Interface engineering has become a critical process to fabricate efficient and stable planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PSCs), as the degradation of perovskite, hysteresis, photo and thermal instability can all be triggered by the defective interface of PSCs. Herein, two fullerene derivatives, NMPPF and NMTTF, have been designed as interlayers between MAPbI3 and TiO2 electron transport

This work determined isothermal work function changes as a function of oxygen activity, p(O2), for the Fe-O2 system within the stability range of the FeO phase at elevated temperatures (948 K – 1223 K). The slope of the work function changes vs. log p(O2), which represents a defect-related quantity for the surface layer, mΦ, is compared with similar defect-related factor for bulk phase of FeO. The

Cross-linking technology has been considered as one of the effective strategies for improving the physicochemical stability of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for fuel cell applications. However, the complicated procedure, which consists of various reagents and multiple steps to form the proton conducting cross-linked membranes, has been known to be disadvantageous to increasing the application of

A sulfur-enriched solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is known to enhance the cycling stability of a Li metal electrode, however, using the conventional additive approach, the positive effect is hard to maintain during prolonged cycling. Here, we present a method of forming a sulfur-enriched SEI in sustainable manner during battery cycling. A polymer electrolyte layer containing a sulfur chain is inserted

High-fidelity and facile ex-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries is still limited by challenges in preserving the native environment of Li-O2 discharge products. The extreme reactivity and moisture sensitivity of discharge products meant that they are quickly altered during sample retrieval from cycled batteries and transfer for TEM analysis

The high-quality SnSe2 single crystal was successfully synthesized using the temperature gradient method. N-type characteristic and strong anisotropic transport properties of SnSe2 single crystal were exhibited between ab-plane and c-axis. At the 673 K, the power factor (PF) values along ab-plane is 3.43 μW cm-1 K-2 while it along c-axis is 0.92 μW cm-1 K-2. The ratio between thermal conductivities

K-based dual-ion batteries (K-DIBs) show the advantages of cost-effective, high-voltage, and environmentally friendly, however, its energy density is restricted by limited intercalation capacity of anions at graphite cathode and low electrolyte concentration. Herein, we developed a highly concentrated electrolyte system by dissolving 6.6 m potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) into nonflammable

In this study, we used a bifunctional organic disulfide (T2) in perovskite films to improve the performance and stability of planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The results indicate two major functions of T2 in PSCs: improving the perovskite crystal quality due to the interaction between T2 and perovskite, and eliminating Pb0 and I0 defects by redox reaction, allowing for the regeneration of T2 in

Lithium vanadium fluorophosphate, LiVPO4F, is a promising cathode material for Li-ion batteries due to its high intercalation potential (4.24 V vs Li/Li+) and high stability. However, recent studies show that as-synthesized LiVPO4F very often contains oxygen-defects on the fluoride site giving rise to a general composition of LiVPO4F1-yOy with vanadium in a mixed +III/+IV valence state. The inclusion

Producing syngas from electrochemical reduction of CO2 by renewable energy offers an opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions and provide chemicals and fuels. Herein, we report the careful manipulation of the reduction treatment to synthesize copper nanowire arrays (Cu NAs). By thermal oxidation, copper oxide nanowires were grown on a Cu mesh. Then, thermal reduction and electrochemical reduction were used

The exsolution of Ni-Co-Fe from a Sr0.93(Ti0.3Fe0.56Ni0.07Co0.07)O3−δperovskite (STFNC) is explored as a strategy to produce electrochemically active electrodes for Symmetric-SOFC (S-SOFC). It was found that a nanostructured NiCoFe ternary alloy phase, with approximately equal amounts of each metal, can be formed by this method. The STFNC electrode is studied via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Group(IV) of the periodic table is a promising column with respect to high capacity anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Unlike carbon that relies on interlayer defects, pores, and intercalation to store sodium, its heavier cousins, silicon, germanium, and tin, form binary alloys with sodium. Alloying does lead to the formation of high capacity compounds but they are, however, susceptible

The application of two-dimensional molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) atomic layers to the lift-off process is proposed for the fabrication of lightweight and flexible bifacial copper indium gallium selenide (Cu(In,Ga)Se2; CIGS) solar cells. The results show that CIGS solar cells are successfully peeled from a Mo back contact when the c-axis of the MoSe2, formed at the Mo/CIGS interface, is vertically oriented

NaBH4 is a promising material for hydrogen storage due to its high hydrogen density (10.8 mass%). However, the sluggish hydrogen kinetics and poor thermodynamics of the dehydrogenation process have hindered its practical applications. Core-shell structures that consists of isolated borohydride nanoparticle cores and metallic shells have been proposed as an alternative method to improve the hydrogen

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) to ammonia (NH3) is a promising alternative route for NH3 synthesis at ambient conditions to the conventional high temperature and pressure Haber-Bosch process without the need for hydrogen gas. Single metal ions or atoms are attractive candidates for the catalytic activation of non-reactive nitrogen (N2) and for future targeted improvement of NRR

