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Antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) has sparked significant interest in high-efficiency photovoltaic applications due to its advantageous material and optoelectronic properties. In recent years, there has been considerable development in this area. Nonetheless, defects and suboptimal [hk0] crystal orientation expressively limit further device efficiency enhancement. This study used Zinc (Zn) to adjust the interfacial energy band and strengthen carrier transport. For the first time, it is discovered that the diffusion of Zn in the cadmium sulfide (CdS) buffer layer can affect the crystalline orientation of the Sb 2 Se 3 thin films in the superstrate structure. The effect of Zn diffusion on the morphology of Sb 2 Se 3 thin films with Cd x Zn 1-x S buffer layer has been investigated in detail. Additionally, Zn doping promotes forming Sb 2 Se 3 thin films with the desired [hk1] orientation, resulting in denser and larger grain sizes which will eventually regulate the defect density. Finally, based on the energy band structure and high-quality Sb 2 Se 3 thin films, this study achieves a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.76%, with a V OC of 458 mV, a J SC of 28.13 mA cm -2 , and an FF of 67.85%. Overall, this study explores the growth mechanism of Sb 2 Se 3 thin films, which can lead to further improvements in the efficiency of Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Directly with arylsulfonyl chlorides, a green and efficient deborylativesulfonylation of aryl(alkenyl)boronic acids has been developed to access both diarylsulfones and vinylarylsulfones in moderate to excellent yields at room temperature under visible-light irradiation. This protocol features broad C(sp 2 )-arylsulfone applicability, simple operation, accessibility of raw materials and ease of scale-up. The key to the success of this photoredox transformation is introducing catalytic amounts of additives, naphthalen-2-ols, thus boosting the formed electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes, which can dramatically improve not only the reaction efficiency but also the selectivity. This strategy was inspired and derived from specific substrates, representing a rare paradigm of how to exploit a more general reaction system. Moreover, extensive control experiments provide insights into the proposed mechanism., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The migration is the key step for thymic T cells to enter circulation and then lymph nodes (LNs), essential for future immune surveillance. Although promoter-based transcriptional regulation through Foxo1, Klf2, Ccr7, and Sell regulates T-cell migration, it remains largely unexplored whether and how enhancers are involved in this process. Here we found that the conditional deletion of Med1, a component of the mediator complex and a mediator between enhancers and RNA polymerase II, caused a reduction of both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in LNs, as well as a decrease of CD8 + T cells in the spleen. Importantly, Med1 deletion hindered the migration of thymic αβT cells into the circulation and then into LNs, accompanied by the downregulation of KLF2, CCR7, and CD62L. Mechanistically, Med1 promotes Klf2 transcription by facilitating Foxo1 binding to the Klf2 enhancer. Furthermore, forced expression of Klf2 rescued Ccr7 and Sell expression, as well as αβT-cell migration into LNs. Collectively, our study unveils a crucial role for Med1 in regulating the enhancer-based Foxo1-Klf2 transcriptional program and the migration of αβT cells into LNs, providing valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying T-cell migration., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

High-quality CsPbI 3 with low defect density is indispensable for acquiring excellent photoelectric performance. Meticulous regulation of the CsPbI 3 crystal growth processes is both feasible and efficacious in enhancing the quality of perovskite films. In this study, the cesium formate (CsFo) is introduced. On one hand, its low melting point can induce the crystallization processes at a low level of energy consumption. On the other hand, the pseudo-halide anion can participate in the passivation of iodide vacancies, as the formate anion exhibits a relatively higher affinity with iodide vacancies compared to other halides. Consequently, the introduction of CsFo enhances the quality of CsPbI 3 thin films by altering the crystallization process and curbing defect formation. As a result, a steady-state output efficiency of 21.23% and an open-circuit voltage (V oc ) as high as 1.25 V are achieved, with both parameters ranking among the highest for this type of solar cell., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Various isomers have