Enabling white color tunability in complex 3D-printed composites by using lead-free self-trapped exciton 2D perovskite/carbon quantum dot inks.

The generation of stable white light emission using lead-free perovskites remains a huge challenge in the development of future display and lighting technologies, due to fast material deterioration and the decrease of the color quality. In this work, we report a combination of diverse types of 2D A2SnX4 (A = bulky cation, X = Br, I) perovskites exhibiting self-trapped exciton (STE) emission and blue luminescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs), with the purpose of generating A2SnX4/CQD inks with a broadband emission in the visible region and a tunable white light color. By varying the concentration of the 2D perovskite, the white emission of the mixtures is modulated to cool, neutral, and warm tonalities, with a PL quantum yield up to 45%. From the combinations, the PEA2SnI4/CQD-based ink shows the longest stability, due to suitable surface ligand passivation provided by the capping ligands covering the CQDs, compensating the defect sites in the perovskite. Then, by incorporating the PEA2SnI4/CQDs inks into an acrylate polymer matrix, the quenching of the PL component from the perovskite was restrained, being stable for >400 h under ambient conditions and at a relative humidity of ∼50%, and allowing the preparation of complex 3D-printed composites with stable white emission tonalities. This contribution offers an application of STE-based Sn-perovskites to facilitate the future fabrication of lead-free white-light optoelectronic devices.

Upconversion nanoparticles with a strong acid-resistant capping.

Water-dispersible upconversion nanoparticles (ß-NaYF4:Yb(3+),Er(3+), UCNP) coated with a thin shell of a biocompatible copolymer comprising 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonsulphonic acid (AMPS), which we will term COP, have been prepared by multidentate grafting. This capping is remarkably resistant to strong acidic conditions as low as pH 2. The additional functionality of the smart UCNP@COP nanosystem has been proved by its association to a well-known photosensitizer (namely, methylene blue, MB). The green-to-red emission ratio of the UC@COP@MB nanohybrid exhibits excellent linear dependence in the 7 to 2 pH range as a consequence of the release of the dye as the pH decreases.

Recombination reduction on lead halide perovskite solar cells based on low temperature synthesized hierarchical TiO2 nanorods.

Intensive research on the electron transport material (ETM) has been pursued to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and decrease their cost. More importantly, the role of the ETM layer is not yet fully understood, and research on new device architectures is still needed. Here, we report the use of three-dimensional (3D) TiO2 with a hierarchical architecture based on rutile nanorods (NR) as photoanode material for PSCs. The proposed hierarchical nanorod (HNR) films were synthesized by a two-step low temperature (180 °C) hydrothermal method, and consist of TiO2 nanorod trunks with optimal lengths of 540 nm and TiO2 nanobranches with lengths of 45 nm. Different device configurations were fabricated with TiO2 structures (compact layer, NR and HNR) and CH3NH3PbI3, using different synthetic routes, as the active material. PSCs based on HNR-CH3NH3PbI3 achieved the highest power conversion efficiency compared to PSCs with other TiO2 structures. This result can be ascribed mainly to lower charge recombination as determined by impedance spectroscopy. Furthermore, we have observed that the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite deposited by the two-step route shows higher efficiency, surface coverage and infiltration within the structure of 3D HNR than the one-step CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x) perovskite.

Preferential solvation of a dicyanate ester monomer and poly(sulfone) in different organic solvents by size-exclusion chromatography.

Preferential solvation parameters A in the ternary systems solvent (1) -monomer (2) -polymer (3) were determined as a tool to measure the compatibility between the cyanate ester monomer Arocy B10 and poly(sulfone), PSF, in the presence of three organic solvents: tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide and dicloromethane. The A parameter was measured by size-exclusion chromatography at different monomer-to-polymer ratios. The quantitative evaluation was rigorously made at polymer-diluted conditions. PSF was found to be preferentially solvated by the monomer. Concerning the solvent used, systems containing tetrahydrofuran showed the strongest solvation, the lowest A values being those obtained in dicloromethane. These results were in accordance with the intrinsic viscosity values of the PSF-solvent systems. The variation of A values with the Arocy B10 concentration is strongly dependent upon the nature of the solvent.