Recent progress of hybrid cathode interface layer for organic solar cells

Organic solar cells(OSCs)have gained conspicuous progress during the past few decades due to the development of materials and upgrading of the device structure.The power conversion efficiency(PCE)of the single-junction device had surpassed 19%.The cathode interface layer(CIL),by optimizing the connection between the active layer and the cathode electrode,has become a momentous part to strengthen the performances of the OSCs.Simultaneously,CIL is also indispensable to illustrating the working mechanism of OSCs and enhancing the stability of the OSCs.In this essay,hybrid CILs in OSCs have been summarized.Firstly,the advancement and operating mechanism of OSCs,and the effects and relevant design rules of CIL are briefly concluded;secondly,the significant influence of CIL on enhancing the stability and PCE of OSCs is presented;thirdly,the characteristics of organic hybrid CIL and organic-inorganic hybrid CIL are introduced.Finally,the conclusion and outlook of CIL are summarized.

In Situ Formed Tribofilms as Efficient Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Interlayers for Stabilizing Lithium Metal Anodes

The practical application of Li metal anodes(LMAs)is limited by uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions.Herein,we propose a new friction-induced strategy to produce high-performance thin Li anode(Li@CFO).By virtue of the in situ friction reaction between fluoropolymer grease and Li strips during rolling,a robust organic/inorganic hybrid interlayer(lithiophilic LiF/LiC_(6)framework hybridized-CF_(2)-O-CF_(2)-chains)was formed atop Li metal.The derived interface contributes to reversible Li plating/stripping behaviors by mitigating side reactions and decreasing the solvation degree at the interface.The Li@CFO||Li@CFO symmetrical cell exhibits a remarkable lifespan for 5,600 h(1.0 mA cm^(-2)and 1.0 mAh cm^(-2))and 1,350 cycles even at a harsh condition(18.0 mA cm^(-2)and 3.0 mAh cm^(-2)).When paired with high-loading LiFePO4 cathodes,the full cell lasts over 450 cycles at 1C with a high-capacity retention of 99.9%.This work provides a new friction-induced strategy for producing high-performance thin LMAs.

Effect of Bio-Based Organic‒Inorganic Hybrid Hydrogels on Fire Prevention of Spontaneous Combustion of Coals

To solve the fire accidents caused by coal combustion,this work prepared four hybrid hydrogel materials using bio-based polymers,flame retardants,and inorganic materials.Compared to pure water and 3.5 wt%MgCl_(2)solution,the as-prepared hydrogel presents good fire prevention performance.In addition,it is found that CO and CO_(2)are not produced by coal when the pyrolysis temperature is lower than 200℃.During low-temperature pyrolysis,CO is more likely to be produced than CO_(2),indicating inadequate pyrolysis behavior.At the same time,the addition of fire-preventing hydrogel can not only decrease the maximum CO_(2)concentration before the critical temperature but also prolong the corresponding time.In addition,based on the cone calorimeter test,the inhibition effects of pure water,magnesium chloride solution,and four hybrid hydrogels on heat release behavior are evaluated.It is demonstrated that different dosages of different hydrogels affected the fire prevention effect.Phosphorous-modified cellulose/silica and carrageenan/DMMP/vermiculite composite hydrogels have the weakest fire prevention effect at 20 g,which is weaker than that of water.However,the fire prevention effect of carrageenan/DMMP/vermiculite composite hydrogels exceeded that of water at 40 and 60 g.Additionally,the fire prevention effect of the sodium alginate/sepiolite/ammonium polyphosphate composite hydrogel is most significant in common tests,attributed to the intumescent flame retardant system.

An Explosive Organic/Inorganic Hybrid: Synthesis and Thermal Property of Octa(2,4-dinitrophenyl)silsesquioxane

Octaphenylsilsesquioxane(OPhS) was prepared by a modifying method and a new core-shell nanocomposite, octa(2,4-dinitrophenyl)silsesquioxane, [(R_2PhSiO_ 1.5)_8, R=—NO_2, ODNPhS], was synthesized by nitration of OPhS in a mixed acid solution of nitric and sulfuric acids at about 60 ℃. Their molecular structures were determined by DRIFTS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectra analysis. The thermal analysis shows that ODNPhS is an explosive that detonates at about 420 ℃.