been developed to regulate the morphology and reduce defects in state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells (PSCs). To insight the structure-function-effect correlations for the isomerization of thiourea derivatives on the performance of the PSCs, we developed two thiourea derivatives [(3,5-dichlorophenyl)amino]thiourea (AT) and N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)hydrazinecarbothioamide (HB). Supported by experimental and calculated results, it was found that AT can bind with undercoordinated Pb 2+ defect through synergistic interaction between N1 and C=S group with a defect formation energy of 1.818 eV, which is much higher than that from the synergistic interaction between two -NH- groups in HB and perovskite (1.015 eV). Moreover, the stronger interaction between AT and Pb 2+ regulates the crystallization process of perovskite film to obtain a high-quality perovskite film with high crystallinity, large grain size, and low defect density. Consequently, the AT-treated FACsPbI 3 device engenders an efficiency of 25.71 % (certified as 24.66 %), which is greatly higher than control (23.74 %) and HB-treated FACsPbI 3 devices (25.05 %). The resultant device exhibits a remarkable stability for maintaining 91.0 % and 95.2 % of its initial efficiency after aging 2000 h in air condition or tracking at maximum power point for 1000 h, respectively., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

0D Bi-based 329-type halide perovskite is demonstrated as a promising semiconductor for X-ray detection due to its strong X-ray absorption, superior stability, availability of large single crystals (SCs) and solution processibility at low temperature. However, its low mobility-lifetime product (µτ) limits its further improvement in detection sensitivity. Based on the first-principles calculations, this work designs a new 2D Bi-based 329-type halide perovskite using a mixed-halide-induced structural dimension regulation strategy. By using a continuous supply of a precursor solution, this work successfully grows inch-sized high-quality SCs. These SCs exhibit large µτ product, high resistivity, and low ion migration. The detectors fabricated using the SCs show X-ray detection sensitivity as high as 24,509 µC Gy air -1 cm -2 , short response time of 315 µs, low detection limit of 4.3 nGy s -1 , and superior stability. These properties are the best among all lead-free perovskite detectors and are comparable to those of the best lead-based perovskite detectors. The linear array detector assembled on the SCs for the first time also shows a high spatial resolution of 10.6 lp mm -1 during X-ray imaging. The high performance combined with superior stability of these new 329-type lead-free halide perovskite SCs is expected to promote a new generation of X-ray detection technologies., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Perovskite photovoltaics have emerged as the most promising candidates for next-generation light-to-electricity technology. However, their practical application still suffers from energy loss induced by intrinsic defects within the perovskite lattice. Here, a refined defect passivation in perovskite films is designed, which shows a multi-interaction mechanism between the perovskite and passivator. Interestingly, a shift of molecular bonding is observed upon cooling down the film, leading to a stronger passivation of iodine/formamidine vacancies. Such mechanism on device under low-light and low-temperature conditions is further leveraged and a record efficiency over 45% with durable ambient stability (T 90 > 4000 h) is obtained. The pioneer application of perovskite solar cells in above dual extreme conditions in this work reveals the key principles of designing functional groups for the passivators, and also demonstrates the capability of perovskites for diverse terrestrial energy conversion applications in demanding environments such as polar regions and outer space., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

RNA splicing dysregulation and the involvement of specific splicing factors are emerging as common factors in both obesity and metabolic disorders. The study provides compelling evidence that the absence of the splicing factor SRSF1 in mature adipocytes results in whitening of brown adipocyte tissue (BAT) and impaired thermogenesis, along with the inhibition of white adipose tissue browning in mice. Combining single-nucleus RNA sequencing with transmission electron microscopy, it is observed that the transformation of BAT cell types is associated with dysfunctional mitochondria, and SRSF1 deficiency leads to degenerated and fragmented mitochondria within BAT. The results demonstrate that SRSF1 effectively binds to constitutive exon 6 of Ndufs3 pre-mRNA and promotes its inclusion. Conversely, the deficiency of