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Morphology optimization of donor–acceptor bulk heterojunctions at microscopic scale is critical for improving performance of organic photovoltaic devices. Here, effects of thermal annealing on phase separation processes in small-molecular bulk heterojunctions with different geometrical structures (i.e., PTCDA, TiOPc, CuPc and C 60 ) are investigated with ultraviolet and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies. It was identified that post-annealing treatment caused the different degrees of vertical diffusions at the bulk heterojunctions, leading to non-uniform composition distributions. Variations in phase separations are mainly due to the differences in surface energy of the involved materials, which play a crucial role in the intermolecular interactions and the molecular diffusion. Low-surface-energy materials were found to segregate preferentially on the surface for minimizing total energy of the systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While metal halide hybrid perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) are remarkably efficient, the rapid and undesirable degradation limit their practical applications for renewable energy sources. Herein, the evolution of perovskite decomposition under white light illumination has been investigated under the ultrahigh vacuum conditions, which can effectively rule out the influence of other factors such as oxygen or moisture. The chemical composition, electronic structure, surface morphology, and crystal structure of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite films have been systematically characterized by X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS), scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The surface roughening with cracks and defects occurs in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite films after a short-time white-light illumination in ultrahigh vacuum. In situ compositional analysis reveals the decomposition of the perovskite films with the appearance of metallic Pb feature, which is accompanied with the energy level shift towards higher binding energy during the illumination process. However, the decomposition rate is decreased and becomes saturated after exposed to light illumination for 24 h. These findings provide a direct evidence that CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite is photosensitive, and a light-induced degradation mechanism is proposed. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The perovskite decomposition under white light illumination is explored under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. • In-situ compositional analysis reveals the perovskite decomposition with the appearance of metallic Pb. • A light-induced degradation mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report on the role of cesium fluoride (CsF) doping on the enhanced electron transport properties of tris-(8-hydroxyquinolin) aluminum (Alq3) for organic light-emitting diodes. The electronic structures of CsF-doped Alq3 layers with various doping concentration are characterized by in situ ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, showing an n-type electrical doping effect with Fermi level shift towards unoccupied molecular orbital and the formation of chemistry-induced gap-states. The increase in conductivity and reduction in electron injection barrier in CsF-doped Alq3 layer with optimal doping concentration lead to the enhanced electron injection and transport, which are consistent with the improved electrical characteristics of OLEDs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]