TiO_(2)Electron Transport Layer with p-n Homojunctions for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Low-temperature processed electron transport layer(ETL)of TiO_(2)that is widely used in planar perovskite solar cells(PSCs)has inherent low carrier mobility,resulting in insufficient photogenerated elec-tron transport and thus recombination loss at buried interface.Herein,we demonstrate an effective strategy of laser embedding of p-n homojunctions in the TiO_(2)ETL to accelerate electron transport in PSCs,through localized build-in electric fields that enables boosted electron mobility by two orders of magnitude.Such embedding is found significantly helpful for not only the enhanced crystallization quality of TiO_(2)ETL,but the fabrication of perovskite films with larger-grain and the less-trap-states.The embedded p-n homojunction enables also the modulation of interfacial energy level between perovskite layers and ETLs,favoring for the reduced voltage deficit of PSCs.Benefiting from these merits,the formamidinium lead iodide(FAPbI_(3))PSCs employing such ETLs deliver a champion efficiency of 25.50%,along with much-improved device stability under harsh conditions,i.e.,maintain over 95%of their initial efficiency after operation at maximum power point under continuous heat and illumination for 500 h,as well as mixed-cation PSCs with a champion efficiency of 22.02%and over 3000 h of ambient storage under humidity stability of 40%.Present study offers new possibilities of regulating charge transport layers via p-n homojunction embedding for high performance optoelectronics.

Electronic transport evolution across the successive structural transitions in Ni_(50-x)Fe_xTi_(50) shape memory alloys

TiNi-based shape memory alloys have been extensively investigated due to their significant applications,but a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of electronic structure and electrical transport in a system with martensitic transformations(MT) is still lacking.In this work,we focused on the electronic transport behavior of three phases in Ni_(50-x)Fe_xTi_(50)across the MT.A phase diagram of Ni_(50-x)Fe_xTi_(50) was established based on x-ray diffraction,calorimetric,magnetic,and electrical measurements.To reveal the driving force of MT,phonon softening was revealed using first-principles calculations.Notably,the transverse and longitudinal transport behavior changed significantly across the phase transition,which can be attributed to the reconstruction of electronic structures.This work promotes the understanding of phase transitions and demonstrates the sensitivity of electron transport to phase transition.

Ion heat transport in electron cyclotron resonance heated L-mode plasma on the T-10 tokamak

Anomalous ion heat transport is analyzed in the T-10 tokamak plasma heated with electron cyclotron resonance heating(ECRH) in second-harmonic extra-ordinary mode. Predictive modeling with empirical scaling for Ohmical heat conductivity shows that in ECRH plasmas the calculated ion temperature could be overestimated, so an increase of anomalous ion heat transport is required. To study this effect two scans are presented: over the EC resonance position and over the ECRH power. The EC resonance position varies from the high-field side to the low-field side by variation of the toroidal magnetic field. The scan over the heating power is presented with on-axis and mixed ECRH regimes. Discharges with high anomalous ion heat transport are obtained in all considered regimes. In these discharges the power balance ion heat conductivity exceeds the neoclassical level by up to 10 times. The high ion heat transport regimes are distinguished by three parameters: the ratio Te/Ti, the normalized electron density gradient R/■, and the ion–ion collisionality νii~*. The combination of high Te/Ti, high νii~*, and R/■=6-10 results in values of normalized anomalous ion heat fluxes up to 10 times higher than in the low transport scenario.

Amorphous BaTiO_(3) Electron Transport Layer for Thermal Equilibrium-Governed γ-CsPbl_(3) Perovskite Solar Cell with High Power Conversion Efficiency of 19.96%

Compared to organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites,the cesium-based allinorganic lead halide perovskite(CsPbI_(3))is a promising light absorber for perovskite solar cells owing to its higher resistance to thermal stress.Nonetheless,additional research is required to reduce the nonradiative recombination to realize the full potential of CsPbI_(3).Here,the diffusion of Cs ions participating in ion exchange is proposed to be an important factor responsible for the bulk defects inγ-CsPbI_(3)perovskite.Calculations based on first-principles density functional theory reveal that the[PbI_(6)]^(4-)octahedral tilt modifies the perovskite crystallographic properties inγ-CsPbI_(3),leading to alterations in its bandgap and crystal strain.In addition,by substituting amorphous barium titanium oxide(a-BaTiO_(3))for TiO_(2)as the electron transport layer,interfacial defects caused by imperfect energy levels between the electron transport layer and perovskite are reduced.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy demonstrate that a-BaTiO_(3)forms entirely as a single phase,as opposed to Ba-doped TiO_(2)hybrid nanoclusters or separate domains of TiO_(2)and BaTiO_(3)phases.Accordingly,inorganic perovskite solar cells based on the a-BaTiO_(3)electron transport layer achieved a power conversion efficiency of 19.96%.

