Improved performance of organic light-emitting diodes with dual electron transporting layers

In this study the performance of organic light-emitting diodes （OLEDs） are enhanced significantly, which is based on dual electron transporting layers （13phen/CuPc）. By adjusting the thicknesses of Bphen and CuPc, the maximal luminescence, the maximal current efficiency, and the maximal power efficiency of the device reach 17570 cd/m^2 at 11 V, and 5.39 cd/A and 3.39 lm/W at 3.37 mA/cm^2 respectively, which are enhanced approximately by 33.4%, 39.3%, and 68.9%, respectively, compared with those of the device using Bphen only for an electron transporting layer. These results may provide some valuable references for improving the electron injection and the transportation of OLED.

A multifunctional and scalable fullerene electron transporting material for efficient inverted perovskite solar cells and modules

The interfacial properties between charge transporting material and perovskite(PVSK)play critical roles in governing the photovoltaic performances of perovskite solar cells(PVSCs).Herein,we develop a multifunctional fulleropyrrolidine(FMG)as an electron transporting material(ETM),which facilitates the construction of efficient and stable inverted PVSCs and modules.It revealed that the facile and scalable FMG possesses not only excellent electron extraction capabilities,but also multi-groups to simultaneously passivate PVSKs via Lewis acid-base and hydrogen bonding interactions.The coating of FMG onto PVSK interestingly yields a dense and interactive layer with the graded ETM-PVSK heterojunction architecture.As a result,FMGbased PVSCs demonstrate a champion efficiency of 23.8%,outperforming 21.0%of PCBM-based devices.FMG could also be utilized to improve photovoltaic performance of large-scale modules.In addition,FMG has successfully elongated the lifetime of the corresponding PVSCs,maintaining 85%of the initial performance after the continuous 60-day one sun equivalent illumination in ambient.

Crystallographic Understanding of Photoelectric Properties for C_(60) Derivatives Applicable as Electron Transporting Materials in Perovskite Solar Cells

Hundreds of C60 derivatives stand out as electrontransporting materials(ETMs), for example, in perovskite solar cells(PSCs), due to their properties on electron extraction or defect passivation. However, it still lacks of guidelines to update C60-based ETMs with excellent photoelectric properties. In this work, crystallographic data of eight C60-based ETMs, including pristine C60 and the well-known PCBM as well as six newly synthesized fullerenes, are analyzed to establish the connections between derivatized structures and photoelectric properties for the typical carbon cluster of C60. In terms of packing centroid-centroid distance between neighboring carbon cages, the crystallographic data are useful for probing photoelectric properties, such as electrochemical properties, electron mobility and photovoltaic performances, and therefore facilitate to design novel C60-based ETMs for PSCs with high performances.

Toward high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with one-dimensional oriented nanostructured electron transport materials

The unique advantages of one-dimensional(1D)oriented nanostructures in light-trapping and chargetransport make them competitive candidates in photovoltaic(PV)devices.Since the emergence of perovskite solar cells(PSCs),1D nanostructured electron transport materials(ETMs)have drawn tremendous interest.However,the power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)of these devices have always significantly lagged behind their mesoscopic and planar counterparts.High-efficiency PSCs with 1D ETMs showing efficiency over 22%were just realized in the most recent studies.It yet lacks a comprehensive review covering the development of 1D ETMs and their application in PSCs.We hence timely summarize the advances in 1D ETMs-based solar cells,emphasizing on the fundamental and optimization issues of charge separation and collection ability,and their influence on PV performance.After sketching the classification and requirements for high-efficiency 1D nanostructured solar cells,we highlight the applicability of 1D TiO_(2)nanostructures in PSCs,including nanotubes,nanorods,nanocones,and nanopyramids,and carefully analyze how the electrostatic field affects cell performance.Other kinds of oriented nanostructures,e.g.,ZnO and SnO_(2)ETMs,are also described.Finally,we discuss the challenges and propose some potential strategies to further boost device performance.This review provides a broad range of valuable work in this fast-developing field,which we hope will stimulate research enthusiasm to push PSCs to an unprecedented level.

