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Tandem photovoltaics consisting of a wide-bandgap top cell and a narrow-bandgap bottom cell have shown great potential to exceed current single-junction photovoltaics. To maximize the dual junction benefit, significant research is needed in selecting and optimizing the structure of both solar devices. This work reports the optimization of tandem solar cells with a CIGS solar cell as the bottom cell and a 2D–3D perovskite solar cell (PSC) as the top cell via numerical simulations using SCAPS-1D. The performances of the PSCs were optimized by varying the bandgaps of the 2D–3D perovskite and the thickness of the perovskite layer. The bottom p-CIGS/n-GaSe heterojunction solar cell was also optimized in terms of the thicknesses of the p-type/n-type layer and defect densities. The top PSC and bottom CIGS solar cells individually displayed maximum power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of ∼21.41% and ∼12.98%, respectively. This simulation study was carried out for tandem solar cells by matching the optical behavior of the bottom cells with the calculated spectra of 2D–3D PSCs. Proper matching with CIGS cells in the tandem device was performed by varying the thickness of the perovskite layer with respect to different bandgaps. With the optimized 2D–3D perovskite/CIGS tandem device, over ∼30% PCE was recorded. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a 2D–3D perovskite solar cell/GIGS–GaSe heterojunction solar cell based tandem device has been optimized via numerical simulation. Based on our findings, a low-cost GIGS–GaSe heterojunction solar cell can be optimized as the bottom cell to fabricate efficient 2D–3D perovskite tandem solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic defects at grain boundaries and surfaces of perovskite crystals impair the photovoltaic performance and stability of solar devices. In this work, we report the compensation of photovoltage losses in blade-coated methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) devices via passivation with natural amino acid (NAA) molecules. We found that the optoelectronic properties of NAA-passivated perovskite films and the corresponding device performances are closely correlated with the molecular interaction strength. A side-by-side comparative study of four typical NAAs reveals that arginine (Arg) functionalized with a guanidine end group exhibits optimum passivation effects owing to the strongest coordinative bonding with the uncoordinated Pb2+, which markedly suppresses the detrimental antisite PbI deep level defects. As a result, nonradiative charge recombination is significantly reduced, resulting in a substantially increased open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.17 V and a high efficiency of 20.49%. A solar module with an active area of 10.08 cm2 is also fabricated, yielding an efficiency of 15.65% with negligible VOC losses. In parallel, the Arg-passivated solar devices exhibit enhanced operational stability due to the formation of a hydrophilic Arg protective layer which encapsulates the perovskite crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a naive synthesis procedure for the development of a durable, particle-free, low-temperature sintered silver organic precursor (SOP) ink using low boiling point mild organic complexing ligands. The synthesized inks were printed on variable substrates such as glass, PET and PI using spin-coating and nozzle-jet printing methods. The as-printed films were sintered at low temperatures (＜90 °C) to give smooth silver films with excellent adhesion and high conductivity. The SOP spin-coated film on glass annealed at 60 °C and the nozzle-jet printed film on PET sintered at 75 °C yielded high conductivities of 1.07 × 106 S m−1 and 2.74 × 106 S m−1, respectively, which are only one-order-of-magnitude lower than bulk silver (∼107 S m−1). The silver films connected with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) also showed excellent adhesion strength through the bending and twisting test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperuricemia, a disorder of uric acid metabolism, serves as a significant risk factor for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and various metabolic syndromes. The main contributors to hyperuricemia include overproduction of uric acid in the liver or impaired excretion in the kidneys. Despite traditional clinical drugs being employed for its treatment, significant health concerns persist. Recently, there has been growing interest in utilizing protein peptides sourced from diverse food origins to mitigate hyperuricemia. This article provides a comprehensive review of bioactive peptides with anti-hyperuricemia properties derived from animals, plants, and their products. We specifically outline the methods for preparing these peptides from food proteins and elucidate their efficacy and mechanisms in combating hyperuricemia, supported by in vitro and in vivo evidence. Uric acid-lowering peptides offer promising prospects due to their safer profile, enhanced efficacy, and improved bioavailability. Therefore, this review underscores significant advancements and contributions in identifying peptides capable of metabolizing purine and/or uric acid, thereby alleviating hyperuricemia. Moreover, it offers a theoretical foundation for the development of functional foods incorporating uric acid-lowering peptides.

A novel dual-emission ratiometric fluorescent probe based on N-doped yellow fluorescent carbon dots (y-CDs) and blue fluorescent copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) was established for quantitative determination of Cu 2+ and biothiols. In this work, the Cu 2+ -(y-CDs) complexes formed by the chelation of y-CDs with Cu 2+ , showed an absorption peak at 430 nm that not only enhanced the fluorescence of y-CDs through inhibiting photoinduced electron transfer (PET) but also effectively quenched the fluorescence of CuNCs due to Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). In addition, the chelation of y-CDs with Cu 2+ could be inhibited by biothiols that prevented the fluorescence of y-CDs from being enhanced and the fluorescence of CuNCs from being quenched. On account of the changes of ratiometric signal, a dual-emission fluorescence probe for Cu 2+ and biothiols determination was achieved. The proposed method exhibited high sensitivity for Cu 2+ and biothiols in the ranges of 0.5-100 μM and 0.8-50 μM and the limits of detection (LODs) of Cu 2+ , glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy) were 0.21 μM, 0.33 μM, 0.39 μM and 0.46 μM, respectively. Subsequently, the established strategy presented an application prospect for the detection of Cu 2+ and biothiols in real samples., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Ambient air atmosphere is inimical to organic-inorganic halide perovskites and organic hole transport materials, and is, thus, necessarily avoided during device fabrication. To solve this issue, it is highly desirable to design stable perovskite-based composites and device configurations. Here, fully ambient-air and antisolvent-free-processed, stable and all-inorganic metal-oxide selective contact hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cells (HCF-PSCs) based on perovskite-based composites with an interfacial engineering strategy are reported. The formation of perovskite-based composites by interfacial engineering with carbon-graphite-Cu δ Ni 1- δ O not only improved interfacial contacts, charge extraction and transport but also passivated trap states of perovskite thin films and charge recombination at the interfaces. Thus, such perovskite composites with interfacial engineering-based HCF-PSCs without encapsulation showed excellent stability by sustaining 94% of initial PCE over 300 days under ambient conditions., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)