Spectral Splitting Solar Cells Consisting of a Mesoscopic Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cell and an Inverted Narrow-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cell.

In comparison to monolithic perovskite/perovskite double-junction solar cells, a four-terminal spectrum-splitting system is a simple method to obtain a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) because it has no constraints of unifying the structures of the top and bottom cells. In this work, utilizing the fact that low-bandgap Sn-Pb bottom cells work the best in p-i-n while Pb-based wide-bandgap top cells work better in an n-i-p architecture, a wide-bandgap (Eg = 1.61 eV) perovskite solar cell with a mesoscopic structure and a narrow-bandgap (Eg = 1.27 eV) perovskite solar cell with an inverted structure were combined to fabricate a double-junction four-terminal spectral splitting solar cell. The double-junction solar cell with the 801 nm spectral splitting with an active area of 0.18 cm2 was found to work with a PCE of 25.3%, which is the highest reported so far for a 4-T all-perovskite double-junction spectral splitting solar cell.

Crystal structure of bis-[octa-kis-(di-methyl sulfoxide-κO)-ytterbium(III)] penta-bromido-plumbate(II) tribromide di-methyl sulfoxide monosolvate: a ytterbium-doped lead halide perovskite precursor.

A mixture of PbBr2 and YbBr3·nH2O in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution yielded single crystals of a lead halide perovskite precursor with ytterbium, bis-[octa-kis-(di-methyl sulfoxide)-ytterbium(III)]penta-bromido-plumbate(II) tri-bromide with di-methyl sulfoxide as co-crystallite, [Yb(C2H6OS)8][PbBr5]0.5Br1.5·0.5C2H6OS. The complex ions PbBr5 3- and Yb(DMSO)8 3+ are present in the crystal together with three Br- ions and DMSO mol-ecules. X-ray crystallography revealed that the Br- ions in YbBr3 are replaced by the solvent and bound to a PbII atom or remain free. The presence of PbBr5 3- units, which are mol-ecular ions with a square-pyramidal structure, is also observed. These single crystals react with a caesium chloride solution, exhibiting near-infrared (NIR) luminescence by visible photoexcitation, suggesting the formation of Yb3+-doped lead halide perovskites (CsPbBr3-x Cl x ·Yb3+).

Friction control of elastic materials on glass by means of textured surfaces.

To investigate the friction behaviors of elastomer and polyacetal writing tips sliding on various textured glass surfaces, the influences of the pitch size and height of sub-millimeter to millimeter sized texture on friction were examined via reciprocating friction tests. The friction coefficients of each writing tip could be systematically varied by changing the pitch and height of the texture. These changes in friction were based on the relationship between the convex-concave shapes and the contact parts of the writing tip, and hence, influence the adhesive, abrasive, and deformation frictions. By inducing a surface texture with a pitch smaller than the contact area of the writing tip, the friction coefficient could be reduced effectively. By inducing a surface texture with a larger height, the friction coefficient of the elastomer could be increased due to deformation friction. These behaviors indicate the possibility of controlling the friction by changing the parameters such as the pitch and height of the textured glass surfaces.

Dual Emission from Precious Metal-Free Luminophores Consisting of C, H, O, Si, and S/P at Room Temperature.

Fluorescence-phosphorescence dual-emissive compounds are valuable tools for ratiometric luminescence sensing. Herein, it is reported that 2,5-bis(phenylsulfonyl)- and 2,5-bis[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)phosphinyl]-1,4-disiloxybenzenes exhibit dual emission with emission peaks that were easily identified without performing time-gated measurement. The disiloxybenzenes in powder simultaneously fluoresced and phosphoresced at 358-374 and 457-470 nm, respectively, under vacuum. The intensity ratios of the phosphorescence/fluorescence maxima of the disiloxybenzenes in powder and in a thin film of poly(methyl methacrylate) were sensitive to temperature and molecular oxygen, respectively. The plots of the relative intensity versus temperature or partial pressure of molecular oxygen were well fitted with calibration curves defined by an exponential approximation with excellent correlation coefficients R2 (0.9708-0.9921), demonstrating the high potential of the disiloxybenzenes as precious metal-free probes applicable to ratiometric luminescence sensing.

Perovskite/CIGS Spectral Splitting Double Junction Solar Cell with 28% Power Conversion Efficiency.