Local wavelength evolution and Landau damping of electrostatic plasma wave driven by an ultra-relativistic electron beam in dense inhomogeneous plasma

Evolution of an electrostatic plasma wave driven by a low-density ultra-relativistic electron beam in dense inhomogeneous plasma is considered. In particular, the wavelength variation as observed at fixed locations in the plasma is analyzed in terms of the wave characteristics. It is shown that for a negative density gradient, the observed local wavelength decreases monotonically with time, but for a positive density gradient, it first increases and then decreases with time, accompanied by reversal of the wave phase. However, in both cases the local wavelength eventually decreases with time since Landau damping becomes significant as the wavelength becomes of the order of the plasma Debye length. Results from particle-in-cell simulations agree well with theoretical analyses of the wavelength variation.

Alleviating Interfacial Recombination of Heterojunction Electron Transport Layer via Oxygen Vacancy Engineering for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells Over 23%

Electron transport layer(ETL)is pivotal to charge carrier transport for PSCs to reach the Shockley-Queisser limit.This study provides a fundamental understanding of heterojunction electron transport layers(ETLs)at the atomic level for stable and efficient perovskite solar cells(PSCs).The bilayer structure of an ETL composed of SnO_(2) on TiO_(2) was examined,revealing a critical factor limiting its potential to obtain efficient performance.Alteration of oxygen vacancies in the TiO_(2) underlayer via an annealing process is found to induce manipulated band offsets at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.In-depth electronic investigations of the bilayer structure elucidate the importance of the electronic properties at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.The apparent correlation in hysteresis phenomena,including current density-voltage(J-V)curves,appears as a function of the type of band alignment.Density functional theory calculations reveal the intimate relationship between oxygen vacancies,deep trap states,and charge transport efficiency at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.The formation of cascade band alignment via control over the TiO_(2) underlayer enhances device performance and suppresses hysteresis.Optimal performance exhibits a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 23.45%with an open-circuit voltage(V_(oc))of 1.184 V,showing better device stability under maximum power point tracking compared with a staggered bilayer under one-sun continuous illumination.

Transforming liquid flow fuel cells to controllable reactors for highlyefficient oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid at low temperature

Highly-efficient oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurtural(HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid(FDCA) at low temperature with air as the oxidant is still challenging.Herein,inspired by the respirato ry electron transport chain(ETC) of living cells mediated by electron carriers,we constructed artificial ETCs and transformed liquid flow fuel cells(LFFCs) to flexible reactors for efficient oxidation of HMF to produce FDCA under mild conditions.This LFFC reactor employed an electrodeposition modified nickel foam as an anode to promote HMF oxidation and(VO_(2))_(2)SO_(4) as a cathode electron carrier to facilitate the electron transfer to air.The reaction rate could be easily controlled by selecting the anode catalyst,adjusting the external loading and changing the cathodic electron carrier or oxidants.A maximal power density of 44.9 mW cm^(-2) at room temperature was achieved,while for FDCA production,short-circuit condition was preferred to achieve quick transfer of electrons.For a single batch operation with 0.1 M initial HMF,FDCA yield reached 97.1%.By fed-batch operation,FDCA concentration reached 144.5 g L^(-1) with a total yield of 96%.Ni^(2+)/Ni^(3+) redox couple was the active species mediating the electron transfer,while both experimental and DFT calculation results indicated that HMFCA pathway was the preferred reaction mechanism.

Tungsten oxide/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes composite catalysts for enhanced redox kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries

The sluggish redox kinetics of polysulfides in lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are a significant obstacle to their widespread adoption as energy storage devices.However,recent studies have shown that tungsten oxide(WO_(3))can facilitate the conversion kinetics of polysulfides in Li-S batteries.Herein,we fabricated host materials for sulfur using nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes(N-CNTs)and WO_(3).We used low-cost components and simple procedures to overcome the poor electrical conductivity that is a disadvantage of metal oxides.The composites of WO_(3) and N-CNTs(WO_(3)/N-CNTs)create a stable framework structure,fast ion diffusion channels,and a 3D electron transport network during electrochemical reaction processes.As a result,the WO_(3)/N-CNT-Li2S6 cathode demonstrates high initial capacity(1162 mA·h·g^(-1) at 0.5℃),excellent rate performance(618 mA·h·g^(-1) at 5.5℃),and a low capacity decay rate(0.093%up to 600 cycles at 2℃).This work presents a novel approach for preparing tungsten oxide/carbon composite catalysts that facilitate the redox kinetics of polysulfide conversion.

