Boosting the Efficiency of 1.84 eV Wide-Bandgap Perovskites Photovoltaics Beyond 19% via Yb Engineering.

Phase segregation remains one of the most critical challenges limiting the performance and long-term operational stability of wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This issue is especially pronounced in 1.84 eV wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites, where severe halide phase segregation leads to compositional heterogeneity and accelerated device degradation.

Ionic Liquid Top Surface Engineering: In Situ GIWAXS Insights Into 1D/3D Heterojunction Perovskite Formation.

Low-dimensional perovskites have been demonstrated repeatedly to improve the performance of perovskite photovoltaic devices in both light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and device durability. In this work, the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (EMIMHSO) is innovatively introduced as a capping layer, which interacts with the residual PbI on the 3D perovskite top surface to generate the 1D perovskite, EMIMPbI. By adjusting the concentration of the IL, 1D perovskite formations with distinct morphologies is achieved.

Ternary Strategy and Molecular Electrostatics Collaboratively Optimize Low-Molecular-Weight Polymer Donor Organic Solar Cells: Over 20% Efficiency and High Scalability.

Achieving consistent performance across polymer donor batches is crucial for the commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs). Compared with high-molecular-weight PM6 (HWPM6), low-molecular-weight PM6 (LWPM6) has lower efficiency but better stress-dispersion characteristics and solution-processability, making its performance improvement vital for practical applications. Here, LWPM6-based OSCs are optimized by introducing a trimeric guest (TYT-S).

Suppressed Intermolecular Interaction Between Organic Spacers for High-Performance p-i-n and n-i-p Perovskite Solar Cells.

Ammonium cations are widely used for defect passivation in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), effectively reducing defect density and improving photovoltaic performance. However, ammonium cations tend to form 2D phases on the surface or at the grain boundaries of 3D perovskites, hindering charge transport across interfaces and between grains. Here, cyclohexylmethylammonium (CHMA), a low-polarity and low-rigidity alicyclic ammonium cation, is introduced to reduce intermolecular interactions among ammonium cations and improve their coordination with defect centers.

Dual molecular bridges at perovskite heterointerfaces for efficient inverted solar cells.

Utilizing molecular bridges presents a promising means to enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, concurrently bridging the perovskite absorber and its two adjacent interfaces remains a significant challenge that is yet to be achieved. Here, we construct dual molecular bridges at perovskite heterointerfaces, enabled by a self-organizing additive of 4-fluoro-phenethylammonium formate (4-F-PEAFa) and a synthesized hole transporter of [2-(7H-dibenzo[c, g]carbazol-7-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (DBZ-2PACz).

Strain relaxation in halide perovskites via 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction formation.

Applying mechanical strain and strain engineering to halide perovskites has endowed them with intriguing properties. However, an in-depth understanding of mechanical strain, including residual strain in halide perovskites, remains incomplete, coupled with the critical challenge of decoupling strain effects from other interferences. Here, we examine the relaxation of residual tensile strain in three-dimensional (3D) halide perovskites through 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction formation.

Controlling the Growth of CsPbX Nanostructures Enhances the Stability of Inorganic Cesium-Based Perovskite Solar Cells for Potential Low Earth Orbit Applications.

Incorporating low-dimensional (LD) materials in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for interfacial engineering is an effective approach to enhance device performance. However, the growth mechanisms for inorganic LD perovskite nanostructures in cesium-based systems via solution processing are underexplored. This work demonstrates the importance of controlling solvent evaporation dynamics during solution processing to modulate CsPbX nanomorphology.

Composite SnO-KS ETL for energy level regulation and electron mobility enhancement in perovskite solar cells.

High-performance perovskite solar cells commonly utilize SnO as the electron transport layer (ETL), which is vital for perovskite crystallization and defect regulation, yet energy level mismatch, oxygen vacancies in SnO, and defects at the buried interface impede the device's photovoltaic performance. Therefore, we found that incorporating KS into the SnO layer effectively regulated the energy levels and occupied oxygen vacancies, enhancing the electron mobility of the composite SnO-KS ETL and improving the interface quality to promote efficient electron extraction and transport. Consequently, the device based on SnO-KS ETL showed an enhanced photovoltaic performance with power conversion efficiency of to 23.