SRSF1 results in impaired splicing of Ndufs3, leading to reduced levels of functional proteins that are essential for mitochondrial complex I assembly and activity. Consequently, this deficiency disrupts mitochondrial integrity, ultimately compromising the thermogenic capacity of BAT. These findings illuminate a novel role for SRSF1 in influencing mitochondrial function and BAT thermogenesis through its regulation of Ndufs3 splicing within BAT., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The creation of hierarchical nanostructures can effectively strengthen phonon scattering to reduce lattice thermal conductivity for improving thermoelectric properties in inorganic solids. Here, we use Zn doping to induce a remarkable reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity in SnTe, approaching the theoretical minimum limit. Microstructure analysis reveals that ZnTe nanoprecipitates can embed within SnTe grains beyond the solubility limit of Zn in the Zn alloyed SnTe. These nanoprecipitates result in a substantial decrease of the lattice thermal conductivity in SnTe, leading to an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.50 W m -1  K -1 at 773 K and a peak ZT of ~0.48 at 773 K, marking an approximately 45 % enhancement compared to pristine SnTe. This study underscores the effectiveness of incorporating ZnTe nanoprecipitates in boosting the thermoelectric performance of SnTe-based materials., (© 2024 The Authors. Chemistry - An Asian Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Developing an additive to effectively regulate the perovskite crystallization kinetics for the optimized optoelectronic properties of perovskite film plays a vital role in obtaining high efficiency and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a new additive is designed and directly synthesized in perovskite precursor solution by utilizing an addition reaction between but-3-yn-1-amine hydrochloride (BAH) and formamidinium iodide. It is found that its product may control the intermediate precursor phase for regulating perovskite nucleation, leading to advantageous 2D perovskite to induce growth of perovskite along the preferred [001] orientation with not only released lattice strain but also strong interaction with perovskite to passivate its surface defects. By taking advantage of the above synergistic effects, the optimized PSC delivers an efficiency of 25.19% and a high open-circuit voltage (V OC ) of 1.22 V. Additionally, the devices demonstrate good stability, remaining over 90% of their initial efficiencies under ambient atmosphere conditions for 60 days, high temperature of 85 °C for 200 h, or maximum power point tracking for 500 h., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The heterogeneity of perovskite film crystallization along the vertical direction leads to voids and traps at the buried interfaces, hampering both efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells. Here, bovine serum albumin-functionalized Au nanoclusters (ABSA), combined with heavy gravity, high surface charge density, and strong interactions with the electron transport layer, are designed to reconstruct the buried interfaces for not only high-quality crystallization, but also improved carrier transfer. The ABSA macromolecules with amine function groups and larger surface charge density interact with the perovskite to improve the crystallinity, and gradually migrate towards the buried interface, healing the defective voids, hence suppressing surface recombination velocity from 3075 to 452 cm s -1 . The healed buried interface and the higher surface potential of ABSA-modified TiO 2 lead to improved carrier extraction at the interface. The resulting solar cell attains a power conversion efficiency of 25.0% with negligible hysteresis and remarkable stability, maintaining 92.9% of their initial efficiency after 3200 h of exposure to the ambient atmosphere, they also exhibit better continuous irradiation stability compared to control devices. These findings provide a new metal-protein complex to eliminate the deleterious voids and defects at the buried interface for improved photovoltaic performance and stability., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The efficiency of antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) solar cells is still limited by significant interface and deep-level defects, in addition to carrier recombination at the back contact surface. This paper investigates the use of lithium (Li) ions as dopant for Sb 2 Se 3 films, using lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as a dopant medium. Surprisingly, the LiOH solution not only reacts at the back surface of the Sb 2 Se 3 film but also penetrate inside the film along the (Sb 4 Se 6 ) n molecular chain. First, the Li ions modify the grain boundary's carrier type