VST - VLT Survey Telescope Integration Status

The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is a 2.6m aperture, wide field, UV to I facility, to be installed at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on the Cerro Paranal Chile. VST was primarily intended to complement the observing capabilities of VLT with wide-angle imaging for detecting and pre-characterising sources for further observations with the VLT.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, conferenc

Luminescence of all-dielectric solution-processed perovskite metamaterial

We demonstrate that periodic subwavelength nanostructuring of solution-processed organolead halide perovskite films creates optical resonances, position of which can be controlled by design. Such metamaterial nanostructuring strongly enhances photo- and cathodo-luminescence of the films

Small Polarons in Transition Metal Oxides

The formation of polarons is a pervasive phenomenon in transition metal oxide compounds, with a strong impact on the physical properties and functionalities of the hosting materials. In its original formulation the polaron problem considers a single charge carrier in a polar crystal interacting with its surrounding lattice. Depending on the spatial extension of the polaron quasiparticle, originating from the coupling between the excess charge and the phonon field, one speaks of small or large polarons. This chapter discusses the modeling of small polarons in real materials, with a particular focus on the archetypal polaron material TiO2. After an introductory part, surveying the fundamental theoretical and experimental aspects of the physics of polarons, the chapter examines how to model small polarons using first principles schemes in order to predict, understand and interpret a variety of polaron properties in bulk phases and surfaces. Following the spirit of this handbook, different types of computational procedures and prescriptions are presented with specific instructions on the setup required to model polaron effects.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figure

Self-Powered Edible Defrosting Sensor

Improper freezing of food causes food waste and negatively impacts the environment. In this work, we propose a device that can detect defrosting events by coupling a temperature-activated galvanic cell with an ionochromic cell, which is activated by the release of ions during current flow. Both the components of the sensor are fabricated through simple and low-energy-consuming procedures from edible materials. The galvanic cell operates with an aqueous electrolyte solution, producing current only at temperatures above the freezing point of the solution. The ionochromic cell exploits the current generated during the defrosting to release tin ions, which form complexes with natural dyes, causing the color change. Therefore, this sensor provides information about defrosting events. The temperature at which the sensor reacts can be tuned between 0 and -50 °C. The device can thus be flexibly used in the supply chain: as a sensor, it can measure the length of exposure to above-the-threshold temperatures, while as a detector, it can provide a signal that there was exposure to above-the-threshold temperatures. Such a device can ensure that frozen food is handled correctly and is safe for consumption. As a sensor, it could be used by the workers in the supply chain, while as a detector, it could be useful for end consumers, ensuring that the food was properly frozen during the whole supply chain

All-polymer methylammonium lead iodide perovskite microcavities

open8Thanks to a high photoluminescence quantum yield, large charge carrier diffusion, and ease of processing from solution, perovskite materials are becoming increasingly interesting for flexible optoelectronic devices. However, their deposition requires wide range solvents that are incompatible with many other flexible and solution-processable materials, including polymers. Here, we show that methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) films can be directly synthesized on all-polymer microcavities via simple addition of a perfluorinated layer which protects the polymer photonic structure from the perovskite processing solvents. The new processing provides microcavities with a quality factor Q = 155, that is in agreement with calculations and the largest value reported so far for fully solution processed perovskite microcavities. Furthermore, the obtained microcavity shows strong spectral and angular redistribution of the the MAPbI3 photoluminescence spectrum, which shows a 3.5 fold enhanced intensity with respect to the detuned reference. The opportunity to control and modify the emission of a MAPbI3 film via a simple spun-cast polymer structure is of great interest in advanced optoelectronic applications requiring high colour purity or emission directionality.openLova, Paola; Giusto, Paolo; Di Stasio, Francesco; Manfredi, Giovanni; Paternò, Giuseppe M; Cortecchia, Daniele; Soci, Cesare; Comoretto, DavideLova, Paola; Giusto, Paolo; DI STASIO, Francesco; Manfredi, Giovanni; Paternò, Giuseppe M; Cortecchia, Daniele; Soci, Cesare; Comoretto, David

