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In recent years, all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted tremendous attention due to their superb stability under thermal and moisture induction. Great efforts have been made to fabricate CsPbBr3 PSCs with enhanced efficiency and stability. To date, the power conversion efficiency of CsPbBr3 PSCs has steadily increased from the initial 5.95% to the current 11.08%, demonstrating attractive potential in the photovoltaic field. In this article, we briefly review the development and current status of CsPbBr3 PSCs, summarize the solution preparation methods of CsPbBr3 films, and analyze emphatically the optimization strategies of CsPbBr3 PSCs. Finally, we discuss the potential applications and prospects of CsPbBr3 PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-powered interfacial water evaporation is thought as a promising strategy for clean water production to tackle global water pollution and scarcity. Nevertheless, the water evaporation rate under all-weather conditions still needs to be improved. Herein, we report an effective approach to develop an integrated photo-electro-thermal steam generation system consisting of aramid-based aerogels that illustrate high evaporation rate under 1 sun (1 kW m−2) illumination and can also carry out water evaporation effectively in low-light or dark environments. The porous aerogel evaporators with high conductivity are composed of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with in situ synthesized polypyrrole (PPy). Based on the photo-thermal effect and electro-thermal effect simultaneously, the evaporators ensure efficient all-weather water production. The evaporation rate of the photo-electro-thermal system reaches 4.71 kg m−2 h−1 with 1 sun radiation and an input voltage of 5 V, while the rate is 2.81 kg m−2 h−1 under only 1 sun illumination. Meanwhile, the system also shows promising potential in salt tolerance and dye wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of previous studies demonstrate that excess PbI2 in perovskite films is essential for solar cells to achieve high efficiency due to defect passivation, but few studies consider its negative impact on the devices' long-term stability. Herein, we introduced CaI2 instead of PbI2 with much less additive content into the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) film and obtained a dense, uniform and surface-smooth morphology with much enlarged crystal grains. It has been demonstrated that addition of only 0.5% CaI2 additive to MAPbI3 is enough to enlarge the average grain size from 260 nm to 550 nm; accordingly, the defect density is decreased from 5.76 × 1016 cm−3 to 3.35 × 1016 cm−3 and the photoluminescence (PL) lifetime is increased from 65 ns to 133 ns; as the reference, addition of 5% PbI2 additive to MAPbI3 results in an average grain size of 410 nm, a defect density of 4.06 × 1016 cm−3 and a PL lifetime of 98 ns. In all of these key parameters, CaI2 as a new passivator of the MAPbI3 film, is found to be more effective than conventional PbI2. As a consequence, the champion cell based on MAPbI3(CaI2)0.005 achieved a high efficiency of up to 19.3%, superior to those based on pristine MAPbI3 (16.1%) and MAPbI3(PbI2)0.05 (18.0%). In addition, 10 times less additive of CaI2 than PbI2 made the perovskite film much less deviated from the ideal stoichiometry of MAPbI3, which is found to be essential for the device to achieve long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, polymer-fiber composite films face the challenge of striking a balance between good mechanical properties and multi-functionalities. Here, aramid fibers (ANFs), chitosan (CS) dendritic particles, and silver nanowires (AgNWs) were used to create high-performance multifunctional composite films. AgNWs and polymer dendritic particles form an interpenetrating segregated network that ensures both a continuous conductive filler and a polymer network. Electrostatic assembly eliminates repulsion between negatively charged ANFs, cross-linked CS particles generate a stable three-dimensional network, and a "brick-mortar" structure composed of multiple materials contributes to topological enhancement. Sintering encourages local overlap and fusing of the AgNWs while reducing their internal flaws. Based on the above strategy, these films achieve a strength of 306.5 MPa, a toughness of 26.5 MJ m -3 , and a conductivity of 392 S cm -1 . Density functional theory (DFT) and Comsol simulations demonstrate that the introduction of CS thin layers leads to strong hydrogen bonds and three-dimensional continuous conductive networks. With its outstanding mechanical and electrical properties, the AgNW@ANF/CS-CH film demonstrates excellent electromagnetic shielding (22 879.1 dB cm 2 g -1 ) and Joule heating (70 °C within 10 s) capabilities. This work presents a novel approach to fabricate high-performance conductive films and expand their potential applications in lightweight wearable electronics and electrothermal therapy.

In this study, the CuS/BiVO 4 - X (where X represents the mass percentage of CuS associated with CuS/BiVO 4 ; X = 2%, 5% and 7%) p-n heterostructures were fabricated using a two-step hydrothermal method. The structural and morphological features were ascertained in great detail using several physical characterization processes. According to the results of the photoelectrochemical (PEC) experimental processes, the PEC properties of CuS/BiVO 4 -5% were much more obvious as compared to those of pure BiVO 4 , CuS and CuS/BiVO 4 - X . Moreover, the photoluminescence (PL) and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra (DRS) affirmed that the CuS/BiVO 4 -5% demonstrates an excellent capacity for absorbing visible light and low electron recombination rate as compared with the other composites. Accordingly, PEC sensors with CuS/BiVO 4 -5% were fabricated for the detection of dopamine (DA) and bisphenol A (BPA) with outstanding selectivity and stability. For DA, it implied a broad linear range from 0.01-10 μM and 10-120 μM, and for BPA, the broad linear range was 0.01-90 μM. Thus, the PEC sensor has significant potential application when it comes to DA and BPA detection., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)