and create an electric field between p-type grain interiors and n-type grain boundary. Second, a gradient band structure is formed along the vertical direction with the diffusion of Li ions. Third, carrier collection and transport are improved at the surface between Sb 2 Se 3 and the Au layer due to the reaction between the film and alkaline solution. Additionally, the diffusion of Li ions increases the crystallinity, orientation, surface evenness, and optical electricity. Ultimately, the efficiency of Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells is improved to 7.57% due to the enhanced carrier extraction, transport, and collection, as well as the reduction of carrier recombination and deep defect density. This efficiency is also a record for CdS/Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells fabricated by rapid thermal evaporation., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Nonradiative losses caused by defects are the main obstacles to further advancing the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). There is focused research to boost the device performance by reducing the number of defects and deactivating defects; however, little attention is paid to the defect-capture capacity. Here, upon systematically examining the defect-capture capacity, highly polarized fluorinated species are designed to modulate the dielectric properties of the perovskite material to minimize its defect-capture radius. On the one hand, fluorinated polar species strengthen the defect dielectric-screening effect via enhancing the dielectric constant of the perovskite film, thus reducing the defect-capture radius. On the other, the fluorinated iodized salt replenishes the I-vacancy defects at the surface, hence lowering the defect density. Consequently, the power-conversion efficiency of an all-inorganic CsPbI 3 PSC is increased to as high as 20.5% with an open-circuit voltage of 1.2 V and a fill factor of 82.87%, all of which are among the highest in their respective categories. Furthermore, the fluorinated species modification also produces a hydrophobic umbrella yielding significantly improved humidity tolerance, and hence long-term stability. The present strategy provides a general approach to effectually regulate the defect-capture radius, thus enhancing the optoelectronic performance., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

All-inorganic CsPbI 3 perovskite presents preeminent chemical stability and a desirable band gap as the front absorber for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. Unfortunately, CsPbI 3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) still show low efficiency due to high density of defects in solution-prepared CsPbI 3 films. Herein, three kinds of hydrazide derivatives (benzoyl hydrazine (BH), formohydrazide (FH) and benzamide (BA)) are designed to reduce the defect density and stabilize the phase of CsPbI 3 . Calculation and characterization results corroborate that the carboxyl and hydrazine groups in BH form strong chemical bonds with Pb 2+ ions, resulting in synergetic double coordination. In addition, the hydrazine group in the BH also forms a hydrogen bond with iodine to assist the coordination. Consequently, a high efficiency of 20.47 % is achieved, which is the highest PCE among all pure CsPbI 3 -based PSCs reported to date. In addition, an unencapsulated device showed excellent stability in ambient air., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

With its power conversion efficiency surpassing those of all other thin-film solar cells only a few years after its invention, the perovskite solar cell has become a superstar. Controlling the intermediate phase of crystallization is a key to obtaining high-quality perovskite films. Herein, a single molecule additive, N,N-dimethylimidodicarbonimidic diamide hydroiodide (DIAI), is incorporated into the perovskite precursor to eliminate the influence of intermediate phases. By taking advantage of the interaction of DIAI and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the intermediate phase FAI-PbI 2 -DMSO complex is eliminated, and δ-FAPbI 3 is entirely converted to the desired α-FAPbI 3 during the crystallization step, resulting in enlarged grain size and improved crystalline quality. This is the first observation in the solution method that FAPbI 3 can be obtained without an intermediate phase for high-performance perovskite solar cells. Furthermore, DIAI is effective at passivating surface defects, resulting in reduced defect density, increased carrier lifetime, and improved device efficiency and stability. The champion device achieves an efficiency of 24.13%. Furthermore, the bare device without any encapsulation maintains 94.1% of its initial efficiency after ambient exposure over 1000h. This work contributes a strategy