Developing efficient and affordable thin-film solar cells requires absorber materials that can harvest a broad portion of sunlight while minimizing charge-carrier losses. Here, a CuGaS2-CuInS2 heterostructure was developed as an absorber to improve the optical and interfacial properties of CuInS2-based photovoltaic devices. X-ray diffraction confirmed the coexistence of the constituent chalcopyrite phases, with the heterostructure exhibiting an average crystallite size of 39.4 nm and a (112) d-spacing of 3.226 Å. SEM and HR-TEM revealed interconnected morphology, intimate interfacial contact, and well-resolved lattice fringes. UV-visible analysis showed that heterostructure formation reduced the optical bandgap from 1.74 eV for CuInS2 to 1.64 eV, extending visible-light absorption. The FTO/TiO2/CuGaS2-CuInS2/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au device achieved a power conversion efficiency of 7.41% with a fill factor of 0.632, compared with 5.09% and 0.485, respectively, for the CuInS2 device. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed a lower charge-transfer resistance of 14.22 Ω and a higher recombination resistance of 2919.9 Ω, while the maximum external quantum efficiency increased from approximately 79% to 86%. These findings demonstrate that heterostructure engineering provides a practical route for simultaneously tuning light absorption and interfacial carrier transport, offering broader potential for the development of efficient thin-film photovoltaic absorbers.
The nanostructured CuS@PTh has been synthesised, and their photocatalytic activities have been evaluated against pharmaceutical and dye pollutants. CuS@PTh nanohybrids achieved the degradation of TC to 93% and CIP to 90% under visible irradiation.
A hybrid QSAR framework combining structural descriptors, quantum-chemical parameters, regression modelling and 3D contour maps supports the rational design of 1,2,4-triazole derivatives with improved predicted antimicrobial activity.
Time-resolved Raman readout in an antenna-free optomechanical multilayer adds time as a sensing dimension: l - and d -penicillamine, barely distinguishable in averaged spectra, show a 4.5-fold difference in temporal modulation.
The optimal nano-SiO 2 dispersion (LM150, D 50 = 168.8 nm) was used to modify water-based acrylic varnishes, achieving significantly improved salt water resistance and scratch load (from 0.93 to 2.81 kg) without sacrificing transparency.