The highest theoretical efficiency of double junction solar cells is predicted for architectures with the bottom cell bandgap (E g ) of approximately 0.9-1.0 eV, which is lower than that of a typical Si cell (1.1 eV). Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS) solar cells exhibit a tunable E g depending on their elemental composition and depth profile. In this study, various CIGS solar cells with E g ranging from 1.02 to 1.14 eV are prepared and a spectrum splitting system is used to experimentally demonstrate the effect of using lower-E g cells as the bottom cell of two-junction solar cells. The four-terminal tandem cell configuration fabricated using a mixed-halide perovskite top cell (E g  = 1.59 eV; stand-alone efficiency = 21.0%) and CIGS bottom cell (E g  = 1.02 eV; stand-alone efficiency = 21.5%) with a 775-nm spectral splitting mirror exhibits an efficiency of 28.0% at the aperture area of 1 cm2.

(Poly)terephthalates with Efficient Blue Emission in the Solid State.

We prepared dimethyl and diaryl 2,5-dialkoxytere-phthalates from dimethyl 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate in good-to-high yields via alkylation or a sequence of alkylation, hydrolysis, chlorination, and condensation. The absorption spectra of the dialkoxyterephthalates contain a small band at 332-355 nm, which could be assigned to intramolecular charge-transfer transition from the alkoxy to alkoxycarbonyl groups on the basis of theoretical calculations using density functional theory. The dialkoxyterephthalates exhibited blue fluorescence with moderate-to-excellent quantum yields not only in solution but also in the solid state, such as a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film and a powder. The solid-state quantum yields of the diisopropoxy-substituted terephthalates were similar or considerably higher than those of the dimethoxy-substituted counterparts. Copolymerization of 2,5-diisopropoxyterephthaloyl chloride and 1,4-butanediol with or without terephthaloyl chloride gave brilliantly blue fluorescent polymers, whose quantum yields were 0.72 and 0.71 in toluene and 0.46 and 0.40 in the neat film, respectively. Furthermore, white emission was achieved when a fluorescent yellow 2,5-diaminoterephthalate was doped into the thin film of the blue fluorescent polymer at 0.4 wt %.

Highly Efficient 17.6% Tin-Lead Mixed Perovskite Solar Cells Realized through Spike Structure.

Frequently observed high Voc loss in tin-lead mixed perovskite solar cells is considered to be one of the serious bottle-necks in spite of the high attainable Jsc due to wide wavelength photon harvesting. An amicable solution to minimize the Voc loss up to 0.50 V has been demonstrated by introducing an n-type interface with spike structure between the absorber and electron transport layer inspired by highly efficient Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells. Introduction of a conduction band offset of ∼0.15 eV with a thin phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester layer (∼25 nm) on the top of perovskite absorber resulted into improved Voc of 0.75 V leading to best power conversion efficiency of 17.6%. This enhancement is attributed to the facile charge flow at the interface owing to the reduction of interfacial traps and carrier recombination with spike structure as evidenced by time-resolved photoluminescence, nanosecond transient absorption, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements.

Pyrrolopyrrole aza boron dipyrromethene based two-photon fluorescent probes for subcellular imaging.

A series of pyrrolopyrrole aza boron dipyrromethene derivatives have been designed and synthesised as two-photon fluorescent probes. The bisalkynyl analogues, having a donor-π-donor quadrupolar skeleton, show a red-shifted Q band at ca. 700 nm in toluene and a two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section up to 2349 GM at 1040 nm. To enable these dyes to be used for subcellular imaging, a branched oligoethylene glycol unit has been introduced to enhance their hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, and a potential organelle-selective group, namely triphenylphosphonium or morpholine moiety has also been added with a view to targeting the mitochondria or lysosomes respectively. The resulting conjugates are essentially non-aggregated in deionised water, exhibiting an intense Q band at 668 nm and a TPA cross-section up to 384 GM at 1040 nm. These spectral features have been analysed using density functional theory calculations, which suggest that the TPA is mainly due to the S0→ S2 transition. In the subcellular imaging study, it has been found that the triphenylphosphonium-containing derivative can localise in the lysosomes of HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells, which may be a result of its positive charge and the negative log P value (-2.46, P = partition coefficient), while the morpholine-substituted analogue does not exhibit preferential subcellular localisation.

Hysteresis-free perovskite solar cells made of potassium-doped organometal halide perovskite.

Potassium-doped organometal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) of more than 20% power conversion efficiency (PCE) without I-V hysteresis were constructed. The crystal lattice of the organometal halide perovskite was expanded with increasing of the potassium ratio, where both absorption and photoluminescence spectra shifted to the longer wavelength, suggesting that the optical band gap decreased. In the case of the perovskite with the 5% K+, the conduction band minimum (CBM) became similar to the CBM level of the TiO2-Li. In this situation, the electron transfer barrier at the interface between TiO2-Li and the perovskite was minimised. In fact, the transient current rise at the maximum power voltages of PSCs with 5% K+ was faster than that without K+. It is concluded that stagnation-less carrier transportation could minimise the I-V hysteresis of PSCs.

