are presented based on Raman scattering and absorption spectroscopies together with compositional and morphological characterizations. CZTSSe bulk and thin films are studied upon a change in the x = S/(S + Se) aspect ratio. The morphological study is focused on surface visualization of the solid solutions, depending on x variation. It has been discovered for the first time that the surface of the bulk CZTSSe crystal with x = 0.35 has pyramid-like structures. The information obtained from the elemental analysis helps to consider the formation of a set of possible intrinsic lattice defects, including vacancies, self-interstitials, antisites, and defect complexes. Due to these results and the experimentally obtained values of the band gap within 1.0–1.37 eV, a deviation from the calculated band gap values is estimated in the range of 1.0–1.5 eV. It is suggested which defects can have an influence on such a band gap change. Also, on comparing the experimental Raman spectra of CZTSSe with the theoretical modeling results, an excellent agreement is obtained for the main Raman bands. The proposed theoretical approach allows to estimate the values of concentration of atoms (S or Se) for CZTSSe solid solution directly from the experimental Raman spectra. Thus, the visualization of morphology and the proposed theoretical approach at various x values will help for a deeper understanding of the CZTSSe structure to develop next-generation solar cells.

The properties of films of organic-inorganic perovskites CH3NH3PbI2.98Cl0.02 depending on the ratio of starting reagents in solutions (PbI2:{CH3NH3I + CH3NH3Cl}) has been investigated. It was found that the formation of the perovskite structure with the ratio of the initial reagents PbI2: CH3NH3I = 1:1 occurs at 70–80 °C, and with the increase of the temperature of thermal treatment to 120 °C, the thermal destruction of the perovskite begins. When the ratio of the starting reagents PbI2: CH3NH3I = 1:2, the formation of the perovskite structure occurs through the intermediate compound (CH3NH3)2PbI4, and when the ratio is 1:3—(CH3NH3)3PbI5 and (CH3NH3)2PbI4. Independent on the ratio of the initial components (CH3NH3I:PbI2), the ratio between the content of lead and iodine in the films remains unchanged, that is why a significant difference in the film properties could be explained by the anisotropy of the particle shape, which is consistent with the data of electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry.