Lead iodide (PbI2) is a precursor for the preparation of the organolead iodide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3), which has been used in the fabrication of highly efficient solar cells. In this work, a novel route for the deposition of PbI2 thin films is performed by rf sputtering a target made from compressed PbI2 powder. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the PbI2 films produced were uniform, pinhole-free, polycrystalline, and had low roughness. A small concentration of Pb nanocrystals observed within the films is attributed to differences in the sputtering yield of lead and iodide from the PbI2 target. A dependence of band gap on rf sputtering power was observed, which was associated with a reduction in the concentration of Pb nanocrystals. The PbI2 films were efficiently converted into CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films through the immersion into a methylammonium iodide (MAI) solution, which also converted the remaining Pb nanocrystals into perovskite. This methodology has the potential to forge the way toward a new method for the fabrication of large-area perovskite solar cells.

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Bismuth triiodide (BiI3) is a potential candidate for application in solar cell due to its good optoelectronic properties and because it is free of toxic elements. It can be used as the absorber material in solar cells or converted into the perovskite-like material MA3Bi2I9, suitable also for photovoltaic applications. Bismuth triiodide has been prepared by physical vapour transport (PVT) and by solution process through spin coating. In this work we present optical and structural/topological properties of BiI3 deposited by thermal evaporation under high vacuum. The films are slightly tensile, polycrystalline, homogenously distributed and with good adherence on several substrates, with an indirect bandgap of 1.81 eV, index of refraction of 3.3 (630 nm), photoluminescence centered at 1.74 eV and a Raman peak at 118cm-1 associated with the Ag mode.

The effect of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was investigated in N719 dye thin films deposited on silicon wafer with a thin film of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) fabricated by laser ablation in an aqueous solution, using a NdYAG laser (λ = 1064nm). Optical absorption spectroscopy of the Ag-NPs colloidal solution shows an absorption peak at λ = 400nm, associated with a localized surface plasmon resonance in the Ag-NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that these NPs have an approximately spherical shape, with their diameter being tunable by laser power intensity. Raman spectroscopy measurements were performed using low laser power to avoid damage to the N719 dye films. Thus, a small Raman signal is obtained. The Raman intensity was greatly increased when the N719 film was deposited on a substrate with a thin film of Ag-NPs due to the SERS effect. The process was also used in Rhodamine-B to clearly demonstrate the SERS effect obtained by the use of these NPs produced by laser ablation.

In this work we fabricated silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in colloidal solutions with specific sizes. Parameters like laser wavelength, pulse energy and pulse repetition rate affect the distribution of NPs size. In this work we studied the influence of these parameters on the size of Ag NPs. For that purpose we mount a set-up in which a silver target was immersed in liquid and irradiated by Nd:YAG pulsed laser to create different colloids. We found that the absorption peak of these colloids lays between 394nm and 405nm. We estimated a mean size of Ag NPs from images taken by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Dynamic Ligth Scattering (DLS). The calculated absorption spectra and simulation through Gustav Mie theory (Simulated in Matthemathica software) were in good agreement. The produced NPs were used in Enhacement Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) measurements, finding that the signal of Rhodamina B and N719 Dyes increases using these NPsM.