image: Silicon nanoparticles embedded in a zinc sulfide matrix could be a promising material for solar power conversion. This image shows a silicon nanoparticle (grey rods) in such a matrix. The silicon is capped with sulfur atoms (yellow spheres). Blue blobs represent predicted electron orbitals at the surface. Calculations show that the heterojunctions that form between nanoparticle and matrix allow separation of photo-induced electrons and holes so that they can flow efficiently to their respective electrodes. The structure was predicted from ab initio computational modeling by researchers at UC Davis; the Max Planck Institute, Dusseldorf, Germany; the Budapest University of Science and Technology, Hungary; and the University of Chicago.
Reference: S. Wippermann et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 106801 (2014).
Credit: Gergely Zimanyi, UC Davis