of synergistic crystallization and passivation to directly form α-FAPbI 3 from the precursor solution without the influence of intermediate impurities for high-performance perovskite applications., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Splicing factor SRSF2 acts as a critical regulator for cell survival, however, it remains unknown whether SRSF2 is involved in myoblast proliferation and myogenesis. Here, knockdown of SRSF2 in myoblasts causes high rates of apoptosis and defective differentiation. Combined conditional knockout and lineage tracing approaches show that Myf5-cre mice lacking SRSF2 die immediately at birth and exhibit a complete absence of mature myofibers. Mutant Myf5-derived cells (tdtomato-positive cells) are randomly scattered in the myogenic and non-myogenic regions, indicating loss of the community effect required for skeletal muscle differentiation. Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals high heterogeneity of myf5-derived cells and non-myogenic cells are significantly increased at the expense of skeletal muscle cells in the absence of SRSF2, reflecting altered cell fate. SRSF2 is demonstrated to regulate the entry of Myf5 cells into the myogenic program and ensures their survival by preventing precocious differentiation and apoptosis. In summary, SRSF2 functions as an essential regulator for Myf5-derived cells to respond correctly to positional cues and to adopt their myogenic fate., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Flexible perovskite solar cells (f-PSCs) have attracted great attention because of their unique advantages in lightweight and portable electronics applications. However, their efficiencies are far inferior to those of their rigid counterparts. Herein, a novel histamine diiodate (HADI) is designed based on theoretical study to modify the SnO 2 /perovskite interface. Systematic experimental results reveal that the HADI serves effectively as a multifunctional agent mainly in three aspects: 1) surface modification to realign the SnO 2 conduction band upward to improve interfacial charge extraction; 2) passivating the buried perovskite surface, and 3) bridging between the SnO 2 and perovskite layers for effective charge transfer. Consequently, the rigid MA-free PSCs based on the HADI-SnO 2 electron transport layer (ETL) display not only a high champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.79% and open-circuit voltage (V OC ) of 1.20 V but also outstanding stability as demonstrated by the PSCs preserving 91% of their initial efficiencies after being exposed to ambient atmosphere for 1200 h without any encapsulation. Furthermore, the solution-processed HADI-SnO 2 ETL formed at low temperature (100 °C) is utilized in f-PSCs that achieve a PCE as high as 22.44%, the highest reported PCE for f-PSCs to date., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A pyrimidine-modified covalent organic framework (COF-Pyr) was designed to be synthesized via the Povarov reaction. The nitrogen atom on the pyrimidine showed excellent coordination ability to metal ions. Their stable metal composite material (Co@COF-Pyr) exhibited remarkable performance for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 m KOH aqueous solution. The overpotential was 450 mV at 10 mA cm -2 . The Co@COF-Pyr with large specific surface area (392 m 2  g -1 ) and regular crystal structure provided free passage for H 2 O to move and make them fully contact with the uniformly dispersed cobalt ions on the surface. Thus, the turnover frequency of Co@COF-Pyr was 0.1 s -1 at the overpotential of 370 mV, which was higher than most reported OER catalysts. This work provided a new way to design and prepare nitrogen-containing heterocyclic functionalized COFs. They can be combined with metal ions to expand the application of COFs in the field of electrocatalysis., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The activation process of a known Ru-catalyst, dicarbonyl(pentaphenylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium chloride, has been studied in detail using time resolved in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The data provide bond lengths of the species involved in the process as well as information about bond formation and bond breaking. On addition of potassium tert-butoxide, the catalyst is activated and an alkoxide complex is formed. The catalyst activation proceeds via a key acyl intermediate, which gives rise to a complete structural change in the coordination environment around the Ru atom. The rate of activation for the different catalysts was found to be highly dependent on the electronic properties of the cyclopentadienyl ligand. During catalytic racemization of 1-phenylethanol a fast-dynamic equilibrium was observed., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.)

