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Organic solar cells that are transparent to visible light are highly desirable for applications such as window treatments or solar greenhouse panels. A key challenge is to simultaneously transmit most photons between 400 and 700 nm while retaining a high short‐circuit current and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells consisting of a donor polymer (PM2) is reported and the non‐fullerene acceptor ITIC‐Th achieves a PCE of 9.3%, and the BHJ thin films exhibit an average visible transmittance over 40%. This value is achieved primarily due to a very high open‐circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.93 V, which represents a voltage loss of only 0.50 V relative to the material optical bandgap, Eopt. In PM2:PC61BM devices, this voltage loss increases to 0.62 V (VOC = 0.82 V). It is found that this difference in VOC is due to higher nonradiative recombination in the fullerene‐based solar cell, suggesting that non‐fullerene acceptors may lead to better performance in semi‐transparent devices. The optoelectronic properties associated with PM2:ITIC‐Th and PM2:PC61BM blends are further corroborated by different morphological features and local structures at the donor‐acceptor interfaces characterized by atomic force microscopy, X‐ray scattering, and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though significant breakthroughs with over 18% power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in polymer:non‐fullerene acceptor (NFA) bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs) have been achieved, not many studies have focused on acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing these systems. This is because it can be challenging to delineate device photophysics in polymer:NFA blends comprehensively, and even more complicated to trace the origins of the differences in device photophysics to the subtle differences in energetics and morphology. Here, a systematic study of a series of polymer:NFA blends is conducted to unify and correlate the cumulative effects of i) voltage losses, ii) charge generation efficiencies, iii) non‐geminate recombination and extraction dynamics, and iv) nuanced morphological differences with device performances. Most importantly, a deconvolution of the major loss processes in polymer:NFA blends and their connections to the complex BHJ morphology and energetics are established. An extension to advanced morphological techniques, such as solid‐state NMR (for atomic level insights on the local ordering and donor:acceptor ππ interactions) and resonant soft X‐ray scattering (for donor and acceptor interfacial area and domain spacings), provide detailed insights on how efficient charge generation, transport, and extraction processes can outweigh increased voltage losses to yield high PCEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic polymer binders (IPBs) are synthesized by the activation of aluminosilicate precursors with an alkaline solution such as sodium hydroxide. This paper studies the relationship between the composition, structure, and solubility of sodium aluminosilicate hydrates (N–A–S–(H)), the primary binding phase in IPBs. It was found that changing the aqueous Si/Al ratio had little effect on N–A–S–(H) Si/Al ratio, but small changes in the aqueous Si/Na ratio led to substantial changes in N–A–S–(H) Si/Al ratio. Early N–A–S–(H) products were found to be X‐ray amorphous, but a rapid transition to the crystalline phase faujasite occurred after several weeks of aging. The transition of the solid amorphous phase to faujasite was accompanied by a rapid drop in aqueous Si(IV) and Al(III) concentrations. Solubility products were determined, temporally, for the N–A–S–(H) before and after the transition to faujasite and represent new contributions to the literature, particularly for the amorphous state. The results presented here provide fundamental insights that are needed for the development of kinetic and thermodynamic models that can establish phase balances and evolutions of IPBs across a range of precursor compositions and synthesis conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption and reaction properties of heterogeneous zeolite catalysts (e.g. for catalytic cracking of petroleum, partial oxidation of natural gas) depend strongly on the types and distributions of Al heteroatoms in the aluminosilicate frameworks. The origins of these properties have been challenging to discern, owing in part to the structural complexity of aluminosilicate zeolites. Herein, combined solid‐state NMR and synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction analyses show the Al atoms locate preferentially in certain framework sites in the zeolite catalyst Al‐SSZ‐70. Through‐covalent‐bond 2D 27Al{29Si} J‐correlation NMR spectra allow distinct framework Al sites to be identified and their relative occupancies quantified. The analyses show that 94 % of the Al atoms are located at the surfaces of the large‐pore interlayer channels of Al‐SSZ‐70, while only 6 % are in the sub‐nm intralayer channels. The selective siting of Al atoms accounts for the reaction properties of catalysts derived from SSZ‐70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in dye‐doped mesostructured silica films, deposited directly over fused silica substrates, is demonstrated with low thresholds. Due to functionalization of the silica network with phenyl groups, the refractive index of the active layer is sufficiently increased to impart waveguiding properties that lead to highly efficient ASE. Such functionalization eliminates the need for a separate low‐refractive‐index layer between the active film and the substrate, as is often used to achieve waveguiding properties with silica mesostructured materials, though which is typically accompanied by significant optical losses that reduce overall ASE performance. By forming a high‐quality waveguide without the need for a separate low‐refractive‐index layer, significantly improved properties are obtained, with ASE thresholds as low as 8 kW cm−2. Solid‐state 2D NMR spectroscopy measurements establish the compositions and structures of the active mesostructured film at a molecular level, in particular that phenyl functionalization of the mesochannel surfaces promotes the homogeneous dispersion of the laser dye species over nanoscale dimensions in the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous zeolites are a new and technologically important class of materials that exhibit improved diffusion and catalytic reaction properties compared to conventional zeolites with sub-nanometer pore dimensions. During their syntheses, the transient developments of crystalline and mesoscopic order are closely coupled and challenging to control. Correlated solid-state NMR, X-ray, and electron microscopy analyses yield new molecular-level insights on the interactions and distributions of complicated organic structure-directing agents with respect to crystallizing zeolite frameworks. The analyses reveal the formation of an intermediate layered silicate phase, which subsequently transforms into zeolite nanosheets with uniform nano- and mesoscale porosities. Such materials result from coupled surfactant self-assembly and inorganic crystallization processes, the interplay between which governs the onset and development of framework structural order on different length and time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the density of states (DOS) width accurately is critical in understanding the charge‐transport properties of organic semiconducting materials as broader DOS distributions lead to an inferior transport. From a morphological standpoint, the relative densities of ordered and disordered regions are known to affect charge‐transport properties in films; however, a comparison between molecular structures showing quantifiable ordered and disordered regions at an atomic level and its impact on DOS widths and charge‐transport properties has yet to be made. In this work, for the first time, the DOS distribution widths of two model conjugated polymer systems are characterized using three different techniques. A quantitative correlation between energetic disorder from band‐bending measurements and charge transport is established, providing direct experimental evidence that charge‐carrier mobility in disordered materials is compromised due to the relaxation of carriers into the tail states of the DOS. Distinction and quantification of ordered and disordered regions of thin films at an atomic level is achieved using solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. An ability to compare solid‐state film morphologies of organic semiconducting polymers to energetic disorder, and in turn charge transport, can provide useful guidelines for applications of organic conjugated polymers in pertinent devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ce-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ce:YAG), CexY3-xAl5O12 with x = 0-0.09, is prepared by solid state synthesis using stoichiometric amounts of Y2O3, Al2O3, and CeO2 plus an optimum of 5 wt% each of BaF2 and NH4F as sintering aids (alumina crucible, 1500 °C, 5 h, 5% H2/N2 atmosphere). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]