Au based plasmonic phenomenon inside the hole transport layer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) of an organic solar cell based on blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6:6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid (PCBM) is investigated. The concentration of the Au nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical reduction is one of the key factors to strong light trapping when the spherical gold nanoparticles are blended into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Studies of the influence of the concentration of nanoparticles distribution in the PEDOT:PSS were carried out using UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Electrical characteristics of the pristine device and of device with metallic nanostructures were analyzed from J –V characteristics to observe the plasmonic effects on the performance in the P3HT:PCBM organic solar cells. The origin of the photocurrent enhancements with varying Au nanoparticles concentrations on PEDOT:PSS are discussed.

The effects of implantation of Samarium ions (Sm⁺), a rare earth ion (RE) on the properties of ZnO films grown on Si (001) substrate by RF sputtering system are presented. The structural properties of the virgin and Sm–implanted ZnO thin films were investigated by Atomic force microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Local lattice softening caused by the incorporation of highly mismatched Sm⁺ (ionic radii 0.096 nm and 0.113 nm for Sm³⁺ and Sm²⁺ respectively) into Zn antisites was detected as a red shift in E2 (high) mode likely caused by reduction in the crystallinity of the ZnO film. Photoluminescence on the pristine ZnO film showed a strong near band gap (NBE) emission and an intrinsic defect related blue, green-orange emission. The NBE is suppressed after implantation of Sm⁺ while the blue, green – orange emission intensities are enhanced as a result of increased structural defects with mismatched charge states. Moreover the effect of varying the concentration of Sm⁺ ions is presented and compared with predictions made from Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) calculation.

The field of photovoltaics (PV) continually seeks innovative materials solutions to enhance the efficiency and the stability of their standard devices. Core-shell nanoparticles have emerged as a promising new technology with unique structural attributes and widely tunable properties. This paper reviews the use of plasmonic core-shell nanoparticles in PV applications through various experimental validations. We describe advancements in the design and in the control over the properties of core-shell nanoparticles and highlight their integration into various solar cells, based on their ability to finely tune optical, electronic, and chemical properties. We also discuss experimental results for organic, perovskite, and dye-sensitized solar cells, where core-shell nanoparticles have been successfully deployed. Additionally, we identify gaps in the current research, such as the need for scalable synthesis methods and long-term stability assessments, and we will point out promising new developments at the frontier of that field.

We study the effects of increasing modulation instability and disorder on the onset times of rogue waves in waveguide arrays as described by the discrete unstable nonlinear Schrödinger equation (UNLSE). We analytically determine regions of instability, where rogue waves are likely to occur in the UNLSE, and then use numerical techniques to study the time evolution of these systems. Only for small modulation instability is the effect of fluctuations prominent on the onset times; otherwise, we find that large modulation instability dominates the onset time behavior.