Iceberg-like pyramids in industrially textured silicon enabled 33% efficient perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.

The pursuit of higher-efficiency solar cells has spurred the integration of perovskite materials with silicon-based technologies, yet achieving an efficient tandem architecture that leverages industrially textured silicon (ITS) with pyramid sizes larger than 2 μm remains a significant challenge. Such textured surfaces complicate the uniform coverage of the subsequent hole-selective layer deposition and the high-quality deposition of perovskites, ultimately causing significant contact losses in tandem devices. This study presents a tandem solar cell architecture that employs localized submicron contacts, enabled by silica (SiO) nanospheres, to effectively regulate silicon substrate surfaces that exhibit iceberg-like pyramids.

Single-faceted IrO monolayer enabling high-performing proton exchange membrane water electrolysis beyond 10,000 h stability at 1.5 A cm.

Both commercial and laboratory-synthesized IrO catalysts typically possess rutile-type structures with multiple facets. Theoretical results predict the (101) facet is the most energetically favorable for oxygen evolution reaction owing to its lowest energy barrier. Achieving monolayer thickness while exposing this desired facet is a significant opportunity for IrO.

High-efficiency gold recovery from electronic waste with 2D silicon nanosheets.

Electronic waste (e-waste) has become one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams globally, with most e-waste containing significant quantities of high-value yet environmentally hazardous substances, particularly noble metals exemplified by gold (Au). These elements not only pose a potential threat to the environment and human health but also carry substantial economic value. Thus, the efficient and eco-friendly recovery of noble metals from e-waste can simultaneously mitigate environmental pollution and generate significant economic benefits.

Chiral Aza-Helicene Phosphonic Acids for Stabilizing Efficient Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells.

The popular planar carbazole-based hole-selective self-assembled molecules (SAMs) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) suffered from intrinsic instability toward electric potential, heat, and light illumination. To address this issue, herein, we report a kind of chiral helically shaped SAM, aza-helicene phosphonic acid A5HPA, and A7HPA, featuring their self-assembly attributed to the extended nonplanar π-conjugated system of aza-helicene with highly intrinsic stability toward thermal aging, light soaking, and electrical oxidation. Due to the increased torsion degree of the helicene backbone and the improved helical chiral molecular self-consistency, P and M enantiomers of A7HPA molecules tend to stack in an alternating pattern similar to "gear mesh," leading to reinforced intermolecular π-π interactions and conjugation effect to rigidify the hole transport layer.

Inductive effects in molecular contacts enable wide-bandgap perovskite cells for efficient perovskite/TOPCon tandems.

Organic molecules that serve as hole-selective contacts, known as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), play a pivotal role in ensuring high-performance perovskite photovoltaics. Optimal energy alignment between the SAM and the perovskite is essential for desired photovoltaic performance. However, many SAMs are studied in optimal-bandgap perovskites, with limited energy level modification specifically catering to wide-bandgap perovskites.

Scalable single-step deposition of recyclable TiO@Au monolayer coatings for enhanced visible-light photocatalysis of methylene blue dye.

Titanium dioxide@gold (TiO@Au) nanocomposite monolayers with enhanced visible-light photocatalysis were synthesized an air-water interfacial self-assembly and pyrolysis strategy. This method simultaneously embeds Au nanoparticles (5-20 nm) within TiO and reduces the bandgap from 3.02 eV to 2.

Cation and Octahedral Synergistic Regulation for Stable FAPbI Perovskite Solar Cells.

Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI) perovskite, one of the most promising light-absorbing materials, faces substantial stability issues, including FA organic component volatilization and undesirable phase transition between corner-sharing and face-sharing [PbI] octahedra. Especially, the asymmetric hydrogen bonding, arising from oriented and irregularly spinning FA cation, accelerates these transformations, compromising both the efficiency and long-term stability of FAPbI PSCs. Herein, a robust strategy is reported to stabilize FAPbI perovskite by using tricyclohexylphosphine trifluoromethanesulfonate (CyPHSOCF ) to strengthen hydrogen bonds within FA and alleviate octahedral deformation.

Synergistic Prelithiation and In Situ Nitrogen Doping via LiN in SiO Anodes: A Dual-Benefit Pathway to Achieving Enhanced Li Kinetics and High Initial Coulombic Efficiency.

