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Abstract Indoor photovoltaics are limited by their inherently low‐photogenerated carrier density, leading to heightened carrier recombination and adverse leakage currents compared with conventional solar cells operating under 1 sun condition. To address these problems, this work incorporates a porous insulating interlayer (Al2O3) in perovskite devices, which effectively mitigates recombination and parasitic leakage current. A systematic investigation of the relationship between shunt resistance, photocarrier generation, and recombination at different light intensities demonstrates the effectiveness of the alumina interlayer in perovskite solar cells under low‐light conditions. Moreover, the practicability of the alumina interlayer was demonstrated through its successful implementation in a large‐area perovskite solar module (PSM). With bandgap engineering, the optimized PSM achieves a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 33.5% and a record‐breaking power density of 107.3 μW cm−2 under 1000 lux illumination. These results underscore the potential of alumina interlayers in improving energy harvesting performance, particularly in low‐light indoor environments.

Perovskite solar cells are gaining significant attention for their remarkable power conversion efficiency, cost‐effective processing, and material abundance. This study investigates the impact of rapid microwave annealing on the crystallinity and morphology of MAPbI3 films on FTO glass substrates. Multifaceted characterization techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis spectroscopy, photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS), and steady‐state photoluminescence (PL) measurements are used to compare microwave‐annealed samples with traditional hotplate‐annealed samples. Microwave annealing yields significantly larger crystals in shorter processing times, suggesting enhanced crystallinity, as evidenced by SEM analysis and XRD data. UV‐Vis and PDS measurements indicate improved optical properties and reduced sub‐bandgap states, while PL results suggest diminished nonradiative recombination in microwave‐annealed samples. However, a partial film detachment has been observed at higher microwave powers, a phenomenon explained by COMSOL simulations. These findings demonstrate rapid microwave annealing as an energy‐efficient and cost‐effective alternative while highlighting the need for further optimization to address film degradation issues, which remain a significant challenge. This research supports the potential for scalable, high‐quality perovskite material production, facilitating large‐scale production and commercialization of next‐generation solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskite solar cells have achieved impressive efficiencies above 26%, making them a promising technology for the future of solar energy. However, the current fabrication methods rely on highly toxic solvents, which pose significant safety and environmental hazards. It is crucial to develop greener and safer alternatives to these solvents to facilitate the commercialization of perovskite solar cells. In this review, the safety and hazard evaluations of conventional toxic solvents and discuss the selection criteria for solvents that affect the morphology, nucleation, crystallization, and performance of perovskite solar cells. Furthermore, recent research into green solvent alternatives is evaluated and their properties are compared to those of commonly used solvents. In this review, fundamental insights are provided into the progress and challenges of green‐solution processing of perovskite solar cells, which will be essential for advancing this technology toward commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cirsium nipponicum, a pharmaceutically valuable plant from the Asteraceae family, has been utilized for over 2000 years. Unlike other thistles, it is native to East Asia and found exclusively on Ulleung Island on the Korea Peninsula. Despite its significance, the genome information of C. nipponicum has remained unclear. Methods: In this study, we assembled the genome of C. nipponicum using both short reads from Illumina sequencing and long reads from Nanopore sequencing. Results: The assembled genome is 929.4 Mb in size with an N50 length of 0.7 Mb, covering 95.1% of BUSCO core groups listed in edicots_odb10. Repeat sequences accounted for 70.94% of the assembled genome. We curated 31,263 protein-coding genes, of which 28,752 were functionally annotated using public databases. Phylogenetic analysis of 11 plant species using single-copy orthologs revealed that C. nipponicum diverged from Cynara cardunculus approximately 15.9 million years ago. Gene family evolutionary analysis revealed significant expansion and contraction in genes involved in abscisic acid biosynthesis, late endosome to vacuole transport, response to nitrate, and abaxial cell fate specification. Conclusions: This study provides a reference genome of C. nipponicum, enhancing our understanding of its genetic background and facilitating an exploration of genetic resources for beneficial phytochemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly advancing field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), achieving the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit is primarily hindered by nonradiative recombination losses. In this study, the strategic incorporation of chiral graphene quantum dots (GQDs) at the PSC interface is pioneered, significantly mitigating these losses through this chiral interface engineering. Also in this study, by synthesizing and characterizing the chiroptic behavior and doping effects of both chiral and racemic GQDs, their pivotal role in enhancing charge extraction and transport is unveiled. In the findings of this study, it is shown that GQDs do not alter the crystallization of perovskite films but significantly boost light absorption owing to improved interfacial contact. Subsequent optical and electrical assessments reveal that the PSCs treated with chiral GQDs outperform those with racemic GQDs, primarily on account of the chiral specificity of chiral GQDs, which leads to reduced nonradiative recombination and enhanced charge transport efficiency. In this work, not only the potential of chiral GQDs is underscored in elevating PSC efficiency but also a compelling proof of concept for chiral interface engineering is established as a key to unlocking the full potential of PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for eco-friendly wearable sensors is driving the exploration of stretchable, biocompatible, conductive, and recyclable materials for detecting electromechanical signals from the human body. Herein, a straightforward method for producing stretchable, conductive, water-permeable, low-hysteresis, and recyclable hybrid films is proposed, based on a combination of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and lab-synthesized poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (L-PEDOT:PSS). Fine-tuning the film composition yields a stretchable and high-performance sensing material with ultralow hysteresis. The composite film is stable even when subjected to 5000 strained stretch-release cycles and exhibits an efficient thermoresistive response. The on-skin sensor derived from the HEC/L-PEDOT:PSS composite conforms to diverse body movements without sacrificing structural integrity. The sensors exhibit high sensitivity, stability, rapid response times, and low power consumption, enabling efficient monitoring of subtle human activities, such as handwriting, frowning, air flow, and even diaphragmatic breathing. Our sensors not only demonstrate excellent recycling, but also exhibit almost complete recovery of both mechanical and electrical functions upon recycling. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the HEC/PEDOT:PSS composite as a multifunctional and recyclable on-skin sensor. HEC/L-PEDOT:PSS composite films are promising for the advancement of on-skin sensors and will contribute to the development of high-performance, eco-friendly, and zero-waste wearable sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic–inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells have been under the spotlight but what happens in the working solar cell device at the nanoscale remains elusive. Here Kim et al. show that light and voltage bias can induce strain and structural variation which may cause J–V scan hysteresis.