Engineering Artificial Protrusions of Zn Anodes for Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Uncontrollable dendrite growth can jeopardize the cycle life of aqueous Zn batteries. Here, we propose a general strategy of engineering artificial protrusions (APs) on the electrode surface to regulate the distribution of the electrode interface electric field and induce stable Zn plating/stripping for Zn batteries. The junction-free AP-Cu network is constructed on Cu foil by an ultrafast Joule-heating-welding method.

Optimizing Molecular Packing and Interfacial Contact via Halogenated N-Glycidyl Carbazole Small Molecules for Low Energy Loss and Highly Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Nonideal interfacial contact and non-radiative voltage loss in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)-based inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) limit their further development. Herein, two carbazole-based molecules with different halogen atoms (X-OCZ, X = Cl or Br) are developed as efficient interfacial regulators. The halogen effect not only finely modulates the molecular packing, crystallinity, and surface contact potential of the MeO-2PACz analogue via self-induced intermolecular interactions but also significantly influences the subsequent crystal growth of perovskite, thus resulting in the formation of high-quality films with enhanced crystallinity, improved energy level alignment, and depressed non-radiative recombination.

Strong Correlation Between A-Site Cation Order and Self-Trapped Exciton Emission in 0D Hybrid Perovskites.

Metal halide perovskites and their derived materials have garnered significant attention as promising materials for solar cell and light-emitting applications. Among them, 0D perovskites, characterized by unique crystallographic/electronic structures with isolated metal halide octahedra, exhibit tremendous potential as light emitters with self-trapped exciton (STE). However, the modulation of STE emission characteristics in 0D perovskites primarily focuses on regulating B- or X-site elements.

Comparative study of individualized 3D-printing navigation technology and free-hand isthmus method in lumbar CBT screw implantation.

Objectives: Traditional cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screws in the lumbar spine offer greater holding strength and are well-suited for patients with osteoporosis. However, the screw implantation procedure is challenging and associated with significant risk. This study aimed to assess whether individualized 3D-printing navigation technology provides higher accuracy and better clinical outcomes compared to the free-hand isthmus method for lumbar CBT screw implantation.

Achieving 20% Toluene-Processed Binary Organic Solar Cells via Secondary Regulation of Donor Aggregation in Sequential Processing.

Sequential processing (SqP) of the active layer offers independent optimization of the donor and acceptor with more targeted solvent design, which is considered the most promising strategy for achieving efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). In the SqP method, the favorable interpenetrating network seriously depends on the fine control of the bottom layer swelling. However, the choice of solvent(s) for both the donor and acceptor have been mostly based on a trial-and-error manner.

PTAA-Based Perovskite Photovoltaics Catching up: Ionic Liquid Engineering-Assisted Crystallization Through Sequential Deposition.

PTAA as a widely studied polymeric hole transporting material, has garnered significant attention due to its outstanding thermal and chemical stability. However, the performance of PTAA-based p-i-n devices is shown to lag behind counterpart utilizing oxides or SAMs. In this study, the ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium formate (EMIMCOOH), is innovatively introduced into the lead iodide (PbI) precursor solution, resulting in a more pronounced mesoporous PbI film with expended pore-size and denser pores.

Dual-Asymmetric Solid Additive Enables Eco-friendly All-Polymer Solar Cells with Over 19 % Efficiency and Excellent Stability.

The optimization of morphology in all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) often relies on the use of solvent additives. However, their tendency to remain trapped in the device due to high boiling points leads to performance degradation over time. In this study, we introduce a novel approach involving the design and synthesis of one dual-asymmetric solid additive featuring mono-brominated-asymmetric dithienothiophene (SL-1).

Self-assembled materials with an ordered hydrophilic bilayer for high performance inverted Perovskite solar cells.

While self-assembled material based inverted perovskite solar cells have surpassed power conversion efficiencies of 26%, enhancing their performance in large-area configurations remains a significant challenge. In this work, we report a self-assembled material based hole-selective layer 4-(7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazol-7-yl)phenyl)phosphonic acid, with a π-expanded conjugation. The enhanced intermolecular π-π interactions facilitate the self-assembly of 4-(7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazol-7-yl)phenyl)phosphonic acid molecules to form an ordered bilayer with a hydrophilic surface, which passivates the buried perovskite interface defect and enables high-quality and large-area perovskite preparation, while simultaneously enhancing interfacial charge extraction and transport.

