A preparation method of the light absorption layer of a copper-indium-gallium-sulfur-selenium film solar cell is provided. The method employs a non-vacuum liquid-phase chemical technique, which comprises following steps: forming source solution containing copper, indium, gallium, sulfur and selenium; using the solution to form a precursor film on a substrate by a non-vacuum liquid-phase process; drying and annealing the precursor film. Thus, a compound film of copper-indium-gallium-sulfur-selenium is gained.

A method of manufacturing an oxide semiconductor, includes impregnating a substrate in a solution containing a metal precursor and hydroxyl ions, and forming a metal oxide on the substrate by applying a voltage to the solution. The solution includes a surfactant, and the direction of crystal growth of the metal oxide is controllable based on the surfactant.

A three-dimensional polycrystalline semiconductor material provides a major ingredient forming individual crystalline grains having a nominal maximum grain diameter less than or equal to 50 nm, and a minor ingredient forming boundaries between the individual crystalline grains.

Amorphous two-dimensional graphene-like carbon films provide benefits to a variety of applications due to advantageous electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. Methods are provided to efficiently and cheaply create high-quality amorphous two-dimensional carbon films with embedded graphene-like nanocrystallites using coal as a precursor. These methods employ solution-phase deposition of coal-derived graphene-containing quantum dots followed by relatively low-temperature annealing/crosslinking of the quantum dots to form a single two-dimensional layer of carbon that includes a plurality of randomly-oriented discrete graphene domains connected to each other via amorphous carbon regions. Multi-layer films can be easily created by repeating the deposition and annealing processes. Two-dimensional carbon films formed in this manner exhibit improved properties when compared to crystalline graphene sheets and have properties especially suited to use as the storage medium of memristors. Further processing can result in large free-standing two-dimensional graphene-like carbon thin films that can be used as membranes or for other applications.

The present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention may be adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to inorganic halide perovskite nanowires. In one aspect, a first solution comprising cesium oleate or rubidium oleate in a first organic solvent is provided. A second solution comprising a lead halide and a surfactant in a second organic solvent is provided. The halide is selected from a group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. The first solution and the second solution are mixed. A reaction between the cesium oleate or the rubidium oleate and the lead halide forms a plurality of nanowires comprising an inorganic lead halide perovskite.

Plasmonic graphene is fabricated using thermally assisted self-assembly of plasmonic nanostructure on graphene. Silver nanostructures were deposited on graphene as an example.

The present invention relates to liquid formulations which can be produced by dissolving at least one indium alkoxide compound which can be prepared by reacting an indium trihalide InX.sub.3 where X=F, Cl, Br, I with a secondary amine of the formula R′.sub.2NH where R′=alkyl in a molar ratio of from 8:1 to 20:1 to the indium trihalide in the presence of an alcohol of the generic formula ROH where R=alkyl in at least one solvent, a process for producing them, their use for producing indium oxide-containing or (semi)conducting layers and processes for producing indium oxide-containing layers which use the formulation of the invention.

Methods and apparatuses to produce graphene and nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene without the use of reducing agents, and with the concomitant production of heat, are provided. The methods and apparatuses employ radiant energy to reduce (deoxygenate) graphite oxide (GO) to graphene, or to reduce a mixture of GO plus one or more metals to produce nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene. Methods and systems to generate and utilize heat that is produced by irradiating GO, graphene and their metal and semiconductor nanocomposites with visible, infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. using sunlight, lasers, etc. are also provided.

The invention provides methods and devices for fabricating printable semiconductor elements and assembling printable semiconductor elements onto substrate surfaces. Methods, devices and device components of the present invention are capable of generating a wide range of flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices and arrays of devices on substrates comprising polymeric materials. The present invention also provides stretchable semiconductor structures and stretchable electronic devices capable of good performance in stretched configurations.