Transparent thermoelectric materials offer synergetic performance for energy harvesting as smart windows. Among them, p-type copper iodide (CuI) is a preferred due to its low synthesis temperature, moderate conductivity and mobility, and high optical transparency. X-ray absorption spectroscopy results showed pre-edge feature in Cu 2p3/2 spectrum which suggested presence of Cu0 like defect states in

Overall water splitting based on electrocatalysis is an easily constructed and cost-effective technology for achieving clean and renewable hydrogen energy on a large scale. Herein, we demonstrate the investigation of multiscale integrated mushroom-shaped cobalt [email protected] phosphide (denoted CPNCP) as a catalyst for the hydrogen (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline conditions

The electrochemical CO2 reduction to useful chemical feedstocks is a promising technology for carbon recycling and renewable storage. To improve CO2 reduction performance, catalysts with high activity and selectivity must be developed. Hence, in this study, Au layers of different thicknesses were sputtered on polycrystalline Ag catalysts for the reduction of CO2 to CO. Of these, a 2 nm Au layer sputtered

Oxide catalysts have been developed in polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathodes to replace platinum-group-metal catalysts while retaining moderate oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Recently, carbon support-free titanium oxide (TiO2) catalysts formed on the outer surface of titanium nitride (TiN) have been shown to significantly increase ORR activity. In this study, ORR activity was further enhanced

The reduction of functional platform chemicals, such as furfural, to industrially important chemicals and fuel, requires precise modulation of surface reactivity of the catalyst to obtain the desired reactivity and selectivity. In this study, the selective reduction of furfural (FAL) to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and tetrahydrofufuryl alcohol (THFA) is achieved by the transition metal interplay in the

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion battery (ZIB) and Zn-air battery (ZAB) are emerging as the possible alternative to the Li-based batteries due to high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. The development of high-performance Zn-based energy storage devices requires highly durable efficient and earth-abundant cathode catalyst. We demonstrate the synthesis of 3D hybrid heterostructure based on

“Burn-in” degradation occurs in many polymer solar cells, which dramatically reduces the overall power output of the cells at the early hundred hours. Understanding “burn-in” degradation mechanism is therefore highly important to improve the lifetime of the cell. In this manuscript, the decay behaviors of P3HT:PC61BM solar cells depending on the molecular weight of P3HT were systematically investigated

Cs2AgBiBr6 having a double perovskite structure is expected to be used in non-lead and stable optoelectronic devices, and has received wide attention recently. At this stage, structure of optoelectronic devices using double perovskite and hybrid perovskite are the same. And, the energy band structures of the double perovskite and the hybrid perovskite are different, which will cause the energy level

Poly(3,4–ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been widely used as a hole conducting polymer in many optoelectronic devices including perovskite solar cells. However, its electrical and surface properties are not well controlled during the conventional ambient annealing. Herein, we apply the solvent post-treatments, including toluene vapor annealing and ethylene glycol (EG)

Hard carbons, due to their relatively low cost and good electrochemical performance, are considered the most promising anode materials for Na-ion batteries. Despite the many reported structures of hard carbon, the practical use of hard carbon anodes is largely limited by low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and the sodium storage mechanism still remains elusive. A better understanding of the sodium

This work demonstrates a green method for the encapsulation of a natural phase change material (PCM) – lauric acid (LA) in polystyrene (PS) hollow fibers through a solvent-assisted diffusion process inside fiber nanochannels. The obtained LAPS composite fibers had a melting enthalpy up to 147.8 J/g which was 82.0% the heat storage capacity of pristine LA (180.2 J/g). This capacity was higher than the

Oxygen defects are closely related to the battery performance of oxide-based cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries, and especially, positive influences have been reported in Li-rich cathode materials. However, the function of oxygen defects and its influence on electrochemical properties are poorly understood so far. Here, impacts of oxygen vacancy on electrochemical properties of a Li-rich

We have successfully constructed a Z-scheme system in a simple suspension system employing only metal oxide photocatalyst materials for the CO2 reduction using water as an electron donor under visible light irradiation. The Z-scheme photocatalyst using SrTiO3:Rh as a reducing photocatalyst and BiVO4 as an O2-evolving photocatalyst working via interparticle electron transfer without electron mediators

Solar-driven splitting of alcohol utilizing photocatalysts is a promising route to obtain H2 and fine chemicals. Ni nanoparticle has shown great potential for light-driven splitting of alcohol, and its size, exposed facets and electronic properties play key roles in the performance of photocatalyst. Therefore, purposefully modifying Ni is of great importance. In this report, Ni-Ag nanostructures were

We propose a novel aqueous solid-state polymer electrolyte (ASSPE) using strongly hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) matrix containing mobile lithium counterions. The conductivity of these new PAA–Li+–water electrolyte increases dramatically (to 10−2 S/cm at 298 K) with the addition of water. This value is almost 100 times higher than those of non-aqueous electrolytes and solid state electrolytes