Mitigating Surface Deficiencies of Perovskite Single Crystals Enables Efficient Solar Cells with Enhanced Moisture and Reverse-Bias Stability

Metal halide perovskite single crystals are promising for diverse optoelectronic applications due to their outstanding properties. In comparison to the bulk, the crystal surface suffers from high defect density and is moisture sensitive; however, surface modification strategies of perovskite single crystals are relatively deficient. Herein, solar cells based on methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI₃) thin single crystals are selected as a prototype to improve single-crystal perovskite devices by surface modification. The surface trap passivation and protection against moisture of MAPbI₃ thin single crystals are achieved by one bifunctional molecule 3-mercaptopropyl(dimethoxy)methylsilane (MDMS). The sulfur atom of MDMS can coordinate with bare Pb²⁺ of MAPbI₃ single crystals to reduce surface defect density and nonradiative recombination. As a result, the modified devices show a remarkable efficiency of 22.2%, which is the highest value for single-crystal MAPbI₃ solar cells. Moreover, MDMS modification mitigates surface ion migration, leading to enhanced reverse-bias stability. Finally, the cross-link of silane molecules forms a protective layer on the crystal surface, which results in enhanced moisture stability of both materials and devices. This work provides an effective way for surface modification of perovskite single crystals, which is important for improving the performance of single-crystal perovskite solar cells, photodetectors, X-ray detectors, etc.     

A Visible and Near-Infrared Light-Fueled Omnidirectional Twist-Bend Crawling Robot

In recent years, although light-driven soft actuators have attracted intense scientific attention and achieved remarkable progress, the design and construction of an intelligent robotic system with maneuverability, self-adaptability, untethered control, and greater freedom of action, in particular the omnidirectional motion capability on a plane, remains challenging. Herein, four types of photo-thermal fillers and an unprecedented twist-bend actuation mode is introduced into a liquid crystal elastomer-based soft robot. The obtained twist-bend crawling robot not only exhibits in situ rotation, four-way turning, and four-way linear motion under light irradiation with four wavelength bands (520, 655, 808, and 980 nm), but also demonstrates the ability to avoid obstacles in complex geographical environments. This work may bring a new perspective for fabrication and development of soft robots that can adapt to dynamic and complex environmental conditions.     

Template-directed synthesis of nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped carbon nanowire aerogels with enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction

Heteroatom doping,precise composition control,and rational morphology design are efficient strategies for producing novel nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells.Herein,a cost-effective approach to synthesize nitrogen-and sulfur-codoped carbon nanowire aerogels using a hard templating method is proposed.The aerogels prepared using a combination of hydrothermal treatment and carbonization exhibit good catalytic activity for the ORR in alkaline solution.At the optimal annealing temperature and mass ratio between the nitrogen and sulfur precursors,the resultant aerogels show comparable electrocatalytic activity to that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst for the ORR.Importantly,the optimized catalyst shows much better long-term stability and satisfactory tolerance for the methanol crossover effect.These codoped aerogels are expected to have potential applications in fuel cells.     

A sol-powder coating technique for fabrication of yttria stabilised zirconia

Yttria stabilised zirconia has been prepared using a simple sol-powder coating technique. The polymeric yttria sol, which was prepared using 1,3 propanediol as a network modifier, was homogeneously mixed with nanocrystalline zirconia powder and it showed a dual function: as a binder which promoted densification and a phase modifier which stabilised zirconia in the tetragonal and cubic phases. Thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction revealed that the polymeric yttria sol which decomposed at low temperature into yttrium oxide could change the m → t phase transformation behaviour of the zirconia, possibly due to the small particle size and very high surface area of both yttria and zirconia particles allowing rapid alloying. The sintered samples exhibited three crystalline phases: monoclinic, tetragonal and cubic, in which cubic and tetragonal are the major phases. The weight fractions of the individual phases present in the selected specimens were determined using quantitative Rietveld analysis.     