Ultra-Wide Modulation and Reversible Reconfiguration of a Flexible Organic Crystalline Optical Waveguide Between 645 and 731 nm.

Flexible organic crystalline optical waveguides, which deliver input or self-emit light through various dynamic organic crystals, have attracted increasing attention in the past decade. However, the modulation of the waveguide output relies on chemical design and substituent modification, being time-consuming and laborious. Here we report an elastic organic crystal that displays long-distance light transduction up to 2.

Toward an Ideal Light Source for Indoor Photosynthesis: Broadband Red Emission in Zero-Dimensional Hafnium-Based Metal Halide (TPP)HfCl·4CHN:Sb.

With suitable electron-phonon coupling strength, a near-unity broadband photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) can be achieved in organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides (OIHMHs) via self-trapped exciton (STE) emission. However, it is still challenging to obtain high-quality red emission from OIHMHs with a desirable emission wavelength and high chemical stability, which hinders their practical application in high-performance displays, plant-growth lighting, and biomedical imaging. Herein, a series of hafnium-based zero-dimensional (TPP)HfCl·4CHN (TPP: tetraphenylphosphonium) single crystals with different Sb doping levels are synthesized.

Achieving 19.5% Efficiency via Modulating Electronic Properties of Peripheral Aryl-Substituted Small-Molecule Acceptors.

The advancement of acceptors plays a pivotal role in determining photovoltaic performance. While previous efforts have focused on optimizing acceptor-donor-acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-DA-D-A)-typed acceptors by adjusting side chains, end groups, and conjugated extension of the electron-deficient central A unit, the systematic exploration of the impact of peripheral aryl substitutions, particularly with different electron groups, on the A unit and its influence on device performance is still lacking. In this study, three novel acceptors - QxTh, QxPh, and QxPy - with distinct substitutions on the quinoxaline (Qx) are designed and synthesized.

The Multi-Functional Third Acceptor Realizes the Synergistic Improvement in Photovoltaic Parameters and the High-Ratio Tolerance of Ternary Organic Photovoltaics.

The ternary strategy proves effective for breakthroughs in organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Elevating three photovoltaic parameters synergistically, especially the proportion-insensitive third component, is crucial for efficient ternary devices. This work introduces a molecular design strategy by comprehensively analyzing asymmetric end groups, side-chain engineering, and halogenation to explore the outstanding optoelectronic properties of the proportion-insensitive third component in efficient ternary systems.

Positive Effects of Guanidinium Salt Post-Treatment on Multi-Cation Mixed Halide Perovskite Solar Cells.

As one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) exhibit high absorption coefficients, tunable bandgaps, large carrier mobilities, and versatile fabrication techniques. Nevertheless, the commercialization of the technology is hindered by poor material stability, short device lifetimes and the scalability of fabrication techniques. To address these technological drawbacks, various strategies have been explored, with one particularly promising approach involving the formation of a low-dimensional layer on the surface of the three-dimensional perovskite film.

PiR-hsa-23533 promotes malignancy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma via USP7.

Background: With regard to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), its occurrence and advancement are controlled by genetic and epigenetic anomalies. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are recognized with significance in tumor, but the precise molecular mechanisms of piRNAs in HNSCC largely remain undisclosed.

Methods: Differentially expressed piRNAs were identified by RNA sequencing.

Hexylammonium Acetate-Regulated Buried Interface for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Due to current issues of energy-level mismatch and low transport efficiency in commonly used electron transport layers (ETLs), such as TiO and SnO, finding a more effective method to passivate the ETL and perovskite interface has become an urgent matter. In this work, we integrated a new material, the ionic liquid (IL) hexylammonium acetate (HAAc), into the SnO/perovskite interface to improve performance via the improvement of perovskite quality formed by the two-step method. The IL anions fill oxygen vacancy defects in SnO, while the IL cations interact chemically with Pb within the perovskite structure, reducing defects and optimizing the morphology of the perovskite film such that the energy levels of the ETL and perovskite become better matched.