High-Throughput Pb Recycling for Perovskite Solar Cells Using Biomimetic Whitlockite

Pb contamination in aquatic environments causes severe pollution;therefore,harmless absorbents are required.In this study,we report a novel synthesis of whitlockite(WH,Ca_(18)Mg_(2)(HPO_(4))_(2)(PO_(4))_(12)),which is the second most abundant biomineral in human bone,and its application as a high-performing Pb^(2+)absorbent.Hydroxyapatite(HAP)and WH are prepared via a simple precipitation method.The Pb2+absorption performance and mechanism of the synthesized biominerals are investigated in aqueous solutions at neutral pH.The results demonstrate that WH exhibits an excellent Pb2+absorption capacity of 2339 mg g^(−1),which is 1.68 times higher than the recorded value for HAP.Furthermore,the absorbed Pb^(2+) ions are recycled into high-purity PbI_(2).This is employed as a precursor for the fabrication of perovskite solar cells(PSCs),resulting in a conversion efficiency of 19.00%comparable to that of commercial PbI2 powder(99.99%purity).Our approach provides an efficient way to remove Pb^(2+)ions from water and reuse them in the recycling of PSCs.

Managing the lifecycle of perovskite solar cells: Addressing stability and environmental concerns from utilization to end-of-life

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have shown remarkable advancements and achieved impressive power conversion efficiencies since their initial introduction in 2012.However,challenges regarding stability,quality,and sustainability must be addressed for their successful commercial use.This review analyses the recent studies and challenges related to the operating life and end-of-life utilization of PSCs.Strategies to enhance the stability and mitigate the toxic Pb leakage in operational and recycling approaches of discarded PSCs post their end-of-life are examined to establish a viable and sustainable PSC industry.Additionally,future research directions are proposed for the advancements in the PSC industry.The goal is to ensure high efficiency as well as economic and environmental sustainability throughout the lifecycle of PSCs.

Thioredoxin Reductase Type C （NTRC） Orchestrates Enhanced Thermotolerance to Arabidopsis by Its Redox-Dependent Holdase Chaperone Function

Genevestigator analysis has indicated heat shock induction of transcripts for NADPH-thioredoxin reduc-tase, type C （NTRC） in the light. Here we show overexpression of NTRC in Arabidopsis （NTRC°E） resulting in enhanced tolerance to heat shock, whereas NTRC knockout mutant plants （ntrcl） exhibit a temperature sensitive phenotype. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this phenotype, we analyzed the protein＇s biochemical properties and protein structure. NTRC assembles into homopolymeric structures of varying complexity with functions as a disulfide reductase, a foldase chaperone, and as a holdase chaperone. The multiple functions of NTRC are closely correlated with protein structure.. Complexes of higher molecular weight （HMW） showed stronger activity as a holdase chaperone, while low molecular weight （LMW） species exhibited weaker holdase chaperone activity but stronger disulfide reductase and fol-dase chaperone activities. Heat shock converted LMW proteins into HMW complexes. Mutations of the two active site Cys residues of NTRC into Ser （C217/454S-NTRC） led to a complete inactivation of its disulfide reductase and foldase chaperone functions, but conferred only a slight decrease in its holdase chaperone function. The overexpression of the mutated C217/454S-NTRC provided Arabidopsis with a similar degree of thermotolerance compared with that of NTRC°E plants. However, after prolonged incubation under heat shock, NTRC°E plants tolerated the stress to a higher degree than C217/454S-NTRC°E plants. The results suggest that the heat shock-mediated holdase chaperone function of NTRC is responsible for the increased thermotolerance of Arabidopsis and the activity is significantly supported by NADPH.

Dual function of a high-contrast hydrophobic-hydrophilic coating for enhanced stability of perovskite solar cells in extremely humid environments

In spite of a continuous increase in their power conversion efficiency （PCE） and an economically viable fabrication process,organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells （PSCs） pose a significant problem when used in practical applications：They show fast degradation of the PCE when exposed to very humid environments.In this study,the stability of PSCs under very humid conditions is greatly enhanced by coating the surface of the PSC devices with a multi-layer film consisting of ultrahydrophobic and relatively hydrophilic layers.A hydrophobic composite of poly（methyl methacrylate） （PMMA）,polyurethane （PU）,and SiO2 nanoparticles successfully retards the water molecules from very humid surroundings.Also,the hydrophilic layer with moderately PMMA captures the residual moisture within the perovskite layer;subsequently,the perovskite layer recovers.This dual function of the coating film keeps the PCE of PSCs at 17.3% for 180 min when exposed to over 95% humidity.

Chlorine-modified SnO2 electron transport layer for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells

A high-quality electron transport layer(ETL)is a critical component for the realization of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.We developed a controllable direct-contact reaction process to prepare a chlorinated SnO2(SnO2-Cl)ETL.It is unique in that(a)102-dichlorobenzene is used to provide more reactive Cl radicals for more in-depth passivation;(b)it does not introduce any impurities other than chlorine.It is found that the chlorine modification significantly improves the electron extraction.Consequently,its associated solar cell efficiency is increased from 17.01%to 17.81%comparing to the pristine SnO2 ETL without the modification.The hysteresis index is significantly reduced to 0.017 for the SnO2-Cl ETL.