Carrier recombination suppression and transport enhancement enable high-performance self-powered broadband Sb_(2)Se_(3) photodetectors

Antimony selenide(Sb_(2)Se_(3))is a promising candidate for photodetector applications boasting unique material benefits and remarkable optoelectronic properties.Achieving high-performance self-powered Sb_(2)Se_(3)photodetector through a synergistic regulation of absorber layer and heterojunction interface demonstrates great potential and needs essential investigation.In this study,an effective two-step thermodynamic/kinetic deposition technique containing sputtered and selenized Sb precursor is implemented to induce self-assembled growth of Sb_(2)Se_(3)light absorbing thin film with large crystal grains and desirable[hk1]orientation,presenting considerable thin-film photodetector performance.Furthermore,aluminum(Al^(3+))cation dopant is introduced to modify the optoelectronic properties of CdS buffer layer,and further optimize the Sb_(2)Se_(3)/CdS(Al)heterojunction interface quality.Thanks to the suppressed carrier recombination and enhanced carrier transport kinetics,the champion Mo/Sb_(2)Se_(3)/CdS(Al)/ITO/Ag photodetector exhibits self-powered and broadband characteristics,accompanied by simultaneously high responsivity of 0.9 A W^(-1)(at 11 nW cm^(-2)),linear dynamic range of 120 dB,impressive ON/OFF switching ratio over 10^(6)and signal-to-noise ratio of 10^(9),record total noise determined realistic detectivity of 4.78×10^(12)Jones,and ultra-fast response speed with rise/decay time of 24/75 ns,representing the top level for Sb_(2)Se_(3)-based photodetectors.This intriguing work opens up an avenue for its selfpowered broadband photodetector applications.

Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice through Enhancing Root Nitrate Uptake Mediated by a Nitrate Transporter, NRT1.1B

Nitrogen （N） is one of most important nutrients for crop production, which makes up 1%-5% of total plant dry matter （Marschner, 2012）. Due to the limited availability of N in soil, application of N fertilizers has been an important agronomic practice to increase crop yield. However, over-application of N fertilizers has caused pollution of N in soil, water and air. It was estimated that the nitrogen use efficiency （NUE, the total biomass or grain yield produced per unit of applied fertilizer N） in cereal crops is as low as 33% （Raun and Johnson, 1999）. Therefore, improving NUE together with reducing application of N fertilizers is an important issue for environment and sustainable production of crops. This is especially important for rice, which is a staple food for half population in the world.

Electron transport layer driven to improve the open-circuit voltage of CH_3NH_3PbI_3 planar perovskite solar cells

Suitable electron transport layers are essential for high performance planar perovskite heterojunction solar cells. Here, we use ZnO electron transport layer sputtered under oxygen-rich atmosphere at room temperature to decrease the hydroxide and then suppress decomposition of perovskite films. The perovskite films with improved crystallinity and morphology are achieved. Besides, on the ZnO substrate fabricated at oxygen-rich atmosphere, open-circuit voltage of the CH_3NH_3PbI_3-based perovskite solar cells increased by 0.13 V.A high open-circuit voltage of 1.16 V provides a good prospect for the perovskite-based tandem solar cells. The ZnO sputtered at room temperature can be easily fabricated industrially on a large scale, therefore, compatible to flexible and tandem devices. Those properties make the sputtered ZnO films promising as electron transport materials for perovskite solar cells.

Numerical Simulation Using Boundary Element Method of the Mechanism to Enhance Heat Transport by Solitary Wave on Falling Thin Liquid Films

A boundary element method has been developed for analysing heat transport phenomena in solitary wave on falling thin liquid films at high Reynolds numbers. The divergence theorem is applied to the non-linear convective volume integral of the boundary element formulation with the pressure penalty function. Consequently, velocity and temperature gradients are eliminated, and the complete formulation is written in terms of velocity and temperature. This provides considerable reduction in storage and computational requirements while improving accuracy. The non-linear equation systems of boundary element discretization are solved by the quasi-Newton iterative scheme with Broyden's update. The streamline maps and the temperature distributions in solitary wave and wavy film flow have been obtained, and the variations of Nusselt numbers along the wall-liquid interface are also given. There are large cross-flow velocities and S-shape temperature distributions in the recirculating region of solitary wave. This special flow and thermal process can be a mechanism to enhance heat transport.

Mesostructured carbon-based nanocages: an advanced platform for energy chemistry

The electrochemistry in energy conversion and storage(ECS) not only relies on the active species in catalysts or energy-storage materials, but also involves mass/ion transport around the active species and electron transfer to the external circuit. To realize high-rate ECS process, new architectures for catalysts or energy-storage electrodes are required to ensure more efficient mass/charge transport. 3 D porous mesostructured materials constructed by nanoscale functional units can form a continuous conductive network for electron transfer and an interconnected multiscale pores for mass/ion transport while maintaining the high surface area, showing great promise in boosting the ECS process. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on the design,construction and applications of 3 D mesostructured carbon-based nanocages for ECS. The role of the hierarchical architectures to the high rate performance is discussed to highlight the merits of the mesostructured materials. The perspective on future opportunities and challenges is also outlined for deepening and extending the related studies and applications.