Preparation and characterization of TiO2 bulk porous nanosolids

A novel TiO₂ bulk porous nanosolid (also called a “TiO₂ nanosponge”) was prepared by a solvothermal hot-press (SHP) technique, using TiO₂ nanoparticles (average particle size of 15 nm) and various solvents as the starting materials. The pore diameters of the nanosolids were rather uniform, and the maximum value of pore volume and specific surface area were 0.249 cm³/g and 59.455 m²/g, respectively. The pore volume and diameter of TiO₂ bulk porous nanosolid could be controlled by changing either the type or the amount of the solvent used in the experiment. No residual solvents could be detected by FTIR analysis, which means that the solvents had entirely escaped from the samples during the process of preparing TiO₂ bulk porous nanosolids.     

Giant magnetoimpedance in nanocrystalline Fe90.3−xZr7B2.7Cux (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) as-spun ribbons

The nanocrystalline ribbons Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x with low Cu contents can be directly obtained through melt-spinning technique with an appropriate low quenching speed such as 22 m/s. Sizes of bcc-Fe grains precipitated in Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x as-spun ribbons were 17 nm for x = 0.75, 15 nm for x = 1 and 12 nm for x = 1.25. The addition of Cu reduces grain size of bcc-Fe in as-spun nanocrystalline Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x ribbons. Among the investigated samples (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.5), the largest magnetoimpedance can be obtained in the nanocrystalline Fe_80.3Zr₇B_2.7Cu₁ as-spun ribbon with x = 1. The value of magnetoimpedance (Z(H) − Z(0)) / Z(0) under H = 90 Oe for Fe_80.3Zr₇B_2.7Cu₁ as-spun ribbon reaches − 28.2% at a frequency of 1 MHz.     

The Tb Doping Effect on the Room Temperature Magnetoresistance in(La_(1-x)Tb_x)_(0.67)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3(x≤0.4)

With substitution of La by Tb in (La_(1-x)Tb_x)_(0.67)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3, the room temperature magnetoresistance △R/R_0drops at first, then undergoes an increase near x≈0.1, and finally drops again. The value of room temperaturemagnetoresistance at a field H=12 kOe for (La_(0.9)Tb_(0.1))_(0.67)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3 is -3.56%. The enhancement of the roomtemperature magnetoresistance induced by an appropriate Tb substitution in (La_(1-x)Tb_x)_(0.67)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3 is correlatedwith the shifts of the Curie temperature and metal-insulator temperature to near room temperature. The drop ofthe room temperature magnetoresistance at large Tb doping-contents may be due to its lower T_C and T_(MI) far fromthe room temperature.     

Biexcitons generation in a polymer by a femtosecond electric pump pulse

By applying a femtosecond electric pump pulse to a polymer, biexcitons are obtained and the relation between its yield and the photoexciting process is also presented. The simulations are performed within the framework of an extended version of one-dimensional Su–Schrieffer–Heeger tight-binding model combined with a nonadiabatic evolution method. In the discussions, effects of both the photoexciting energy and intensity are considered. The main result is that the yield ratio of biexcitons and excitons increases rapidly with the photoexciting intensity, and there exists a critical photoexciting intensity, beyond which the yield efficiency of biexcitons is even higher than that of excitons. The result theoretically verifies that, by increasing the photoexciting intensity, we can obtain biexcitons efficiently, which is consistent with the experimental speculation.     

Chemical composition evolution of YAG co-precipitate determined by pH during aging period and its effect on precursor properties

The properties of YAG precursors aged at various pH levels for different aging times were examined to explore the influence of pH on the evolution of the chemical composition and the morphology of the precipitate, on the variation of phase composition during the calcination process. Precursors obtained at pH lower than 8.0 can be transformed into mono-phase YAG by calcination at low temperature, while those obtained at higher pH exhibit a variety of crystalline structures. Aging at high pH increased the impurity content of the calcined powder. Based on monitoring the pH during the precursor aging process, and the measurement of the Y/Al ratio in the precipitates, the mechanism of the chemical variation is discussed and the influence of pH and aging time on the synthesis of YAG precursor is discussed.