Background Allergies often present challenges in managing itch and the effects of histamine. Cooling agents that act via transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) agonism have shown potential in itch management. However, animal studies on itch have limitations, as animals cannot communicate subjective events and their fur-coated skin differs from that of humans. Human studies offer more direct and reliable information. Objectives To investigate the effects of a specific TRPM8 agonist gel (cryosim-1) on itch induced by various pruritogens in human skin. Methods Calcium imaging experiments determined the binding of cryosim-1 and histamine to their respective receptors. Thirty healthy volunteers underwent skin prick tests with pruritogens and a control vehicle. Itch and pain intensity were measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS) across 10 min. Participants were randomly assigned to pretreatments with vehicle or TRPM8 agonist gel. Tests were repeated at a later date, and skin moisture, transepidermal water loss and mechanical sensitivity were measured. Results The in vitro study confirmed that histamine is not a TRPM8 agonist and cryosim-1 does not act as an agonist or antagonist on the human histamine 1 receptor. The TRPM8 agonist gel significantly reduced the itch intensity for all pruritogens compared with the vehicle-only gel. It also reduced itch NRS and the integrated itch score. Mechanical sensitivity was also reduced. Conclusions The specific TRPM8 agonist gel effectively suppressed human skin itch induced by various pruritogens. These versatile actions suggest that cooling agents may be promising treatments for multiple forms of itch stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slow cooling of hot charge carriers in lead halide perovskite could be used in photovoltaics devices. Here, Yanget al. study hot carrier dynamics by transient absorption spectroscopy. They relate the phonon bottleneck to the up-conversion of low-energy phonons, facilitated by the presence of organic cations.

In modern society, high-quality material development and a large stable supply are key to perform frontier research and development. However, there are negative issues to address to utilize high-quality resources with a large stable supply for research, such as economic accessibility, commercialization, and so on. One of the cutting-edge research fields, perovskite-related research, usually requires high-quality chemicals with outstanding purity (>99%). We developed an economically feasible PbI2 precursor with around 1/20 cost-down for perovskite/perovskite quantum dots through recrystallization and/or hydrothermal purification. Following the methodology, the quantum dots from both as-prepared and purified PbI2 demonstrated identical photophysical properties, with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 52.61% using the purified PbI2 vs. 45.83% PLQY using commercial PbI2. The role of hydrothermal energy was also checked against the problematic PbI2, and we checked whether the hydrothermal energy could contribute to the hindrance of undesired particle formation in the precursor solution, which enables them to form enlarged grain size from 179 ± 80 to 255 ± 130 nm for higher photoconversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells from 14.77 ± 1.82% to 15.18 ± 1.92%.