As the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is increased to as high over 25%, it becomes pre-eminent to study a scalable process with wide processing window to fabricate large-area uniform perovskite films with good light-trapping performance. A stable and uniform intermediate-state complex film is obtained by using tetramethylene sulfoxide (TMSO), which extends the annealing window to as long as 20 min, promotes the formation of a high-quality perovskite film with larger grains (over 400 nm) and spontaneously forms the surface texture to result in an improved fill factor and open-circuit voltage ( V oc ). Moreover, the superior surface texture significantly increases the long-wavelength response, leading to an improved short-circuit current density ( J sc ). As a result, the maximum PCE of 21.14% is achieved based on a simple planar cell structure without any interface passivation. Moreover, a large area module with active area of 6.75 cm 2 is assembled using the optimized TMSO process, showing efficiency as high as 16.57%. The study paves the way to the rational design of highly efficient PSCs for potential scaled-up production., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Perovskite solar cells are sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric conditions, resulting in problems such as the collapse of the perovskite structure and sharp drops in efficiency. Internal defects are also a big obstacle for high-quality polycrystalline perovskites. At present, it is difficult to control the density of the trapping sites. By using the bidentate chelating agent thenoyltrifluoroacetone (ttfa), the crystallization kinetics, grain sizes, and crystal defect of Cs-, methylammonium-, and formamidinium-based perovskite materials can be to effectively controlled through a nucleation and growth process for the preparation of perovskite crystals. Crystalline-state tuning during the crystallization process to obtain better quality perovskite thin films can be achieved with no additional operation, which is suitable for the needs of modern industrial production and management. The chelating agent can effectively passivate the defects in perovskite films, leading to a low defect density and a long charge carrier lifetime. As a result, the ttfa-passivated perovskite solar cell demonstrated a high power conversion efficiency of 19.70 % with superior stability retention of 64 % of the initial power conversion efficiency after two weeks unencapsulated storage in an adverse atmosphere with approximately 50 % relative humidity., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Wearable devices are mainly based on plastic substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, which causes environmental pollution after use due to the long decomposition periods. This work reports on the fabrication of a biodegradable and biocompatible transparent conductive electrode derived from bamboo for flexible perovskite solar cells. The conductive bioelectrode exhibits extremely flexible and light-weight properties. After bending 3000 times at a 4 mm curvature radius or even undergoing a crumpling test, it still shows excellent electrical performance and negligible decay. The performance of the bamboo-based bioelectrode perovskite solar cell exhibits a record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.68%, showing the highest efficiency among all reported biomass-based perovskite solar cells. It is remarkable that this flexible device has a highly bendable mechanical stability, maintaining over 70% of its original PCE during 1000 bending cycles at a 4 mm curvature radius. This work paves the way for perovskite solar cells toward comfortable and environmentally friendly wearable devices., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Herein, we report on the use a biohybrid catalyst consisting of palladium nanoparticles immobilized on cross-linked enzyme aggregates of lipase B of Candida antarctica (CalB CLEA) for the dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of benzylic amines. A set of amines were demonstrated to undergo an efficient DKR and the recyclability of the catalysts was studied. Extensive efforts to further elucidate the structure of the catalyst are presented., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Exploration of low-temperature solution-processing methodologies for fabricating planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is important for industrial mass production and helps simplify the manufacture and design of flexible perovskite solar cells. However, the interface between electron-transport layers (ETLs) and perovskite layers is crucial for the development of highly efficient flexible PSCs. We report a drastically improved solar cell efficiency through surface optimization of TiO 2 ETLs by using a simple and inexpensive ionic compound that shows high optical transparency and superior electron mobility. Solution-derived TiO 2 nanocrystalline films are employed at low temperatures as ETLs through solution processing. The modification of TiO 2 with NH 4 Cl can increase the interactions between the surface and organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites; Cl anions lead to a stronger interfacial coupling between TiO 2 and perovskite. Ammonium cations tend to combine with perovskite. Due to this strong combined effect of the ionic compound, the efficiency of PSC from low-temperature solution processing reaches 18.71 % on rigid glass/indium tin oxide (ITO) for an improvement of 12.6 % over a control device using bare TiO 2 . Furthermore, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) can reach an efficiency