Preparation and Conducting Behavior of Amphibious Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Proton Exchange Membranes Based on Benzyltetrazole

A series of novel amphibious organic/inorganic hybrid proton exchange membranes with H3PO4 doped which could be used under both wet and dry conditions was prepared through a sol-gel process based on acrylated triethoxysilane（A-TES） and benzyltetrazole-modified triethoxysilane（BT-TES）.The dual-curing approach including UV-curing and thermal curing was used to obtain the crosslinked membranes.Polyethylene glycol（400） diacrylate（PEGDA） was used as an oligomer to form the polymeric matrix.The molecular structures of precursors were characterized by 1 H,13 C and 29 Si NMR spectra.The thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） results show that the membranes exhibit acceptable thermal stability for their application at above 200 oC.The differential scanning calorimeter（DSC） determination indicates that the crosslinked membranes with the mass ratios of below 1.6 of BT-TES to A-TES and the same mass of H3PO4 doped as that of A-TES possess the-T g s,and the lowest T g（-28.9 ℃） exists for the membrane with double mass of H3PO4 doped as well.The high proton conductivity in a range of 9.4―17.3 mS/cm with the corresponding water uptake of 19.1%―32.8% of the membranes was detected at 90 oC under wet conditions.Meanwhile,the proton conductivity in a dry environment for the membrane with a mass ratio of 2.4 of BT-TES to A-TES and double H3PO4 loading increases from 4.89×10-2 mS/cm at 30 ℃ to 25.7 mS/cm at 140 ℃.The excellent proton transport ability under both hydrous and anhydrous conditions demonstrates a potential application in the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

A NOVEL SECOND-ORDER TRANSITION IN ORGANIC HYBRIDS CONSISTING OF POLYMERS AND SMALL MOLECULES

A novel transition appeared above thc glass transition temperature of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) for binaryblends of CPE and additives such as organic small molecules or oligomers. This transition was assigned to the dissociation ofintermolecular hydrogen bonds between the polymer ard additive within the edditive rich phase. Of particular interest is thata novel pyramid crystal was observed in the annealed CPE/hindered phenol blends. Another intriguing observation is thatthese polymer/small molecule blends organized by intermolecular hydrogen bonding have several potential properties, suchas shape-memorization, self-restoration, self-adhesiveness and super damping.

Organic-inorganic Hybrids Towards the Preparation of Nanoporous Composite Thin Films for Microelectronic Application

Silicon containing materials have traditionally been used in microelectronic fabrication. Semiconductor devices often have one or more arrays of patterned interconnect levels that serve to electrically couple the individual circuit elements forming an integrated circuit. These interconnect levels are typically separated by an insulating or dielectric film. Previously, a silicon oxide film was the most commonly used material for such dielectric films having dielectric constants( k ) near 4 0. However, as the feature size is continuously scaling down, the relatively high k of such silicon oxide films became inadequate to provide efficient electrical insulation. As such, there has been an increasing market demand for materials with even lower dielectric constant for Interlayer Dielectric(ILD) applications, yet retaining thermal and mechanical integrity. We wish to report here our investigations on the preparation of ultra low k ILD materials using a sacrificial approach whereby organic groups are burnt out to generate low k porous ORMOSIL films. We have been able to prepare a variety of organically modified silicone resins leading to highly microporous thin films, exhibiting ultra low k from 1 80 to 2 87, and good to high modulus, 1 5 to 5 5 GPa. Structure property influences on porosity, dielectric constant and modulus will be discussed.

Aromatic bromination with hydrogen production on organic‐inorganic hybrid perovskite‐based photocatalysts under visible light irradiation

Aromatic bromides are important chemicals in nature and chemical industries.However,their tra‐ditional synthesis routes suffer from low atomic economy and pollutant formation.Herein,we show that organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite methylammonium lead bromide(MAPbBr_(3))nanocrystals stabilized in aqueous HBr solution can achieve simultaneous aromatic bromination and hydrogen evolution using HBr as the bromine source under visible light irradiation.By hybridizing MAPbBr_(3) with Pt/Ta_(2)O_(5) and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate as electron‐and hole‐transporting motifs,aromatic bromides were achieved from aromatic compounds with high yield(up to 99%)and selectivity(up to 99%)with the addition of N,N‐dimethylformamide or its analogs.The mechanistic studies revealed that the bromination proceeds via an electrophilic attack pathway and that HOBr may be the key intermediate in the bromination reaction.