High-Performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with Sol-Gel-Processed Sliver-Doped NiO_(x)Hole Transporting Layer

Nickel oxide(NiO_(x))has been established as a highly efficient and stable holetransporting layer(HTL)in perovskite solar cells(PSCs).However,existing deposition methods for NiO_(x)have been restricted by high-vacuum processes and fail to address the energy level mismatch at the NiO_(x)/perovskite interface,which has impeded the development of PSCs.Accordingly,we explored the application of NiO_(x)as a hybrid HTL through a sol-gel process,where a NiO_(x)film was pre-doped with Ag ions,forming a p/p^(+)homojunction in the NiO_(x)-based inverted PSCs.This innovative approach offers two synergistic advantages,including the enlargement of the built-in electric field for facilitating charge separation,optimizing energy level alignment,and charge transfer efficiency at the interface between the perovskite and HTL.Incorporating this hybrid HTL featuring the p/p^(+)homojunction in the inverted PSCs resulted in a high-power conversion efficiency(PCE)of up to 19.25%,significantly narrowing the efficiency gap compared to traditional n-i-p devices.Furthermore,this innovative strategy for the HTL enhanced the environmental stability to 30 days,maintaining 90%of the initial efficiency.

D-π-D molecular layer electronically bridges the NiO_(x) hole transport layer and the perovskite layer towards high performance photovoltaics

Nickel oxide (NiO_(x)) has significant cost and stability advantages over poly[bis (4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethyl phenyl)amine](PTAA) for inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSCs),but the poor NiO_(x)/perovskite contact stemming from some reactive species at the interface led to suboptimal device performance.To solve this problem,we take a multiple donor molecule approach,using 3,3’-(4,8-bis(hexylthio)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(10-(6-bromohexyl)-10H-phenoxazine)(BDT-POZ) as an example,to modify the NiO_(x)/perovskite interface.The primary goal was to reduce the under-coordinated Ni^(≥3+) cations via electron transfer from the donor molecules to NiO_(x),thus mitigating the detrimental reactions between perovskite and NiO_(x).Equally importantly,the hole extraction at the interface was greatly enhanced after the organic donor modification,since the hydrophobic species atop NiO_(x) not only enabled pinhole-free crystallization of the perovskite but also properly tuned the interfacial energy level alignment.Consequently,the PSCs with NiO_(x)/BDT-POZ HTL achieved a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 20.16%,which compared excellently with that of the non-modified devices (17.83%).This work provides a new strategy to tackle the exacting issues that have so far impeded the development of NiO_(x) based PSCs.

Organic Light-Emitting Diodes by Doping Liq into an Electron Transport Layer

Organic light emitting diodes （OLEDs） incorporating an n-doping transport layer comprised of 8-hydroxy-quin- olinato lithium （Liq） doped into 4＇ 7- diphyenyl-1,10-phenanthroline （BPhen） as ETL and a p-doping transport layer that includes tetrafluro-tetracyano-quinodimethane （F4- TCNQ） doped into 4,4′, 4″-tris （3-methylphenylphenylamono） triphe- nylamine （m-MTDATA） are demonstrated. In order to examine the improvement in the conductivity of transport layers, hole-only and electron-only devices are fabricated. The current and power efficiency Of organic light-emitting diodes are improved significantly after introducing an n-doping （BPhen：33wt% Liq） layer as an electron transport layer （ETL） and a p-doping layer composed of m-MTDATA and F4- TCNQ as a hole transport layer （HTL）. Compared with the control device （without doping） , the current efficiency and power efficiency of the most efficient device （device C） are enhanced by approximately 51% and 89% ,respectively, while driving voltage is reduced by 29%. This improvement is attributed to the improved conductivity of the transport layers that leads to efficient charge balance in the emission zone.

Theoretical Study on Electronic Transport Properties of Oligothiophene Molecular Devices

Based on the first-principles computational method and the elastic scattering Green＇s function theory, we have investigated the electronic transport properties of different oligothiophene molecular junctions theoretically. The numerical results show that the difference of geometric symmetries of the oligothiophene molecules leads to the difference of the contact configurations between the molecule and the electrodes, which results in the difference of the coupling parameters between the molecules and electrodes as well as the delocalization properties of the molecular orbitals. Hence, the series of oligothiophene molecular junctions display unusual conductive properties on the length dependence.

