Monodisperse Cu and Cu2O nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized using tetradecylphosphonic acid as a capping agent. Dispersing the NPs in chloroform and hexane at room temperature results in the formation of hollow Cu2O NPs and Cu@Cu2O core/shell NPs, respectively. The monodisperse Cu2O NPs are used to fabricate hybrid solar cells with efficiency of 0.14percent under AM 1.5 and 1 Sun illumination.

Imaging nanoscale magnetic structures and their fast dynamics is scientifically interesting and technologically of highest relevance. The combination of circularly polarized soft X-ray photons which provide a strong X-ray magnetic circular dichroism effect at characteristic X-ray absorption edges, with a high resolution soft X-ray microscope utilizing Fresnel zone plate optics allows to study in a unique way the stochastical behavior in the magnetization reversal process of thin films and the ultrafast dynamics of magnetic vortices and domain walls in confined ferromagnetic structures. Future sources of fsec short and high intense soft X-ray photon pulses hold the promise of magnetic imaging down to fundamental magnetic length and time scales.