Iodoplumbate(Ⅱ)-based Hybrid Templated by 1,4-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane Derivative：Structure,Photocurrent Response Behavior and Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Organic Dye

A new iodoplumbate/organic hybrid,[（Et_2DABCO）_2（Pb_3I_（11））（H3 O）]n（1,Et_2DABCO = N,N？-diethyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2] octane） has been synthesized using solution method.According to X-ray diffraction structural analysis,the unique（Pb_3I_（11））_n^（5n-） chain in 1 is constructed from face-and edge-sharing PbI_6 octahedra,which is templated by（Et_2DABCO）^（2＋） dication possessing both rigidity and flexibility.C-H...I hydrogen bonds contribute to the structure extending from 1D chains to a 3D network.Its energy band gap of 2.64 eV indicates its broad-gap semiconductor nature.It exhibits both photocurrent response property and photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B.

Highly Efficient and Stable Hybrid White Organic Light Emitting Diodes with Controllable Exciton Behavior by a Mixed Bipolar Interlayer

Highly efficient and stable hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes （HWOLEDs） with a mixed bipolar interlayer between fluorescent blue and phosphorescent yellow emitting layers are demonstrated. The bipolar interlayer is a mixture of p-type diphenyl （l0-phenyl-lOH-spiro [acridine-9,9＇-fluoren]-3Lyl） phosphine oxide and n-type 2＇,2- （1,3,5-benzinetriyl）-tris（1-phenyl-l-H-benzimidazole）. The electroluminance and Commission Internationale de l＇Eclairage （CIE1931） coordinates＇ characteristics can be modulated easily by adjusting the ratio of the hole- predominated material to the electron-predominated material in the interlayer. The hybrid WOLED with a p-type：n-type ratio of 1：3 shows a maximum current efficiency and power efficiency of 61.1 ed/A and 55.8 lm/W, respectively, with warm white CIE coordinates of （0.34, 0.43）. The excellent efficiency and adaptive CIE coordi- nates are attributed to the mixed interlayer with improved charge carrier balance, optimized exciton distribution, and enhanced harvesting of singlet and triplet excitons.

High-Performance Hybrid White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Utilizing a Mixed Interlayer as the Universal Carrier Switch

A new interlayer is successfully used to be a universal carrier switch, developing high-performance hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes （WOLEDs）. By dint of this interlayer, the two-color hybrid WOLED shows a maximum total current efficiency （CE） and power efficiency （PE） of 48.1 cd/A and 37.6 Im/W, respectively, while the three-color hybrid WOLED shows a maximum total CE and PE of 33.8 cd/A and 25.7Im/W, respectively. The color rendering index of the three-color hybrid WOLEDs are ≥ 75, which is already a sufficient level for many commercial lighting applications. In addition, both the two-color and three-color hybrid WOLEDs show low efficiency roll-off and stable color. Furthermore, devices with the new interlayer show much higher performance than devices with the most commonly used 4,4-N,N-dicarbazolebiphenyl and N,N＇-di（naphthalene-l-yl）-N,N＇- diphenyl-benzidine interlayers.

Magnetocaloric effect in the layered organic–inorganic hybrid(CH_3NH_3)_2CuCl_4

We present a study of magnetocaloric effect of the quasi-two-dimensional（2D） ferromagnet（CH_3NH_3）_2CuCl_4 in ab plane（easy-plane）. From the measurements of magnetic field dependence of magnetization at various temperatures,we have discovered a large magnetic entropy change associated with the ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition. The heat capacity measurements reveal an abnormal adiabatic change below the Curie temperature T_c^8.9 K, which is caused by the nature of quasi-2D layered crystal structure. These results suggest that perovskite organic–inorganic hybrids with a layered structure are suitable candidates as working substances in magnetic refrigeration technology.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL SOL-GEL DOPED ORGANIC/INORGANIC HYBRID NONLINEAR OPTICAL MATERIALS