X-ray Scintillation in Lead Halide Perovskite Crystals

Current technologies for X-ray detection rely on scintillation from expensive inorganic crystals grown at high-temperature, which so far has hindered the development of large-area scintillator arrays. Thanks to the presence of heavy atoms, solution-grown hybrid lead halide perovskite single crystals exhibit short X-ray absorption length and excellent detection efficiency. Here we compare X-ray scintillator characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) MAPbI3 and MAPbBr3 and two-dimensional (2D) (EDBE)PbCl4 hybrid perovskite crystals. X-ray excited thermoluminescence measurements indicate the absence of deep traps and a very small density of shallow trap states, which lessens after-glow effects. All perovskite single crystals exhibit high X-ray excited luminescence yields of >120,000 photons/MeV at low temperature. Although thermal quenching is significant at room temperature, the large exciton binding energy of 2D (EDBE)PbCl4 significantly reduces thermal effects compared to 3D perovskites, and moderate light yield of 9,000 photons/MeV can be achieved even at room temperature. This highlights the potential of 2D metal halide perovskites for large-area and low-cost scintillator devices for medical, security and scientific applications

Coordinating Solvent-Assisted Synthesis of Phase-Stable Perovskite Nanocrystals with High Yield Production for Optoelectronic Applications

Inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have shown good potential as an emerging semiconducting building block owing to their excellent optoelectronic properties. However, despite extensive studies on their structure-dependent optical properties, they still suffer severely from chemical and phase instabilities in ambient conditions. Here, we report a facile method for the synthesis of mixed halide inorganic perovskite NCs based on recrystallization in an antisolvent mixture in an ambient atmosphere, at room temperature. We introduced an alcohol-derivative solvent, as a secondary antisolvent in the solvent mixture, which crystallizes at room temperature. This mediates and facilitates the perovskite crystallization, leading to a high chemical yield and stability. We demonstrate that this secondary antisolvent establishes intermolecular interactions with lead halide salt, which successfully stabilizes the γ-dark phase of perovskite by encapsulating NCs in a solution and thin film. This allows us to produce concentrated NC solutions with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 70%. Finally, we fabricate CsPbI2Br NCs (optical bandgap 1.88 eV) solar cells, which showed a stabilized photovoltaic performance in ambient conditions, without encapsulation, showing a Voc of 1.32 V

Structural effects on the luminescence properties of CsPbI3 nanocrystals

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are promising for photovoltaic and light-emitting applications. Due to the softness of their crystal lattice, structural modifications have a critical impact on their optoelectronic properties. Here we investigate the size-dependent optoelectronic properties of CsPbI3 NCs ranging from 7 to 17 nm, employing temperature and pressure as thermodynamic variables to modulate the energetics of the system and selectively tune the interatomic distances. By temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy, we have found that luminescence quenching channels exhibit increased non-radiative losses and weaker exciton-phonon coupling in bigger particles, in turn affecting the luminescence efficiency. Through pressure-dependent measurements up to 2.5 GPa, supported by XRD characterization, we revealed a NC-size dependent solid-solid phase transition from the γ-phase to the δ-phase. Importantly, the optical response to these structural changes strongly depends on the size of the NC. Our findings provide an interesting guideline to correlate the size and structural and optoelectronic properties of CsPbI3 NCs, important for engineering the functionalities of this class of soft semiconductors

Metamaterial enhancement of metal-halide perovskite luminescence

Metal-halide perovskites are rapidly emerging as solution-processable optical materials for light-emitting applications. Here, we adopt a plasmonic metamaterial approach to enhance photoluminescence emission and extraction of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) thin films based on the Purcell effect. We show that hybridization of the active metal-halide film with resonant nanoscale sized slits carved into a gold film can yield more than 1 order of magnitude enhancement of luminescence intensity and nearly 3-fold reduction of luminescence lifetime corresponding to a Purcell enhancement factor of more than 300. These results show the effectiveness of resonant nanostructures in controlling metal-halide perovskite light emission properties over a tunable spectral range, a viable approach toward highly efficient perovskite light-emitting devices and single-photon emitter