Jordi Arbiol

Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology | ICN2

We investigate the disorder properties of two-dimensional hole gases in Ge/SiGe heterostructures grown on Ge wafers, using thick SiGe barriers to mitigate the influence of the semiconductor–dielectric interface. Across several heterostructure field effect transistors, we measure an average maximum mobility of (4.4±0.2)×106 cm2/Vs at a saturation de...

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (eCO2RR) using nitrogen‐doped carbon (N–C) materials offers a promising and cost‐effective approach to global carbon neutrality. Regulating the porosity of N–C materials can potentially increase the catalytic performance by suppressing the concurrence of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Ho...

The electrochemical glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) presents an opportunity to produce hydrogen and high‐value chemical products. Herein, we investigate the effect of Sn in Ni nanoparticles for the GOR to formic acid (FA). Electrochemical results show that the maximum activity is related to the amount of Ni, as Ni sites are responsible for catalyz...

This article introduces a groundbreaking analytical workflow designed for the holistic characterisation, modelling and physical simulation of device heterostructures. Our innovative workflow autonomously, comprehensively and locally characterises the crystallographic information and 3D orientation of the crystal phases, the elemental composition, a...

We investigate the disorder properties of two-dimensional hole gases in Ge/SiGe heterostructures grown on Ge wafers, using thick SiGe barriers to mitigate the influence of the semiconductor-dielectric interface. Across several heterostructure field effect transistors we measure an average maximum mobility of $(4.4 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{6}~\mathrm{cm^...

Rechargeable aqueous Zn–MnO2 batteries are attracting attention as a cost‐effective and safe energy storage solution, but their commercialization faces challenges due to limited stability, output voltage, and energy density. Herein, a hybrid‐ion Zn–MnO2 system with enhanced Mn⁴⁺/Mn²⁺ electrochemical contribution is introduced using an Al³⁺‐based el...

Whereas ferroelectricity may vanish in ultra-thin ferroelectric films, it is expected to emerge in ultra-thin antiferroelectric films, sparking people’s interest in using antiferroelectric materials as an alternative to ferroelectric ones for high-density data storage applications. Lead Zirconate (PbZrO3, PZO) is considered the prototype material f...

A careful design of the nanocrystal architecture can strongly enhance the nanocrystal function. So far, this strategy has faced a synthetic bottleneck in the case of refractory oxides. Here we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of hafnia shells onto zirconia cores and pure zirconia shells onto europium-doped zirconia cores. The core/shell structures...

In situ and operando investigation of photocatalysts plays a fundamental role in understanding the processes of active phase formation and the mechanisms of catalytic reactions, which is crucial for the rational design of more efficient materials. Using a custom‐made operando photocatalytic cell, an in situ procedure to follow the formation steps o...

The electroreduction of biomass-derived benzaldehyde (BZH) provides a potentially cost-effective route to produce benzyl alcohol (BA). This reaction competes with the electrochemical self-coupling of BZH to hydrobenzoin (HDB), which holds significance as a biofuel. Herein, we demonstrate the selectivity towards one or the other product strongly dep...

Catalytic additives able to accelerate the lithium–sulfur redox reaction are a key component of sulfur cathodes in lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). Their design focuses on optimizing the charge distribution within the energy spectra, which involves refinement of the distribution and occupancy of the electronic density of states. Herein, beyond char...

High kinetic inductance superconductors are gaining increasing interest for the realisation of qubits, amplifiers and detectors. Moreover, thanks to their high impedance, quantum buses made of such materials enable large zero-point fluctuations of the voltage, boosting the coupling rates to spin and charge qubits. However, fully exploiting the pote...

The oxygen evolution reaction is the bottleneck to energy-efficient water-based electrolysis for the production of hydrogen and other solar fuels. In proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE), precious metals have generally been necessary for the stable catalysis of this reaction. In this work, we report that delamination of cobalt tungst...

Whereas ferroelectricity may vanish in ultra-thin ferroelectric films, it is expected to emerge in ultra-thin anti-ferroelectric films, sparking people's interest in using antiferroelectric materials as an alternative to ferroelectric ones for high-density data storage applications. Lead Zirconate (PbZrO3) is considered the prototype material for a...

We investigate spatially resolved variations in the bandgap energy across multiple InxGa1-xAs quantum wells (QWs) on a GaAs substrate within a metamorphic laser structure. Using high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy, we present a detailed analysis of the local bandgap energy, indium...

Beyond optimizing electronic energy levels, the modulation of the electronic spin configuration is an effective strategy, often overlooked, to boost activity and selectivity in a range of catalytic reactions, including the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This electronic spin modulation is frequently accomplished using external magnetic fields, whi...

Photocatalytic nanomotors have attracted a lot of attention because of their unique capacity to simultaneously convert light and chemical energy into mechanical motion with a fast photoresponse. Recent discoveries demonstrate that the integration of optical and magnetic components within a single nanomotor platform offers novel advantages for preci...

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a focal point in electrocatalysis, particularly for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), owing to their notable catalytic activity, chemical stability, and cost‐efficiency. Despite these advantages, the challenge of devising a practical and economical method for their large‐scale application...

Alkali metal‐sulfur batteries (MSBs) are one of the most promising next‐generation energy storage technologies due to their high energy density and potential for low cost. They are nonetheless constrained by the sluggish conversion of metal polysulfides (MPS) during the charge/discharge process. Herein, a multifunctional separator able to trap the...

The catalytic activation of the Li‐S reaction is fundamental to maximize the capacity and stability of Li‐S batteries (LSBs). Current research on Li‐S catalysts mainly focuses on optimizing the energy levels to promote adsorption and catalytic conversion, while frequently overlooking the electronic spin state influence on charge transfer and orbita...

Lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs) are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next‐generation energy storage systems. However, the commercialization of LSBs is still hindered by several technical issues, including the notorious polysulfide migration from the cathode to the anode and the sluggish sulfur conversion kinetics. Herein, a quas...

There is a growing interest in cost-effective polycrystalline SnSe-based thermoelectric (TE) materials, which are able to replace the high performance but mechanically fragile and costly single-crystalline SnSe. In this study, we present a low-temperature solution-based approach to produce SnSe-PbSe nanocomposites with outstanding TE performance. O...

The electrical characterisation of classical and quantum devices is a critical step in the development cycle of heterogeneous material stacks for semiconductor spin qubits. In the case of silicon, properties such as disorder and energy separation of conduction band valleys are commonly investigated individually upon modifications in selected parame...

The functions of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices rely on the dynamic junction between a solid and a fluid: the electrochemical interface (EI). Many experimental techniques have been developed to probe the EI, but they provide only a partial picture. Building a full mechanistic understanding requires combining multiple probes,...

Germanium nanowires could be the building blocks of hole-spin qubit quantum computers. Selective area epitaxy enables the direct integration of Ge nanowires on a silicon chip while controlling the device...

Ni-Xides (X = B, P, or S) exhibit intriguing properties that have endeared them for electrocatalytic water splitting. However, the role of B, P, and S, among others, in tailoring the catalytic performance of the Ni-Xides remains vaguely understood, especially if they are studied in unpurified KOH (Un-KOH) because of the renowned impact of incidenta...

One of the critical factors determining the performance of neural interfaces is the electrode material used to establish electrical communication with the neural tissue, which needs to meet strict electrical, electrochemical, mechanical, biological and microfabrication compatibility requirements. This work presents a nanoporous graphene-based thin-...

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is a pivotal strategy in thermal catalysis, while its application in photocatalysis leaves ample area for further development. A method inducing the SMSI between earth-abundant metals,...

In the pursuit of more affordable battery technologies, potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion systems, owing to the abundance and wide distribution of potassium resources....

Reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (R-PCECs) have great potential for energy conversion and storage at low-intermediate temperatures (400-700 o C), which could enable the conversion of H 2 O into H 2 in electrolysis (EL) mode, and inversely the production of electricity in fuel cell (FC) mode. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen...

Atomically dispersed symmetrical NiN4 moieties represent a promising category of catalysts for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (eCO2RR). Nonetheless, their practical application is constrained by challenges such as high overpotentials and limited potential ranges. Here, we report Ni active sites with unique electron distribution realize...

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs, CsPbX3: X = Cl, Br, I) have advanced the field of optoelectronic devices due to their remarkable light‐emitting capabilities, stemming from the large overlap between their emission and absorption spectra, offering the possibility to reabsorb their own emitted photons. Herein, a straightforward method is reported to c...

Metal‐nitrogen‐doped carbon material have sparked enormous attentions as they show excellent electrocatalytic performance and provide a prototype for mechanistic understandings of electrocatalytic reactions. Researchers spare no effort to find catalytic reactivity “descriptor”, which is correlated with catalytical properties and could be utilized f...

Bottom-up grown nanomaterials play an integral role in the development of quantum technologies but are often challenging to characterise on large scales. Here, we harness selective area growth of semiconductor nanowires to demonstrate large-scale integrated circuits and characterisation of large numbers of quantum devices. The circuit consisted of...

The understanding of catalyst active sites is a fundamental challenge for the future rational design of optimized and bespoke catalysts. For instance, the partial reduction of Ce ⁴⁺ surface sites to Ce ³⁺ and the formation of oxygen vacancies are critical for CO 2 hydrogenation, CO oxidation and the water gas shift reaction. Furthermore, metal nano...

A set of non-stoichiometric Zn-Co-ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) was prepared by thermal decomposition of metallic complexes, in the presence of oleic acid, and, after a ligand-exchange process, was coated by a hydrophilic surfactant: these NPs were used as seeds in a sol-gel self-combustion synthesis to prepare nanocomposites (NCs) with a fixed weigh...

The investigation of high-efficiency and sustainable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media is critical for renewable energy technologies. Here, we report a low-cost and high-yield method to obtain ZnOHF-ZnO-based 2D nanostars (NSs) by means of chemical bath deposition (CBD). The...

The electrical characterisation of classical and quantum devices is a critical step in the development cycle of heterogeneous material stacks for semiconductor spin qubits. In the case of silicon, properties such as disorder and energy separation of conduction band valleys are commonly investigated individually upon modifications in selected parame...

Invited for this issue's Front Cover is the group of Energy Storage, Harvesting and Catalysis (https://www.irec.cat/research/group/energy‐storage‐harvesting‐and‐catalysis/) of Pr. J. R. Morante at the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) in Spain that carried out this work in collaboration with the group of Pr. J. Arbiol from ICREA and IC...

Electrochromic smart windows (ESWs) offer an attractive option for regulating indoor lighting conditions. Electrochromic materials based on ion insertion/desertion mechanisms also present the possibility for energy storage, thereby increasing overall energy efficiency and adding value to the system. However, current electrochromic electrodes suffer...

An AB2X4 spinel structure, with tetrahedral A and octahedral B sites, is a paradigmatic class of catalysts with several possible geometric configurations and numerous applications, including polysulfide conversion in metal-sulfur batteries. Nonetheless, the influence of the geometric configuration and composition on the mechanisms of catalysis and...