Gate-field control of valley polarization in valleytronics

Valleytronics materials are a kind of special semiconductors which can host multiple symmetry-connected and wellseparated electron or hole pockets in the Brillouin zone when the system is slightly n or p doped. Since the low-energy particles residing in these pockets generally are not easily scattered to each other by small perturbations, they are endowed with an additional valley degree of freedom. Analogous to spin, the valley freedom can be used to process information,leading to the concept of valleytronics. The prerequisite for valleytronics is the generation of valley polarization. Thus,a focus in this field is achieving the electric generation of valley polarization, especially the static generation by the gate electric field alone. In this work, we briefly review the latest progress in this research direction, focusing on the concepts of the couplings between valley and layer, i.e., the valley–layer coupling which permits the gate-field control of the valley polarization, the couplings between valley, layer, and spin in magnetic systems, the physical properties, the novel designing schemes for electronic devices, and the material realizations of the gate-controlled valleytronics materials.

Transport properties of Hall-type quantum states in disordered bismuthene

Bismuthene,an inherently hexagonal structure characterized by a huge bulk gap,offers a versatile platform for investigating the electronic transport of various topological quantum states.Using nonequilibrium Green's function method and Landauer-Büttiker formula,we thoroughly investigate the transport properties of various Hall-type quantum states,including quantum spin Hall(QSH)edge states,quantum valley Hall kink(QVHK)states,and quantum spin-valley Hall kink(QSVHK)states,in the presence of various disorders.Based on the exotic transport features,a spin-valley filter,capable of generating a highly spin-and valley-polarized current,is proposed.The valley index and the spin index of the filtered QSVHK state are determined by the staggered potential and the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling,respectively.The efficiency of the spin-valley filter is supported by the spacial current distribution,the valley-resolved conductance,and the spin-resolved conductance.Compared with a sandwich structure for QSVHK,our proposed spin-valley filter can work with a much smaller size and is more accessible in the experiment.

Blue light is more essential than red light for maintaining the activities of photosystem Ⅱ and Ⅰ and photosynthetic electron transport capacity in cucumber leaves

Blue and red lights differently regulate leaf photosynthesis. Previous studies indicated that plants under blue light generally exhibit better photosynthetic characteristics than those under red light. However, the regulation mechanism of related photosynthesis characteristics remains largely unclear. Here, four light qualities treatments （300 μmol m-2 s-1） including white fluorescent light （FL）, blue monochromatic light （B, 440 nm）, red monochromatic light （R, 660 nm）, and a combination of red and blue light （RB, R：B=8：1） were carried out to investigate their effects on the activity of photosystem II （PSII） and photosystem I （PSI）, and photosynthetic electron transport capacity in the leaves of cucumber （Cucumis sativus L.） seedlings. The results showed that compared to the FL treatment, the R treatment significantly limited electron transport rate in PSII （ETR11） and in PSI （ETR1） by 79.4 and 66.3%, respectively, increased non-light induced non-photochemical quenching in PSII （q^No） and limitation of donor side in PSI （φND） and reduced most JIP-test parameters, suggesting that the R treatment induced suboptimal activity of photosystems and inhibited electron transport from PSII donor side up to PSI. However, these suppressions were effectively alleviated by blue light addition （RB）. Compared with the R treatment, the RB treatment significantly increased ETR, and ETR1 by 176.9 and 127.0%, respectively, promoted photosystems activity and enhanced linear electron transport by elevating electron transport from QA to PSI. The B treatment plants exhibited normal photosystems activity and photosynthetic electron transport capacity similar to that of the FL treatment. It was concluded that blue light is more essential than red light for normal photosynthesis by mediating photosystems activity and photosynthetic electron transport capacity.

Performance characteristics of an energy selective electron refrigerator with double resonances

This paper establishes the energy selective electron （ESE） engine with double resonances as a refrigerator in one dimensional （1D） system. It consists of two infinitely large electron reservoirs with different temperatures and chemical potentials, and they are perfectly thermally insulated from each other and interaction only via a double ＇idealized energy filter＇ whose widths are all finite. Taking advantage of the density of state and Fermi distribution in the 1D system, the heat flux into each reservoir may then be calculated. Moreover, the coefficient of performance may be derived from the expressions for the heat flux into the hot and cold reservoirs. The performance characteristic curves are plotted by numerical analysis. The influences of the resonances widths, the energy position of resonance and the space of two resonances on performance of the ESE refrigerator are discussed. The results obtained here have theoretical significance for the understanding of thermodynamic performance of the micro-nano devices.