Silicon monoxide (SiO) has garnered significant attention as a promising anode material for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries due to its lower volume expansion relative to pure silicon (Si) and its higher capacity compared to graphite. Nevertheless, the poor intrinsic electronic/ionic conductivity and the low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of SiO result in inferior rate capability and inadequate practical energy density, hindering its commercial viability. Here, a simultaneous prelithiation and in situ nitrogen (N) doping approach for SiO utilizing lithium nitride (LiN), which significantly enhances both the ICE and lithium-ion (Li) diffusion kinetics, is proposed.

Si-CMOS Compatible Synthesis of Wafer-Scale 1T-CrTe with Step-Like Magnetic Transition.

2D room-temperature ferromagnet CrTe is a promising candidate material for spintronic applications. However, its large-scale and cost-effective synthesis remains a challenge. Here, the fine controllable synthesis of wafer-scale 1T-CrTe films is reported on a SiO/Si substrate using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at temperatures below 400 °C.

Octahedral units in halide perovskites.

Metal halide perovskites, with an ABX crystal structure, possess excellent photophysical properties for (opto)electronic applications including photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors and transistors. To pave the pathway towards commercial applications, enormous efforts have been made to obtain high-performance perovskite-based devices. The octahedral unit is considered to be the fundamental and functional unit of halide perovskite materials, consisting of a central B cation surrounded by six X anions, with typical dimensions of 5-6 Å.

Molecular contacts with an orthogonal π-skeleton induce amorphization to enhance perovskite solar cell performance.

Perovskite solar cells represent a promising class of photovoltaics that have achieved exceptional levels of performance within a short time. Such high efficiencies often depend on the use of molecule-based selective contacts that form highly ordered molecular assemblies. Although this high degree of ordering usually benefits charge-carrier transport, it is disrupted by structure deformation and phase transformation when subjected to external stresses, which limits the long-term operational stability of perovskite solar cells.

Synchronous Regulation of Charge Transfer and Defects in Perovskite Nanocomposite Films for Enhanced Sensitivity and Stability in Monolithically Integrated X-Ray Imaging Arrays.

Perovskites nanocrystals (PNCs) have garnered significant research interest in X-ray detection due to their strong X-ray absorption capability, and unique advantages in large area and thick film deposition that result from the decoupling of perovskite crystallization from film formation. However, traditional long-chain ligands used in PNCs, such as oleic acid and oleyl amine, suffer from poor conductivity and susceptibility to detachment, which limits the performance of X-ray detectors based on them. In this study, a strategy is proposed to partially replace long-chain ligands with short-chain counterparts like phenethylammoniumbromide (PEABr) and CFPEABr, during the synthesis of CsPbBr PNCs.

2D monolayer electrocatalysts for CO electroreduction.

The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CORR) is an attractive method for converting atmospheric CO into value-added chemicals and fuels. In order to overcome the low efficiency and durability that hinder its practical application, a significant amount of research has been dedicated to designing novel catalysts at the nanoscale and even the atomic scale. Two-dimensional (2D) monolayer materials inherit the merits of both 2D materials and single-atom materials.

Oriented wide-bandgap perovskites for monolithic silicon-based tandems with over 1000 hours operational stability.

The instability of hybrid wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite materials (with bandgap larger than 1.68 eV) still stands out as a major constraint for the commercialization of perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaics, yet its correlation with the facet properties of WBG perovskites has not been revealed. Herein, we combine experiments and theoretical calculations to comprehensively understand the facet-dependent instability of WBG perovskites.

Micro-homogeneity of lateral energy landscapes governs the performance in perovskite solar cells.

Suppression of energy disorders in the vertical direction of a photovoltaic device, along which charge carriers are forced to travel, has been extensively studied to reduce unproductive charge recombination and thus achieve high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. In contrast, energy disorders in the lateral direction of the junction for large-area modules are largely overlooked. Herein, we show that the micro-inhomogeneity characteristics in the surface lateral energetics of formamidinium (FA)-based perovskite films also significantly influence the device performance, particularly with accounting for the stability and scale-up aspects of the devices.

Engineering Optimization of Producing High-Purity Dichlorosilane in a Fixed-Bed Reactor by Trichlorosilane Decomposition.

