Reactions between 4 0 -phenyl-terpyridine (L) and several Zn(II) salts (trifluoromethane sulfonate, 5) and [Zn(m-OCOPhOH) 2 L] (6), which were characterized by elemental analysis, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, IR, single crystal X-ray diffraction and fluorescence spectroscopies. In 1, the Zn atom is hexacoordinated, with a N 3 O 3 coordination environment, whereas in the remaining structures the metal atom is envisaged as possessing distorted N 3 O 2 irregular trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometries. All the compounds show interesting photo-luminescent properties in solid and solution states in DMF, DMSO and methanol, which are reported along with their TG-DTA thermal decomposition processes.

The organic passivated carbon nanotube (CNT)/silicon (Si) solar cell is a new type of low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell, with challenges concerning the stability of the organic layer used for passivation. In this work, the stability of the organic layer is studied with respect to the internal and external (humidity) water content and additionally long-term stability for low moisture environments. It is found that the organic passivated CNT/Si complex interface is not stable, despite both the organic passivation layer and CNTs being stable on their own and is due to the CNTs providing an additional path for water molecules to the interface. With the use of a simple encapsulation, a record power conversion efficiency of 22% is achieved and a stable photovoltaic performance is demonstrated. This work provides a new direction for the development of high-performance/low-cost photovoltaics in the future and will stimulate the use of nanotubes materials for solar cells applications.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-Si1−xCx : H) films with different carbon concentrations have been deposited using the helicon wave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique under the condition of strong hydrogen dilution. The a-Si1−xCx:H films with carbon content x up to 0.64 have been deposited. Their structural and optical properties are investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman scattering, ultraviolet–visible transmittance spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposition rate, optical band gap and B factor related to structural disorder are found to monotonically change in the investigated range with methane–silane gas flow ratios. It is found that the deposited films exist with the structure of Si-like clusters and Si–C networks when silicon content is high, while they consist mainly of C-like clusters and Si–C networks for carbon-rich samples. A large optical band gap is obtained in high carbon concentration samples, which is attributed to the high density characteristic of helicon wave plasmas and the strong hydrogen dilution condition.

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