Forward and reverse electron transport properties across a CdS/Si multi-interface nanoheterojunction

The electron transport behavior across the interface plays an important role in determining the performance of op- toelectronic devices based on heterojunctions. Here through growing CdS thin film on silicon nanoporous pillar array, an untraditional, nonplanar, and multi-interface CdS/Si nanoheterojunction is prepared. The current density versus voltage curve is measured and an obvious rectification effect is observed. Based on the fitting results and model analyses on the forward and reverse conduction characteristics, the electron transport mechanism under low forward bias, high forward bias, and reverse bias are attributed to the Ohmic regime, space-charge-limited current regime, and modified Poole-Frenkel regime respectively. The forward and reverse electrical behaviors are found to be highly related to the distribution of inter- facial trap states and the existence of localized electric field respectively. These results might be helpful for optimizing the preparing procedures to realize high-performance silicon-based CdS optoelectronic devices.

Resonant tunnelling single-barrier of electrons in multi-step heterostructures

We have studied the quantum transport of electrons in a three-step single-barrier A1GaAs heterostructure under electric field. Using the quantum transmitting boundary method and Tsu-Esaki approach, we have calculated the transmission coefficient and current-voltage characteristic. The difference of the effective mass among the three barriers is taken into account. Effects of the barrier width on transmission coefficient and peak-to-valley current ratios are examined. The largest peak-to-valley current ratio is obtained when the ratio of widths of the left, middle, and right barrier is fixed at 4：2：1. The calculated results may be helpful for designing devices based on three-step barrier heterostructures.

Manipulation and optimization of electron transport by nanopore array targets

The transport of sub-picosecond laser-driven fast electrons in nanopore array targets is studied.Attributed to the generation of micro-structured magnetic fields,most fast electron beams are proven to be effectively guided and restricted during the propagation.Different transport patterns of fast electrons in the targets are observed in experiments and reproduced by particle-in-cell simulations,representing two components:initially collimated low-energy electrons in the center and high-energy scattering electrons turning into surrounding annular beams.The critical energy for confined electrons is deduced theoretically.The electron guidance and confinement by the nano-structured targets offer a technological approach to manipulate and optimize the fast electron transport by properly modulating pulse parameters and target design,showing great potential in many applications including ion acceleration,microfocus x-ray sources and inertial confinement fusion.

Investigation of the performance of CF3I/c-C4F8/N2 and CF3I/c-C4F8/CO2 gas mixtures from electron transport parameters

CF3I gas mixtures have attracted considerable attention as potential environmentally-friendly alternatives to SF6 gas,owing to their excellent insulating performance.This paper attempts to study the CF3I ternary gas mixtures with c-C4F8 and buffer gases N2 and CO2 by considering dielectric strength from electron transport parameters based on the Boltzmann method and synergistic effect analysis,compared with SF6 gas mixtures.The results confirm that the critical electric field strength of CF3I/c-C4F8/70%CO2 is greater than that of 30%SF6/70%CO2 when the CF3I content is greater than 17%.Moreover,a higher content of c-C4F8 decreases the sensitivity of gas mixtures to an electric field,and this phenomenon is more obvious in CF3I/c-C4F8/CO2 gas mixtures.The synergistic effects for CF3I/c-C4F8/70%N2 were most obvious when the c-C4F8 content was approximately 20%,and for CF3I/c-C4F8/70%CO2 when the c-C4F8 content was approximately 10%.On the basis of this research,CF3I/c-C4F8/70%N2 shows better insulation performance when the c-C4F8 content is in the15%–20%range.For CF3I/c-C4F8/70%CO2,when the c-C4F8 content is in the 10%–15%range,the gas mixtures have excellent performance.Hence,these gas systems might be used as alternative gas mixtures to SF6 in high-voltage equipment.