Germanium-Bridged 2-Phenylbenzoheteroles as Luminophores Exhibiting Highly Efficient Solid-State Fluorescence.

[1]Benzogermolo[3,2-b]indoles, [1]benzogermolo[3,2-b]benzofuran, [1]benzogermolo[3,2-b]benzothiophene, and [1]benzogermolo[3,2-b]benzothiophene-S,S-dioxide were synthesized from the corresponding 3-bromo-2-(2-bromophenyl)benzoheteroles and characterized. A comparison of the absorption spectra of the Ph2 Ge- and Ph2 Si-bridged 2-phenylindoles reveals that the Ge bridge has the effect of slightly widening the HOMO-LUMO energy gap of the bridged 2-phenylindole π-system with regard to the Si-bridged system. Replacement of the indole ring by benzofuran or benzothiophene rings induces blueshifts in the absorption spectrum, whereas the absorption spectrum of the benzothiophene-S,S-dioxide derivative was redshifted with respect to the indole derivative. These results are consistent with the changes in the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps calculated by using density functional theory. The Ph2 Ge-bridged indole, benzofuran, and benzothiophene-S,S-dioxide derivatives exhibit brilliant fluorescence in the violet-to-blue region with good-to-excellent quantum yields in toluene (λem =376-439 nm, Φ=0.62-0.99) and powder form (λem =401-451 nm, Φ=0.64-0.80).

Spectral splitting photovoltaics using perovskite and wideband dye-sensitized solar cells.

The extension of the light absorption of photovoltaics into the near-infrared region is important to increase the energy conversion efficiency. Although the progress of the lead halide perovskite solar cells is remarkable, and high conversion efficiency of >20% has been reached, their absorption limit on the long-wavelength side is ∼800 nm. To further enhance the conversion efficiency of perovskite-based photovoltaics, a hybridized system with near-infrared photovoltaics is a useful approach. Here we report a panchromatic sensitizer, coded DX3, that exhibits a broad response into the near-infrared, up to ∼1100 nm, and a photocurrent density exceeding 30 mA cm(-2) in simulated air mass 1.5 standard solar radiation. Using the DX3-based dye-sensitized solar cell in conjunction with a perovskite cell that harvests visible light, the hybridized mesoscopic photovoltaics achieved a conversion efficiency of 21.5% using a system of spectral splitting.

Theoretical studies on the absorption spectra of cis-[Ru(4,4'-COO-2,2'-bpy)2(X)2](4-), (X = NCS, Cl) and panchromatic trans-terpyridyl Ru complexes including strong spin-orbit coupling.

In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the photophysical and chemical characteristics and absorption spectra of various ruthenium complexes in solution used as efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. The target molecules are two well-known complexes, cis-[Ru(4,4'-COO-2,2'-bpy)2(X)2](4-), (X = NCS, Cl) and trans-terpyridyl Ru. The experimental absorption spectra of these molecules, which show strong spin-orbit (SO) coupling, are simulated using first-order perturbation theory based on time-dependent density functional theory and quantum chemistry calculations. It turns out that the theory can simulate the experimental data very well, which indicates that SO coupling is very important and the mixing between singlet and triplet states is strong in these molecules because of the large SO coupling constant of the Ru atom. The exact absorption spectra can only be reproduced by including the perturbation by SO coupling. The physical and chemical differences between cis-[Ru(4,4'-COO-2,2'-bpy)2(X)2](4-), (X = NCS, Cl) and trans-terpyridyl Ru complexes are elucidated by natural bond orbital and natural transition orbital analyses. From these analyses, we have found that the two kinds of Ru complexes are quite different in terms of photoexcitation response and chemical bonding between the central Ru atom and the surrounding ligands.

Enhancement of Near-IR Photoelectric Conversion in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using an Osmium Sensitizer with Strong Spin-Forbidden Transition.

A new osmium (Os) complex of the [Os(tcterpy)-(4,4'-bis(p-butoxystyryl)-2,2'-bipyridine)Cl]PF6 (Os-stbpy) has been synthesized and characterized for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The Os-stbpy dye shows enhanced spin-forbidden absorptions around 900 nm. The DSSCs with Os-stbpy show a wide-band spectral response up to 1100 nm with high overall conversion efficiency of 6.1% under standard solar illumination.