High-purity dichlorosilane (DCS) is an important raw material for thin film deposition in the semiconductor industry, such as epitaxial silicon, which is mainly produced by trichlorosilane (TCS) catalytic decomposition in a fixed-bed reactor. The productivity of DCS is strongly dependent on the controlling of the TCS decomposition reaction process, associated with the cost in practical application. In this study, we have performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation on the TCS decomposition reaction kinetics in a cylindrical fixed-bed reactor, in which the effects of catalyst bed height, feed temperature, and feed flow rate are stressed to predict the conversion rate of TCS and the generation rate of DCS.

Bottom Electrode Modification Enables Efficient and Bright Silicon-Based Top-Emission Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

The integration of perovskites with mature silicon platform has emerged as a promising approach in the development of efficient on-chip light sources and high-brightness displays. However, the performance of Si-based green perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) still falls significantly short compared to their red and near-infrared counterparts. In this study, it is revealed that the high work function Au, widely employed in Si-based top-emission PeLEDs as the reflective bottom electrode, exhibits considerably lower reflectivity in the green spectrum than in the longer wavelengths.

Unraveling the Degradation Mechanisms of Perovskite Solar Cells under Mechanical Tensile Loads.

The short longevity of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is the major hurdle toward their commercialization. In recent years, mechanical stability has emerged as a pivotal aspect in enhancing the overall durability of PSCs, prompting a myriad of strategies devoted to this issue. However, the mechanical degradation mechanisms of PSCs remain largely unexplored, with corresponding studies mainly limited to perovskite single crystals, neglecting the complexity and nuances present in PSC devices based on polycrystalline perovskite thin films.

Amorphous (lysine)PbI layer enhanced perovskite photovoltaics.

Passivation materials play a crucial role in a wide range of high-efficiency, high-stability photovoltaic applications based on crystalline silicon and state-of-the-art perovskite materials. Currently, for perovskite photovoltaic, the mainstream passivation strategies routinely rely on crystalline materials. Herein, we have invented a new amorphous (lysine)PbI layer-enhanced halide perovskite.

Nanosecond laser annealing processed surface-structured hyperdoped silicon for efficient near-infrared detection.

Surface-structured engineering of hyperdoped silicon can effectively facilitate the absorption of sub-bandgap photons in pristine single-crystal silicon (sc-Si). Here, we conducted different annealing approaches of ordinary thermal annealing (OTA) and nanosecond laser annealing (NLA) on modification of titanium-hyperdoped silicon (Si:Ti) surface structure, to achieve efficient near-infrared detection. It is presented that both OTA and NLA processes can improve the crystallinity of Si:Ti samples.

Rapid Recovery of Degraded Perovskite Single-Crystal Radiation Detectors via Infrared Healing.

Radiation detectors based on metal halide perovskite (MHP) single crystals (SCs) have exhibited exceptional sensitivity, low detection limit, and remarkable energy resolution. However, the operational stability issue still dramatically impedes their commercialization due to degradation induced by high-energy irradiation and large bias. Here, we propose an innovative infrared healing strategy to restore the devices that have undergone severe damage from both long-term biasing and X-ray irradiation.

Self-power, multiwavelength photodetector based on a Sn-doped Ge quantum dots/hexagonal silicon nanowire heterostructure.

Tin-doped germanium quantum dots (Sn-doped Ge QDs)-decorated hexagonal silicon nanowires (h-Si NWs) were adopted to overcome the low infrared response of silicon and the excess dark current of germanium. High-quality Sn-doped Ge QDs with a narrow bandgap can be achieved through Ge-Sn co-sputtering on silicon nanowires by reducing the contact area between heterojunction materials and Sn-induced germanium crystallization. The absorption limit of the heterostructure is extended to 2.

Sequencing-Dependent Impact of Carbon Coating on Microstructure Evolution and Electrochemical Performance of Pre-lithiated SiO Anodes: Enhanced Efficiency and Stability via Pre-Coating Strategy.

Silicon monoxide (SiO) has attracted considerable interest as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their poor initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and conductivity limit large-scale applications. Prelithiation and carbon-coating are common and effective strategies in industry for enhancing the electrochemical performance of SiO.

peri-Fused polyaromatic molecular contacts for perovskite solar cells.

Molecule-based selective contacts have become a crucial component to ensure high-efficiency inverted perovskite solar cells. These molecules always consist of a conjugated core with heteroatom substitution to render the desirable carrier-transport capability. So far, the design of successful conjugation cores has been limited to two N-substituted π-conjugated structures, carbazole and triphenylamine, with molecular optimization evolving around their derivatives.