Influence of Al Composition on Transport Properties of Two-Dimensional Electron Gas in Al_xGa_(1-x)N/GaN Heterostructures

Magnetotransport properties of two-dimensional electron gases （2DEG） in AlxGa1-x N/GaN heterostructures with different Al compositions are investigated by magnetotransport measurements at low temperatures and in high magnetic fields. It is found that heterostructures with a lower Al composition in the barrier have lower 2DEG concentration and higher 2DEG mobility.

Effect of Relaxation Time on Electron Transport Properties in Double-Barrier Structures

Using a time-dependent quantum-kinetic simulation for the non-equilibrium electron transport properties of double-barrier devices, we have investigated and analyzed the effects of the relaxation time on electron transport properties in this kind of low dimensional structure. The results show that the relaxation time, which comes from the electron-phonon and electron-defect interactions,greatly affects the current-voltage curves,including the plateau-like gradient and hysteresis width of the current.

SnO2-based electron transporting layer materials for perovskite solar cells: A review of recent progress

In recent years, due to their high photo-to-electric power conversion efficiency(PCE)(up to 23%(certified)) and low cost, perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have attracted a great deal of attention in photovoltaics field. The high PCE can be attributed to the excellent physical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite materials, such as a long charge diffusion length and a high absorption coefficient in the visible range. There are different diffusion lengths of holes in electrons in a PSC device, and thus the electron transporting layer(ETL) plays a critical role in the performance of PSCs. An alternative for TiO2, to the most common ETL material is SnO2, which has similar physical properties to TiO2 but with much higher electron mobility, which is beneficial for electron extraction. In addition, there are many facile methods to fabricate SnO2 nanomaterials with low cost and low energy consumption. In this review paper, we focus on recent developments in SnO2 as the ETL of PSCs. The fabrication methods of SnO2 materials are briefly introduced. The influence of multiple Sn O2 types in the ETL on the performance of PSCs is then reviewed. Different methods for improving the PCE and long-term stability of PSCs based on SnO2 ETL are also summarized. The review provides a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the influence of different Sn O2 ETL types on PSC performance and potentially motivates further development of PSCs with an extension to SnO2-based PSCs.

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.

Tailored PEDOT:PSS hole transport layer for higher performance in perovskite solar cells: Enhancement of electrical and optical properties with improved morphology

Precise control over the charge carrier dynamics throughout the device can result in outstanding performance of perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)is the most actively studied hole transport material in p-i-n structured PSCs.However,charge transport in the PEDOT:PSS is limited and inefficient because of its low conductivity with the presence of the weak ionic conductor PSS.In addition,morphology of the underlying PEDOT:PSS layer in PSCs plays a crucial role in determining the optoelectronic quality of the active perovskite absorber layer.This work is focused on realization of a non-wetting conductive surface of hole transport layer suitable for the growth of larger perovskite crystalline domains.This is accomplished by employing a facile solventengineered(ethylene glycol and methanol)approach resulting in removal of the predominant PSS in PEDOT:PSS.The consequence of acquiring larger perovskite crystalline domains was observed in the charge carrier dynamics studies,with the achievement of higher charge carrier lifetime,lower charge transport time and lower transfer impedance in the solvent-engineered PEDOT:PSS-based PSCs.Use of this solventengineered treatment for the fabrication of MAPbI3 PSCs greatly increased the device stability witnessing a power conversion efficiency of 18.18%,which corresponds to^37%improvement compared to the untreated PEDOT:PSS based devices.

Benzothiadiazole-based hole transport materials for high-efficiency dopant-free perovskite solar cells: Molecular planarity effect

A new benzothiadiazole-based D-A-D hole transport material(DTBT)has been designed and synthesized with a more planar structure by introducing of thiophene bridges.The results indicate a lower band gap and quite higher hole mobility for the DTBT.Furthermore,the enhancement in molecular planarity with simple thiophene unit increases the hole mobility of DTBT(8.77×10^-4cm^2 V^-1s^-1)by about 40%.And when DTBT is used as hole transport material in perovskite solar cells,the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the corresponding dopant-free devices is also significantly improved compared with that of the conventional BT model molecule without thiophene.In terms of device stability,DTBT-based devices show a favorable long-term stability,which keep 83%initial efficiency after 15 days.Therefore,the introducing of thiophene bridges in D-A-D typed HTMs can improve the molecular planarity effectively,thereby increasing the hole mobility and improving device performance.

