Increasing the Performance and Stability of Red-Light-Emitting Diodes Using Guanidinium Mixed-Cation Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) exhibit growing attention in optoelectronics due to their fascinating color purity and improved intrinsic properties. However, structural defects emerging in PNCs progressively hinder the radiative recombination and carrier transfer dynamics, limiting the performance of light-emitting devices. In this work, we explored the introduction of guanidinium (GA) during the synthesis of high-quality CsGAPbI PNCs as a promising approach for the fabrication of efficient bright-red light-emitting diodes (R-LEDs).

2D-Self-Assembled Organic Materials in Undoped Hole Transport Bilayers for Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Interfaces between photoactive perovskite layer and selective contacts play a key role in the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The properties of the interface can be modified by the introduction of molecular interlayers between the halide perovskite and the transporting layers. Herein, two novel structurally related molecules, 1,3,5-tris(α-carbolin-6-yl)benzene () and the hexamethylated derivative of truxenotris(7-azaindole) (), are reported.

Balanced change in crystal unit cell volume and strain leads to stable halide perovskite with high guanidinium content.

Up-to-date studies propose that strain in halide perovskites is one of the key factors that determine a device's efficiency and stability. Here, we show a systematic approach to characterize the phenomenon in the standard methylammonium lead iodine (MAPbI) perovskite system by: (i) the substitution of some MA by guanidinium (Gu); (ii) the incorporation of PbS quantum dot (QD) additives and (iii) addition of both Gu and PbS at the same time. We studied the effect of these incorporations on the film strain and crystal cell unit volume, and on the solar cell device efficiency and stability.

Radiative Recombination Processes in Halide Perovskites Observed by Light Emission Voltage Modulated Spectroscopy.

The kinetics of light emission in halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar cells is composed of a radiative recombination of voltage-injected carriers mediated by additional steps such as carrier trapping, redistribution of injected carriers, and photon recycling that affect the observed luminescence decays. These processes are investigated in high-performance halide perovskite LEDs, with external quantum efficiency (EQE) and luminance values higher than 20% and 80 000 Cd m , by measuring the frequency-resolved emitted light with respect to modulated voltage through a new methodology termed light emission voltage modulated spectroscopy (LEVS). The spectra are shown to provide detailed information on at least three different characteristic times.

Unusual Spectrally Reproducible and High Q-Factor Random Lasing in Polycrystalline Tin Perovskite Films.

An unusual spectrally reproducible near-IR random lasing (RL) with no fluctuation of lasing peak wavelength is disclosed in polycrystalline films of formamidinium tin triiodide perovskite, which have been chemically stabilized against Sn to Sn oxidation. Remarkably, a quality Q-factor as high as ≈10 with an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) threshold as low as 2 µJ cm (both at 20 K) are achieved. The observed spectral reproducibility is unprecedented for semiconductor thin film RL systems and cannot be explained by the strong spatial localization of lasing modes.

2D PEASnI Inkjet-Printed Halide Perovskite LEDs on Rigid and Flexible Substrates.

Lead-free PEASnI-based perovskite LEDs are successfully inkjet-printed on rigid and flexible substrates. Red-emitting devices (λ = 633 nm) exhibit, under ambient conditions, a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1% with a related brightness of 30 cd/m at 10 mA/cm.

Tin perovskite solar cells with >1,300 h of operational stability in N through a synergistic chemical engineering approach.

Despite the promising properties of tin-based halide perovskites, one clear limitation is the fast Sn oxidation. Consequently, the preparation of long-lasting devices remains challenging. Here, we report a chemical engineering approach, based on adding Dipropylammonium iodide (DipI) together with a well-known reducing agent, sodium borohydride (NaBH), aimed at preventing the premature degradation of Sn-HPs.

White light emission from lead-free mixed-cation doped CsSnCl nanocrystals.

We have designed a synthesis procedure to obtain CsSnCl nanocrystals (NCs) doped with metal ion(s) to emit visible light. CsSnCl NCs doped with Bi, Te and Sb ions emitted blue, yellow and red light, respectively. In addition, NCs simultaneously doped with Bi and Te ions were synthesized in a single run.

Supramolecular gating of TADF process in self-assembled nano-spheres for high-resolution OLED applications.

Acridine-based donor-acceptor chromophores exhibiting E-type delayed fluorescence were substituted with bis-biuret H-bonding motifs to induce the formation of hollow spheres which can be deposited from solution to form the active component of OLED devices. In solution, the contribution of the delayed component is sensitive to disruption of the aggregates.

Boosting Long-Term Stability of Pure Formamidinium Perovskite Solar Cells by Ambient Air Additive Assisted Fabrication.

Due to the high industrial interest for perovskite-based photovoltaic devices, there is an urgent need to fabricate them under ambient atmosphere, not limited to low relative humidity (RH) conditions. The formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) perovskite α-black phase is not stable at room temperature and is challenging to stabilize in an ambient environment. In this work, we show that pure FAPI perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have a dramatic increase of device long-term stability when prepared under ambient air compared to FAPI PSCs made under nitrogen, both fabricated with -methylpyrrolidone (NMP).