hydroxy-4-nitro azobenzene (NHA) and 4-amino-4-nitro azobenzene (DO3) were prepared respectively from p-nitrophenylamine as a precursor compound. Two kinds of doped organic/inorganic hybrid nonlinear optical (NLO) materials containing NHA and DO3 were synthesized by Sol-Gel process. The preparation and properties of two NLO materials were studied and characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, UV-VIS, SEM, DSC and SHG measurements. The results show that the maximum doping amounts of NHA and DO3 in two doped hybrid NLO materials are 7.2(wt)% and 11.3(wt)% respectively, and the corresponding second-order NLO coefficients (d33 values) are 2.91×10 8esu and 6.14×10 8esu. Two doped NLO materials have relatively good RT stability, after 90 days at RT the d33 values can maintain about 85% of their initial values, but after 10h at 100℃ can only maintain about 50% of their initial values. In this report, the reasons for high-temperature instability of doped materials were discussed, and the possible improvements were also suggested.

ENHANCEMENT OF DAMPING PERFORMANCE OF POLYMERS BY FUNCTIONAL SMALL MOLECULES

The addition effects of organic small molecular substances N,N'-dicyclohexyl-benzothiazyl-2-sulfenamide (DZ) and 3,9-bis{1,1-dimethyl-2[beta-(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)propionyloxy]ethyl}-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro[5,5]-undecane (AO-80) on the dynamic mechanical properties of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), chlorinated polypropylene (CPP), acrylate rubber (ACM) and their blends were investigated. In the case of compatible systems such as CPE/DZ and ACM/AO-80, the height of the loss tangent (tandelta) peak of a matrix polymer (CPE or ACM) increases, and its peak position shifts to a higher temperature with the addition of DZ or AO-80. By contrast, for incompatible CPE/AO-80, a novel transition appeared above the glass transition temperature of CPE. This additional transition was assigned to dissociation of the intermolecular hydrogen bond between the alpha-hydrogen of CPE and the hydroxyl groups of AO-80 within the AO-80-rich domain. This will provide a new concept for developing damping material. However, the minimum value between two tandelta peaks is lower. It was found that the temperature dependence of tandelta could be improved by adding chlorinated paraffin (CP) or ACM to CPE/AO-80. In addition, another ternary system of ACM/CPP with more AO-80 was found to be a very good self-adhesive damping material because of the appearance of a novel transition due to an interfacial layer of ACM/CPP.

Surface modification of polyolefin separators for lithium ion batteries to reduce thermal shrinkage without thickness increase

Surface chemical modification of polyolefin separators for lithium ion batteries is attempted to reduce the thermal shrinkage, which is im- portant for the battery energy density. In this study, we grafted organic/inorganic hybrid crosslinked networks on the separators, simply by grafting polymerization and condensation reaction. The considerable silicon-oxygen crosslinked heat-resistance networks are responsible for the reduced thermal shrinkage. The strong chemical bonds between networks and separators promise enough mechanical support even at high temperature. The shrinkage at 150 ℃ for 30 min in the mechanical direction was 38.6% and 4.6% for the pristine and present graft-modified separators, respectively. Meanwhile, the grafting organic-inorganic hybrid crosslink networks mainly occupied part of void in the internal pores of the separators, so the thicknesses of the graft-modified separators were similar with the pristine one. The half cells prepared with the modified separators exhibited almost identical electrochemical properties to those with the commercial separators, thus proving that, in order to enhance the thermal stability of lithium ion battery, this kind of grafting-modified separators may be a better alternative to conventional silica nanoparticle layers-coated polyolefin separators.

Recent progress on advanced transmission electron microscopy characterization for halide perovskite semiconductors

Halide perovskites are strategically important in the field of energy materials. Along with the rapid development of the materials and related devices, there is an urgent need to understand the structure–property relationship from nanoscale to atomic scale. Much effort has been made in the past few years to overcome the difficulty of imaging limited by electron dose,and to further extend the investigation towards operando conditions. This review is dedicated to recent studies of advanced transmission electron microscopy(TEM) characterizations for halide perovskites. The irradiation damage caused by the interaction of electron beams and perovskites under conventional imaging conditions are first summarized and discussed. Low-dose TEM is then discussed, including electron diffraction and emerging techniques for high-resolution TEM(HRTEM) imaging. Atomic-resolution imaging, defects identification and chemical mapping on halide perovskites are reviewed. Cryo-TEM for halide perovskites is discussed, since it can readily suppress irradiation damage and has been rapidly developed in the past few years. Finally, the applications of in-situ TEM in the degradation study of perovskites under environmental conditions such as heating,biasing, light illumination and humidity are reviewed. More applications of emerging TEM characterizations are foreseen in the coming future, unveiling the structural origin of halide perovskite’s unique properties and degradation mechanism under operando conditions, so to assist the design of a more efficient and robust energy material.