Effect of Kinetic Alfvén Waves on Electron Transport in an Ion-Scale Flux Rope

At the Earth＇s magnetopause, the electron transport due to kinetic Alfvén waves（KAWs） is investigated in an ion-scale flux rope by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. Clear electron dropout around 90° pitch angle is observed throughout the flux rope, where intense KAWs are identified. The KAWs can effectively trap electrons by the wave parallel electric field and the magnetic mirror force, allowing electrons to undergo Landau resonance and be transported into more field-aligned directions. The pitch angle range for the trapped electrons is estimated from the wave analysis, which is in good agreement with direct pitch angle measurements of the electron distributions. The newly formed beam-like electron distribution is unstable and excites whistler waves,as revealed in the observations. We suggest that KAWs could be responsible for the plasma depletion inside a flux rope by this transport process, and thus be responsible for the formation of a typical flux rope.

Scalable spray coated high performance sulfurized electron transporter for efficient and stable perovskite solar modules

The stability issue has been acknowledged as the bottleneck in the practical application of perovskite photovoltaics,while the stabilized interface between the perovskites and charge transport layers dominates their stability performance under different stresses.Here,we developed a high-performance sulfurized zinc-titanium mixed oxide(ZTO-S)electron transport layer(ETL)to fabricate large-area efficient and long-term 85℃/85%RH stable perovskite solar modules.The scalably prepared ZTO-S using the facile spray coating method demonstrates excellent electron mobility close to that of Zn O,in addition to promoting the uniform crystallization of perovskite film across the entire module via the interaction between surface S and Pb^(2+).Furthermore,this novel coordination stabilized the interface and reduced the interfacial non-radiative recombination defects within the devices,yielding an efficient and stable performance for the modules.High efficiency of 21.73%and 17.50%was achieved for blade-coated 36 cm^(2)and 100 cm^(2)perovskite solar modules,respectively.In addition,the encapsulated module(36 cm^(2))shows an attractive humidity and heat stability(85℃/85%RH)performance with a maintained 93.5%of the initial PCE over 1000 h.

Structural and electronic characteristics of pure and doped ZnO varistors

We report here the structural, surface morphology, mechanical, and current voltage characteristics of Zn1-xMxO ceramic samples with various x and M （0.00≤〈 x ≤ 0.20, M = Ni, Cu）. It is found that the considered dopants do not influence the well-known peaks related to the wurtzite structure of ZnO ceramics, while the shapes and the sizes of grains are clearly affected. The average crystalline diameters deduced from the SEM micrographs are between 2.06 μm and 4.8 μm for all samples. The oxygen element ratio is increased by both dopants. Interestingly, the potential barrier can be formed by adding Cu up to 0.20, while it is completely deformed by 0.025 Ni addition. The breakdown field can be enhanced up to 4138 V/cm by 0.025 Cu addition, followed by a decrease with further increase of Cu up to 0.20. On the other hand, a gradual decrease in Vickers microhardness is reported for both dopants, and the values in the Ni samples are higher compared to those in the Cu samples. The electricul conductivity is generally improved by Ni, while the addition of Cu improves it only in the over doped region （≥ 0.10）. These results are discussed in terms of the differences of valency and ferromagnetic ordering.

Highly efficient flexible perovskite solar cells with vacuum-assisted low-temperature annealed SnO2 electron transport layer

The demand for lightweight, flexible, and high-performance portable power sources urgently requires high-efficiency and stable flexible solar cells. In the case of perovskite solar cells(PSCs), most of the common electron transport layer(ETL) needs to be annealed for improving the optoelectronic properties,while conventional flexible substrates could barely stand the high temperature. Herein, a vacuumassisted annealing SnO_(2) ETL at low temperature(100℃) is utilized in flexible PSCs and achieved high efficiency of 20.14%. Meanwhile, the open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)) increases from 1.07 V to 1.14 V. The flexible PSCs also show robust bending stability with 86.8% of the initial efficiency is retained after 1000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 5 mm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), atomic force microscopy(AFM), and contact angle measurements show that the density of oxygen vacancies, the surface roughness of the SnO_(2) layer, and film hydrophobicity are significantly increased, respectively. These improvements could be due to the oxygen-deficient environment in a vacuum chamber, and the rapid evaporation of solvents. The proposed vacuum-assisted low-temperature annealing method not only improves the efficiency of flexible PSCs but is also compatible and promising in the large-scale commercialization of flexible PSCs.