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Three functionalized thienopyrazines (TPs), TP‐MN (1), TP‐CA (2), and TPT‐MN (3) were designed and synthesized as self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) deposited on the NiOx film for tin‐perovskite solar cells (TPSCs). Thermal, optical, electrochemical, morphological, crystallinity, hole mobility, and charge recombination properties, as well as DFT‐derived energy levels with electrostatic surface potential mapping of these SAMs, have been thoroughly investigated and discussed. The structure of the TP‐MN (1) single crystal was successfully grown and analyzed to support the uniform SAM produced on the ITO/NiOx substrate. When we used NiOx as HTM in TPSC, the device showed poor performance. To improve the efficiency of TPSC, we utilized a combination of new organic SAMs with NiOx as HTM, the TPSC device exhibited the highest PCE of 7.7 % for TP‐MN (1). Hence, the designed NiOx/TP‐MN (1) acts as a new model system for the development of efficient SAM‐based TPSC. To the best of our knowledge, the combination of organic SAMs with anchoring CN/CN or CN/COOH groups and NiOx as HTM for TPSC has never been reported elsewhere. The TPSC device based on the NiOx/TP‐MN bilayer exhibits great enduring stability for performance, retaining ~80 % of its original value for shelf storage over 4000 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diverse array of 6‐aroyl benzimidazo[1,2‐c]quinazolines was successfully synthesized using easily obtainable N‐cyanobenzimidazoles and α‐keto acids, facilitated by photoredox catalysis. A mechanistic investigation revealed that this methodology might involve both photoredox and energy transfer catalytic cycles, generating acyl radicals that subsequently promote radical relay cyclization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses on the utilization of a hydrogel consisting of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a matrix for hosting the redox couple Fe(CN)63−/4−. The hydrogel exhibits a discernable thermopower (Src) of 3 mV K−1. The beneficial effect of the hydrogel microstructure on the mechanical robustness is demonstrated by small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). Moreover, the hydrogel is used to construct a 3D printed thermoelectric generator (TEG) consisting of eight p‐type thermoelectric legs, which exhibits commendable thermoelectric properties, including an open‐circuit voltage of 64 mV and a power density of 4.0 mW m−2 under a temperature gradient (ΔT) of 2.5 K. These findings demonstrate that 3D printing both enhances the quality of the interface between the hydrogel and electrode and provides a promising method for a more facile TEG fabrication process with the potential for further applications in low‐grade waste heat harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating environmental impact of pollution and the imperative to reduce carbon emissions have heightened the significance of developing biobased materials from natural biomass for electronic devices. This study investigates the utilization of biofermentation‐produced recombinant spider silk and animal‐derived hemin to create a novel biobased electret for field‐effect transistor memory. A critical challenge arises from the incompatibility between natural photoresponsive molecules and insulating biomaterials, resulting in severe phase separation that compromises film quality and morphology uniformity. This study systematically examines the effects of various film deposition and manufacturing techniques on the biobased electret's morphology, phase separation, and performance. Different methods demonstrate distinct advantages in terms of molecular aggregation/segregation, morphological homogeneity, and device performance. Phototransistor memory devices fabricated using spin coating and spray coating techniques exhibit robust aggregations and high memory windows of ≈30 V. Conversely, devices produced through solution shearing and electrospinning methods display enhanced smooth morphologies and high photoresponsivity. The phototransistor memory comprising electrospun fibers holds the potential to achieve the highest memory ratio, reaching ≈105. These findings not only highlight the applications of biobased materials through scalable film deposition processes but also underscore the importance of refining their morphology, phase separation, and performance in optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is used worldwide for generating electricity or desalting seawater. Photothermal membrane distillation (PMD), an emerging thermal‐driven process for seawater desalination, combines interfacial heating with membrane distillation (MD) technology to address the energy consumption issues of conventional MD. However, it is still a great challenge to develop a cost‐effective and scalable membrane, which hampers the practical use of PMD. Herein, a dual‐layer carbon black (CB)/PVDF membrane is prepared via direct electrospraying on a commercial PVDF membrane. With the introduction of a functional layer, a photothermal effect is imparted to the bare membrane, thus significantly increasing the water production rate and solar utilization efficiency (SUE) during exposure to artificial sunlight (≈57% enhancement and 72% SUE under 1 sun). In addition to the outstanding photothermal properties, this functional layer also served as a passivation coating to synergistically reduce the crystallization rate and physical binding of inorganic salts on the modified membrane without adding hazardous chemicals or using laborious steps. This multifunctional coated membrane and fast‐growing solar desalination technology provides a promising solution to the water crisis, especially in off‐grid areas where energy and resources are both relatively insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a series of novel quinoidal organic semiconductors based on diselenophene‐dithioalkylthiophene (DSpDST) conjugated cores with various side‐chain lengths (‐thiohexyl, ‐thiodecyl, and ‐thiotetradecyl, designated DSpDSTQ‐6, DSpDSTQ‐10, and DSpDSTQ‐14, respectively). The purpose of this research is to develop solution‐processable organic semiconductors using dicyanomethylene end‐capped organic small molecules for organic field effect transistors (OFETs) application. The physical, electrochemical, and electrical properties of these new DSpDSTQs are systematically studied, along with their performance in OFETs and thin film morphologies. Additionally, the molecular structures of DSpDSTQ are determined through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The results reveal the presence of intramolecular S (alkyl)···Se (selenophene) interactions, which result in a planar SR‐containing DSpDSTQ core, thereby promoting extended π‐orbital interactions and efficient charge transport in the OFETs. Moreover, the influence of thioalkyl side chain length on surface morphologies and microstructures is investigated. Remarkably, the compound with the shortest thioalkyl chain, DSpDSTQ‐6, demonstrates ambipolar carrier transport with the highest electron and hole mobilities of 0.334 and 0.463 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. These findings highlight the excellence of ambipolar characteristics of solution‐processable OFETs based on DSpDSTQs even under ambient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary strategy can be used to optimize the light harvesting, energy level alignment, and blend morphology of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Therefore, herein four non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), INDCDTT-b16 (1), INFDCDTT-b16 (2), INClDCDTT-b16 (3) and INBrDCDTT-b16 (4), featuring dicyclopentadithienothiophene (DCDTT) as the core with soluble branched alkyl side chains with indanone (IN), and its fluoro-(INF), chloro-(INCl) and bromo-(INBr) derivatives as an electron-accepting end group, have been rationally designed and synthesized from simple and readily available starting materials for PM6:Y6-based ternary OPVs. The thermal, optical and electrochemical properties of 1–4 have been studied extensively. Following optimization, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased from 15.26% for the PM6:Y6 based OPV to 16.27% for the PM6:Y6:INDCDTT-b16 (1) based OPV. In contrast, ternary OPVs based on NFAs 2, 3, and 4 exhibited PCEs of 14.58%, 15.11%, and 15.14%, respectively. Through tapping-mode atomic force microscopy and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis, we confirmed that the introduction of NFAs into PM6:Y6 binary blend films/devices enables adjustment of the blend morphology, leading to improvements in carrier mobility, bimolecular/trap-assisted suppressed recombination, and charge collection. This study demonstrates that our NFA molecular design strategy and further addition of INDCDTT-b16 (1) as a guest acceptor are effective for the construction of high-performance OPVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial synapses have gained great interest in the past few years because of their importance in deep learning and image recognition. To fulfill device miniaturization and reduce the energy consumption of device operation, a series of silane‐based photoactive/conjugated self‐assembled molecules (CSAMs), including isoindigo (IID), diketopyrrolopyrrole, and benzodithiophene, are used as the charge‐trapping layers in synaptic phototransistors. The devices comprising CSAM demonstrate excellent short‐term/long‐term memory behaviors and can emulate the paired‐pulse facilitation (PPF) function. Notably, the IID‐based device shows the highest photoresponse, and this performance is highly related to the charge transfer efficiency and the photophysics lifetimes derived from the time‐resolved photoluminescence and the transient absorption characterizations. Therefore, IID produces the highest PPF ratios of 139% to blue light and 144% to green light. In addition, the energy consumption of 0.029 fJ at an operating voltage of −0.1 mV is achieved, which is the lowest value in synaptic phototransistors so far. Notably, neural networks of supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms are demonstrated in the device studied to process a pattern recognition system. Collectively, using conjugated self‐assembled materials as a charge‐trapping layer is a promising way for synaptic phototransistor applications to reduce energy consumption and fulfill the device miniaturization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]