Damping Properties of Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Rubber/Polylactic Acid Blends

In this research, ethylene-vinyl acetate rubber (EVM)/polylactic acid (PLA) = 80/20 by weight blend was compounded with silica in a Haake torque rheometer. The effects of hindered phenol (AO-60), super branched polyol, petroleum resin C9, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and acrylic rubber (ACM) on the damping properties of blends were investigated by dynamic mechanic analyzer (DMA). The results showed that 20 phr super branched polyol significantly increased the damping factor of PLA to widen the effective damping temperature range from 42.1℃to 102.5℃. 15 phr AO-60 and 10 phr petroleum resin C9 both dramatically raised the blend’s damping factor to broaden the effective damping temperature range to 98.0℃ and 102.6℃, respectively. ACM and PVC are compatible with EVM, and both improved the damping properties of EVM/PLA blends.

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a New One-dimensional Infinite Chain of Silver(I) Complex with Triphenylphosphine

The reaction of triphenylphosphine with AgNO3 yielded an unusual nitrate anion bridging one-dimensional infinite chain [Ag(PPh3)NO3] in which the silver(I) atom is three-coordinated by one P atom of triphenylphosphine and two O atoms of two bridging nitrate anions to form a scalene triangle. The complex [Ag(PPh3)NO3] crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 10.281(2), b = 18.596(5), c = 9.180(2) , = 90.60(1), V = 1755.1(7) 3, Z = 4, Mr = 432.15, Dc = 1.635 g/cm3, F(000) = 864 and = 1.254 mm-1. The final R = 0.0606 and wR = 0.1400 for 2188 observed reflections with I > 2(I) out of 3057 unique ones (Rint = 0.0539). IR and elemental analysis of the complex are characterized.

Photorefractivity in a Bi-functional Polymer Nanocomposites Sensitized by CdS Nanoparticle

We report an organic/inorganic hybridized nanocomposite consisting of a bi-functional poly（N-vinyl）-3-[p-nitrophenylazo]carbazolyl serves as a polymeric charge-transporting and second-order nonliner optical matrix, and CdS nanoparticles as photosensitizers to manifest photorefractive （PR） effect. The unpoled PVNPAK film exhibits a second harmonic generation （SHG） coefficient of 4.7 pm/V due to the possibility of self-alignment of the azo chromophore. Significant enhancement of photoconductivity is noticed with the increase of CdS nanoparticles concentration. The photorefractive property of the polymer nanocomposites were determined by two-beam coupling （TBC） experiment. The TBC gain and diffraction efficiency of 11.89 cm-1 and 3.2% were obtained for PVNPAK/CdS at zero electrical field.

Ash Depression in Fine Coal Flotation Using a Novel Polymer Aid

The current study investigated the effects of novel hybrid polyacrylamide polymers as ash (slime) depressants in fine coal flotation to enhance combustible recovery and ash rejection. Coal samples at P80 of approximately 45 um with ~25% ash content were floated in the presence of in-house synthesized hybrid aluminum hydroxide polyacrylamide polymers (Al(OH)3-PAM, or Al-PAM). All flotation experiments were carried out in a 5-L Denver flotation cell. Various influencing factors were examined to optimize the flotation process in the presence of the Al-PAM polymers, including the Al-PAM dosage, Al-PAM conditioning time, impeller rotation speed and pulp pH. Comparative and synergistic studies were also performed using organic polyacrylamide polymers (PAMs), commercial dispersants and Al-PAM/dispersant system. Results showed a significant improvement in both combustible recovery and ash rejection at an Al-PAM dosage of 0.25 mg/L. The maximum combustible recovery obtained, at natural pH, with Al-PAM and Al-PAM/dispersant system was determined to be 70% and 66% at ash content of 7.74% and 7.4%, respectively. Zeta potential values of both the raw coal and concentrate products showed a large shift toward more positive values (from ˉ50 mV to ˉ13 mV), indicating a significant decrease in ash-forming minerals (slimes) when Al-PAM polymers were applied.