of 17.69 % for the ITO/PEN substrates. This work contributes to the evolution of flexible PSCs with simple fabrication and high device performance., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The unstable feature of the widely employed organic hole-transporting materials (HTMs) (e.g., spiro-MeOTAD) significantly limits the practical application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Therefore, it is desirable to design new structured PSCs with stable HTMs presenting excellent carrier extraction and transfer properties. This work demonstrates a new inverted PSC configuration. The new PSC has a graded band alignment and bilayered inorganic HTMs (i.e., compact NiO x and mesoporous CuGaO 2 ). In comparison with planar-structured PSCs, the mesoporous CuGaO 2 can effectively extract holes from perovskite due to the increased contact area of the perovskite/HTM. The graded energy alignment constructed in the ultrathin compact NiO x , mesoporous CuGaO 2 , and perovskite can facilitate carrier transfer and depress charge recombination. As a result, the champion device based on the newly designed mesoscopic PSCs yields a stabilized efficiency of ≈20%, which is considered one of the best results for inverted PSCs with inorganic HTMs. Additionally, the unencapsulated PSC device retains more than 80% of its original efficiency when subjected to thermal aging at 85 °C for 1000 h in a nitrogen atmosphere, thus demonstrating superior thermal stability of the device. This study may pave a new avenue to rational design of highly efficient and stable PSCs., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Recently, inorganic CsPbI 2 Br perovskite is attracting ever-increasing attention for its outstanding optoelectronic properties and ambient phase stability. Here, an efficient CsPbI 2 Br perovskite solar cell (PSC) is developed by: 1) using a dimension-grading heterojunction based on a quantum dots (QDs)/bulk film structure, and 2) post-treatment of the CsPbI 2 Br QDs/film with organic iodine salt to form an ultrathin iodine-ion-enriched perovskite layer on the top of the perovskite film. It is found that the above procedures generate proper band edge bending for improved carrier collection, resulting in effectively decreased recombination loss and improved hole extraction efficiency. Meanwhile, the organic capping layer from the iodine salt also surrounds the QDs and tunes the surface chemistry for further improved charge transport at the interface. As a result, the champion device achieves long-term stabilized power conversion efficiency beyond 14%.

It is essential to minimize the interfacial trap states and improve the carrier collection for high efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we present a facile method to construct a p-type graded heterojunction (GHJ) in normal PSCs by deploying a gradient distribution of hole-transporting materials (poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine], PTAA, in this case) in the shallow perovskite layer. The formation of the GHJ structure facilitates charge transfer and collection, and passivates interfacial trap states, thus delivering a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.05 % along with steady output efficiency of 19.3 %, which is among the highest efficiencies for cesium formamidinium (Cs-FA) lead halide PSCs. Moreover, the unencapsulated devices based on these (Cs-FA) lead halide perovskites show excellent long-term stability; more than 95 % of their initial PCE can be retained after 1440 h storage under ambient conditions. This study may provide an effective strategy to fabricate high-efficiency PSCs with great stability., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Herein, we report on the utilization of a heterogeneous catalyst, consisting of Pd nanoparticles supported on a siliceous mesocellular foam (Pd 0 -AmP-MCF), for the synthesis of heterocycles. Reaction of o-iodophenols and protected o-iodoanilines with acetylenes in the presence of a Pd nanocatalyst produced 2-substituted benzofurans and indoles, respectively. In general, the catalytic protocol afforded the desired products in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions without the addition of ligands. Moreover, the structure of the reported Pd nanocatalyst was further elucidated with extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy, and it was proven that the catalyst could be recycled multiple times without significant loss of activity., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Hair-like-diameter superelastic conducting fibers, comprising a buckled carbon nanotube sheath on a rubber core, are fabricated, characterized, and deployed as weavable wires, biosensors, supercapacitors, and strain sensors. These downsized sheath-core fibers provide the demonstrated basis for glucose sensors, supercapacitors, and electrical interconnects whose performance is undegraded by giant strain, as well as ultrafast strain sensors that exploit strain-dependent capacitance changes., (© 2016 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Using intelligent textiles for clothing represents one possibility for weavable superelastic conducting fibers that can store energy, sense body motions, and detect biochemicals. On page 4998, S. Yin, R. H. Baughman, and co-workers demonstrate that these hair-like-diameter fibers, comprising buckled carbon nanotube sheaths on a rubber core, can be used as glucose sensors, supercapacitors, ultrafast strain sensors, and electrical interconnectors. The performance of these structures is maintained also under giant strain., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)