Recent advances of Cu-based hole transport materials and their interface engineering concerning different processing methods in perovskite solar cells

In recent years, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become a much charming photovoltaic technology and have triggered enormous studies worldwide, owing to their high efficiency, low cost and ease of preparation. The power conversion efficiency has rapidly increased by more than 6 times to the current 25.5% in the past decade. Hole transport materials (HTMs) are an indispensable part of PSCs, which great affect the efficiency, the cost and the stability of PSCs. Inorganic Cu-based p-type semiconductors are a kind of representative inorganic HTMs in PSCs due to their unique advantages of rich variety, low cost, excellent hole mobility, adjustable energy levels, good stability, low temperature and scalable processing ability. In this review, the research progress in new materials and the control of photoelectric properties of Cu-based inorganic HTMs were first summarized systematically. And then, concerning different processing methods, advances of the interface engineering of Cu-based hole transport layers (HTLs) in PSCs were detailly discussed. Finally, the challenges and future trends of Cu-based inorganic HTMs and their interface engineering in PSCs were analyzed.

Experimental Study Optimizing Hole Cleaning-Cuttings Transport in Oil Drilling Engineering

With a clear understanding of the drilling fluid techniques and the cutting taking mechanism, a new advanced model is set up for analyzing field data and quantitative forecast of cutting taking mechanism. Therefore, a number of values affecting the drilling rate and the hole cleaning are studied over a wide range of parameters. Drilling data obtained under high borehole pressure conditions are analyzed to determine the causes of the reduction in rate of penetration (ROP) as the borehole pressure increases, which in some cases is caused by the buildup of rock debris under the bit. The theoretical achievement and testing conclusions can be very instructional for horizontal well drilling. Much higher annular velocities are required for effective hole cleaning in directional wells than in vertical wells. High viscosity muds are observed to provide better transport than low viscosity muds.

Review of current progress in hole-transporting materials for perovskite solar cells

Recent advancements in perovskites’ application as a solar energy harvester have been astonishing. The power conversion efficiency(PCE) of perovskite solar cells(PSCs) is currently reaching parity(>25 percent), an accomplishment attained over past decades. PSCs are seen as perovskites sandwiched between an electron transporting material(ETM) and a hole transporting material(HTM). As a primary component of PSCs, HTM has been shown to have a considerable effect on solar energy harvesting, carrier extraction and transport, crystallization of perovskite, stability, and price. In PSCs, it is still necessary to use a HTM.While perovskites are capable of conducting holes, they are present in trace amounts, necessitating the use of an HTM layer for efficient charge extraction. In this review, we provide an understanding of the significant forms of HTM accessible(inorganic, polymeric and small molecule-based HTMs), to motivate further research and development of such materials. The identification of additional criteria suggests a significant challenge to high stability and affordability in PSC.

Improving the performance of arylamine-based hole transporting materials in perovskite solar cells： Extending π-conjugation length or increasing the number of side groups？

In this work, we prepared three simple arylamine-based hole transporting materials from commercially available starting materials. The effect of extending z-conjugation length or increasing the number of side groups compared with reference compound on the photophysical, electrochemical, hole mobility properties and performance in perovskite solar cells were further studied. It is noted that these two kinds of molecular modifications can significantly lower the HOMO level and improve the hole mobility, thus improving the hole injection from valence band of perovskite. On the other hand, the compound with more side groups showed higher hole injection efficiency due to lower HOMO level and higher hole mo- bility compared with the compound with extending π-conjugation length. The perovskite solar cells with the modified molecules as hole transporting materials showed a higher efficiency of 15.40% and 16.95%, respectively, which is better than that of the reference compound （13.18%）. Moreover, the compound with increasing number of side groups based devices showed comparable photovoltaic performance with that of conventional spiro-OMeTAD （16.87%）.

Distribution, Transportation and Cytolocalization of Neodymium in Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)

Observation xith the transmission electronic microscopy shows that Nd can not enter into the cytoplasm of oilseed rape (brassica napus L.) in solution culture. It combines with the cell wall or amasses in the intercellular space. Nd accumulates in root tip after it enters into the plants, while only a small amount of Nd is transferred to the stem and leaf via apoplasm, and the leaf contains the least of Nd. Such observations are consistent with the analytical results of Nd distribution in rape tissues in soil culture experiment. It suggests that the physiological effects of Nd in plants might mainly function on plasmalemma of root system.

Numerical investigation of non-local electron transport in laser-produced plasmas

Non-local electron transport in laser-produced plasmas under inertial confinement fusion （ICF） conditions is studied based on Fokker-Planck （FP） and hydrodynamic simulations. A comparison between the classical Spitzer-Harm （SH） transport model and non-local transport models has been made. The result shows that among those non-local models the Epperlein and Short （ES） model of heat flux is in reasonable agreement with the FP simulation in overdense region. However, the non-local models are invalid in the hot underdense plasmas. Hydrodynamic simulation is performed with the flux limiting model and the non-local model, separately. The simulation results show that in the underdense region of the laser-produced plasmas the temperature given by the flux limiting model is significantly higher than that given with the non-local model.