A monolithically integrated near-infrared imager with crystallization- and oxidation-modulated tin-lead perovskites.

The fast crystallization and facile oxidation of Sn of tin-lead (Sn-Pb) perovskites are the biggest challenges for their applications in high-performance near-infrared (NIR) photodetectors and imagers. Here, we introduce a multifunctional diphenyl sulfoxide (DPSO) molecule into perovskite precursor ink to response these issues by revealing its strong binding interactions with the precursor species. The regulated perovskite film exhibits a dense morphology, reduced defect density and prolonged carrier diffusion length.

Precisely Tuning 3D/Quasi-2D Perovskite Heterojunctions in Wide-Bandgap Perovskites for High-Performance Tandem Solar Cells.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite sub-cells in all-perovskite tandem solar cells (AP-TSCs) suffer from severe open-circuit voltage loss and poor light stability. The formation of 3D/2D or 3D/quasi-2D perovskite heterojunctions can effectively passivate interface defects and optimize energy level alignments at the 3D perovskite/C interface, thereby enhancing both the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells. Herein, a combined evaporation/solution technique is employed to construct Dion-Jacobson (DJ) 2D or quasi-2D perovskites with uniform-phase distribution on wide-bandgap 3D perovskite substrates.

All-Inorganic Tin-Containing Perovskite Solar Cells: An Emerging Eco-Friendly Photovoltaic Technology.

All-inorganic tin (Sn)-containing perovskites have emerged as highly promising photovoltaic materials for single-junction and tandem perovskite solar cells (PSCs), owing to their reduced toxicity, optimal narrow bandgap, and superior thermal stability. Since their initial exploration in 2012, significant advancements have been achieved, with the highest efficiencies of single-junction and tandem devices now surpassing 17% and 22%, respectively. Nevertheless, the intrinsic challenges associated with the oxidation susceptibility of Sn and the uncontrolled crystallization dynamics impede their further development.

Amidination of ligands for chemical and field-effect passivation stabilizes perovskite solar cells.

Surface passivation has driven the rapid increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, state-of-the-art surface passivation techniques rely on ammonium ligands that suffer deprotonation under light and thermal stress. We developed a library of amidinium ligands, of interest for their resonance effect-enhanced N-H bonds that may resist deprotonation, to increase the thermal stability of passivation layers on perovskite surfaces.

Multi-Functional Silole Hole Transport Layer for Efficient and Stable Lead-Tin Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells.

Despite high theoretical efficiencies and rapid improvements in performance, high-efficiency ≈1.2 eV mixed Sn-Pb perovskite solar cells (PSCs) generally rely on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) as the hole transport layer (HTL); a material that is considered to be a bottleneck for long-term stability due to its acidity and hygroscopic nature. Seeking to replace PEDOT: PSS with an alternative HTL with improved atmospheric and thermal stability, herein, a silole derivative (Silole-COOH) tuned with optimal electronic properties and efficient carrier transport by incorporating a carboxyl functional group is designed, which results in an optimal band alignment for hole extraction from Sn-Pb perovskites and robust air and thermal stability.

Two-dimensional perovskitoids enhance stability in perovskite solar cells.

Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) perovskite heterostructures have played a key role in advancing the performance of perovskite solar cells. However, the migration of cations between 2D and 3D layers results in the disruption of octahedral networks, leading to degradation in performance over time. We hypothesized that perovskitoids, with robust organic-inorganic networks enabled by edge- and face-sharing, could impede ion migration.

The effects of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of a small mammal.

Grassland degradation is challenging the health of grassland ecosystems globally and causing biodiversity decline. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of grassland degradation on the abundance and behavior of small mammals. Little is known about how it affects the genetic structure of gregarious mammals in the wild.

Improved charge extraction in inverted perovskite solar cells with dual-site-binding ligands.

Inverted (pin) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) afford improved operating stability in comparison to their nip counterparts but have lagged in power conversion efficiency (PCE). The energetic losses responsible for this PCE deficit in pin PSCs occur primarily at the interfaces between the perovskite and the charge-transport layers. Additive and surface treatments that use passivating ligands usually bind to a single active binding site: This dense packing of electrically resistive passivants perpendicular to the surface may limit the fill factor in pin PSCs.

Appropriate livestock grazing alleviates the loss of plant diversity and maintains community resistance in alpine meadows.

Alpine meadows constitute one of the major ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with livestock grazing exerting a considerable impact on their biodiversity. However, the degree to which plant diversity influences community stability under different grazing intensities remains unclear in this region. This study conducted controlled grazing experiments across four levels of grazing intensity (no-, low-, medium-, and high-grazing) based on herbage utilization rate to assess the influence of grazing intensities on plant community structure and diversity-stability relationships.

Engineering ligand reactivity enables high-temperature operation of stable perovskite solar cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) consisting of interfacial two- and three-dimensional heterostructures that incorporate ammonium ligand intercalation have enabled rapid progress toward the goal of uniting performance with stability. However, as the field continues to seek ever-higher durability, additional tools that avoid progressive ligand intercalation are needed to minimize degradation at high temperatures. We used ammonium ligands that are nonreactive with the bulk of perovskites and investigated a library that varies ligand molecular structure systematically.

Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop.

Globally, grassland degradation is an acute ecological problem. In alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, increased densities of various small mammals in degraded grassland are assumed to intensify the degradation process and these mammals are subject to lethal control. However, whether the negative impact of small mammals is solely a result of population size or also a result of activity and behavior has not been tested.

Suppressed phase segregation for triple-junction perovskite solar cells.

The tunable bandgaps and facile fabrication of perovskites make them attractive for multi-junction photovoltaics. However, light-induced phase segregation limits their efficiency and stability: this occurs in wide-bandgap (>1.65 electron volts) iodide/bromide mixed perovskite absorbers, and becomes even more acute in the top cells of triple-junction solar photovoltaics that require a fully 2.

Altitude-dependent metabolite biomarkers reveal the mechanism of plateau pika adaptation to high altitudes.

The harsh environment in the Tibetan plateau, the highest place in the world, poses thermoregulatory challenges and hypoxic stress to animals. The impacts of plateau environment on animal physiology and reproduction include external factors such as strong ultraviolet radiation and low temperature, and internal factors such as animal metabolites and gut microbiota. However, it remains unclear how plateau pika adapt to high altitudes through the combination of serum metabolites and gut microbiota.

Rational design of Lewis base molecules for stable and efficient inverted perovskite solar cells.

Lewis base molecules that bind undercoordinated lead atoms at interfaces and grain boundaries (GBs) are known to enhance the durability of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Using density functional theory calculations, we found that phosphine-containing molecules have the strongest binding energy among members of a library of Lewis base molecules studied herein. Experimentally, we found that the best inverted PSC treated with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP), a diphosphine Lewis base that passivates, binds, and bridges interfaces and GBs, retained a power conversion efficiency (PCE) slightly higher than its initial PCE of ~23% after continuous operation under simulated AM1.

Regulating surface potential maximizes voltage in all-perovskite tandems.

The open-circuit voltage (V) deficit in perovskite solar cells is greater in wide-bandgap (over 1.7 eV) cells than in perovskites of roughly 1.5 eV (refs.

Ammonia for post-healing of formamidinium-based Perovskite films.

Solvents employed for perovskite film fabrication not only play important roles in dissolving the precursors but also participate in crystallization process. High boiling point aprotic solvents with O-donor ligands have been extensively studied, but the formation of a highly uniform halide perovskite film still requires the participation of additives or an additional step to accelerate the nucleation rate. The volatile aliphatic methylamine with both coordinating ligands and hydrogen protons as solvent or post-healing gas facilitates the process of methylamine-based perovskite films with high crystallinity, few defects, and easy large-scale fabrication as well.

Multimodal host-guest complexation for efficient and stable perovskite photovoltaics.

Formamidinium lead iodide perovskites are promising light-harvesting materials, yet stabilizing them under operating conditions without compromising optimal optoelectronic properties remains challenging. We report a multimodal host-guest complexation strategy to overcome this challenge using a crown ether, dibenzo-21-crown-7, which acts as a vehicle that assembles at the interface and delivers Cs ions into the interior while modulating the material. This provides a local gradient of doping at the nanoscale that assists in photoinduced charge separation while passivating surface and bulk defects, stabilizing the perovskite phase through a synergistic effect of the host, guest, and host-guest complex.

Vapor-assisted deposition of highly efficient, stable black-phase FAPbI perovskite solar cells.

Mixtures of cations or halides with FAPbI (where FA is formamidinium) lead to high efficiency in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) but also to blue-shifted absorption and long-term stability issues caused by loss of volatile methylammonium (MA) and phase segregation. We report a deposition method using MA thiocyanate (MASCN) or FASCN vapor treatment to convert yellow δ-FAPbI perovskite films to the desired pure α-phase. NMR quantifies MA incorporation into the framework.

Ligand-Modulated Excess PbI Nanosheets for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Excess lead iodide (PbI ), as a defect passivation material in perovskite films, contributes to the longer carrier lifetime and reduced halide vacancies for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. However, the random distribution of excess PbI also leads to accelerated degradation of the perovskite layer. Inspired by nanocrystal synthesis, here, a universal ligand-modulation technology is developed to modulate the shape and distribution of excess PbI in perovskite films.

Tailored Amphiphilic Molecular Mitigators for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with 23.5% Efficiency.

Passivation of interfacial defects serves as an effective means to realize highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, most molecular modulators currently used to mitigate such defects form poorly conductive aggregates at the perovskite interface with the charge collection layer, impeding the extraction of photogenerated charge carriers. Here, a judiciously engineered passivator, 4-tert-butyl-benzylammonium iodide (tBBAI), is introduced, whose bulky tert-butyl groups prevent the unwanted aggregation by steric repulsion.

Ba-induced phase segregation and band gap reduction in mixed-halide inorganic perovskite solar cells.

All-inorganic metal halide perovskites are showing promising development towards efficient long-term stable materials and solar cells. Element doping, especially on the lead site, has been proved to be a useful strategy to obtain the desired film quality and material phase for high efficient and stable inorganic perovskite solar cells. Here we demonstrate a function by adding barium in CsPbIBr.

Atomic Layer Deposition of ZnO on CuO Enables Selective and Efficient Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide to Liquid Fuels.

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, if powered by renewable electricity, could serve as a sustainable technology for carbon recycling and energy storage. Among all the products, ethanol is an attractive liquid fuel. However, the maximum faradaic efficiency of ethanol is only ≈10 % on polycrystalline Cu.

gga-miR-146c Activates TLR6/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway through Targeting MMP16 to Prevent (HS Strain) Infection in Chickens.

(), a pathogen that infects chickens and some other birds, triggers chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in chickens, which is characterized by inflammation. The investigation of microbial pathogenesis would contribute to the deep understanding of infection control. Since microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) play a key role in this process, gga-mir-146c, an upregulated miRNA upon infection, was selected according to our previous RNA-sequencing data.