Color-Tunable White-Light-Emitting Materials Based on Liquid-Filled Capsules and Thermally Responsive Dyes.

Color-tunable white-light-emitting materials are currently attracting much attention because of their potential applications in artificial lighting, sensing, and imaging. However, preparation of these systems from organic emitters is often cumbersome due to the interchromophoric interactions occurring upon solvent drying in the final solid materials, which can be hardly predicted and may lead to detrimental effects. To circumvent these obstacles, we have developed a new fabrication methodology that relies on dye encapsulation within liquid-filled capsules, thus enabling direct transfer of the luminescent properties from solution to the solid state and as such, rational design of miniaturized white-light-emitting materials.

Endothelial lesion and complement activation in patients with Scleroderma Renal Crisis.

In kidney biopsies reviews, scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is characterized by vascular endothelial injuries, C4d deposits on peritubular vessels, and acute and chronic injuries coexisting on the same biopsy. The clinical signs of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) are described in systemic sclerosis (SSc), nevertheless, it has not been related to acute injuries described on kidney biopsies. We report a case of SRC in a patient with scleroderma-dermatomyositis overlap syndrome, which also showed clinical and histopathological data of TMA.

Analysis of Exosome Transfer in Mammalian Cells by Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching.

During the course of evolution, prokaryote and eukaryote cells have developed elegant and to some extent analogous strategies to communicate with each other and to adapt to their surrounding environment. Eukaryotic cells communicate with each other through direct interaction via juxtracrine signaling and/or by secreting soluble factors. These secreted factors can subsequently act on the cell itself (autocrine signaling) or interact with neighboring (paracrine signaling) and distant (endocrine signaling) cells.

Transformation of PbI, PbBr and PbCl salts into MAPbBr perovskite by halide exchange as an effective method for recombination reduction.

Halide perovskite derivatives present unprecedented physical phenomena among those materials which are suitable for photovoltaics, such as a fast ion diffusion coefficient. In this paper it is reported how the benefits of this property can be used during the growth of halide perovskites in order to control the morphological and optoelectronic properties of the final thin film. Using a large enough halide reservoir, the nature of the halides present in the final perovskite layer can be exchanged and this depends on the initial salt used in the two-step deposition method.

Analysis of the Hysteresis Behavior of Perovskite Solar Cells with Interfacial Fullerene Self-Assembled Monolayers.

The use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of fullerene derivatives reduces the hysteresis of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We have investigated three different fullerene derivatives observing a decrease on hysteresis for all the cases. Several processes can contribute to the hysteresis behavior on PSCs.

Single step deposition of an interacting layer of a perovskite matrix with embedded quantum dots.

Hybrid lead halide perovskite (PS) derivatives have emerged as very promising materials for the development of optoelectronic devices in the last few years. At the same time, inorganic nanocrystals with quantum confinement (QDs) possess unique properties that make them suitable materials for the development of photovoltaics, imaging and lighting applications, among others. In this work, we report on a new methodology for the deposition of high quality, large grain size and pinhole free PS films (CH3NH3PbI3) with embedded PbS and PbS/CdS core/shell Quantum Dots (QDs).

Tunable light emission by exciplex state formation between hybrid halide perovskite and core/shell quantum dots: Implications in advanced LEDs and photovoltaics.

We report the first observation of exciplex state electroluminescence due to carrier injection between the hybrid lead halide perovskite (MAPbI3-xClx) and quantum dots (core/shell PbS/CdS). Single layers of perovskite (PS) and quantum dots (QDs) have been produced by solution processing methods, and their photoluminescent properties are compared to those of bilayer samples in both PS/QD and QD/PS configurations. Exciplex emission at lower energies than the band gap of both PS and QD has been detected.

Recombination reduction on lead halide perovskite solar cells based on low temperature synthesized hierarchical TiO₂ nanorods.

Intensive research on the electron transport material (ETM) has been pursued to improve the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and decrease their cost. More importantly, the role of the ETM layer is not yet fully understood, and research on new device architectures is still needed. Here, we report the use of three-dimensional (3D) TiO2 with a hierarchical architecture based on rutile nanorods (NR) as photoanode material for PSCs.

Photoinduced Giant Dielectric Constant in Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells.

Organic-inorganic lead trihalide perovskites have emerged as an outstanding photovoltaic material that demonstrated a high 17.9% conversion efficiency of sunlight to electricity in a short time. We have found a giant dielectric constant (GDC) phenomenon in these materials consisting on a low frequency dielectric constant in the dark of the order of ε0 = 1000.

Slow Dynamic Processes in Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells. Characteristic Times and Hysteresis.

Characteristic times of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been measured by different techniques: transient photovoltage decay, transient photoluminescence, and impedance spectroscopy. A slow dynamic process is detected that shows characteristic times in the seconds to milliseconds scale, with good quantitative agreement between transient photovoltage decay and impedance spectroscopy. Here, we show that this characteristic time is related with a novel slow dynamic process caused by the peculiar structural properties of lead halide perovskites and depending on perovskite crystal size and organic cation nature.

Bright Visible-Infrared Light Emitting Diodes Based on Hybrid Halide Perovskite with Spiro-OMeTAD as a Hole-Injecting Layer.

Hybrid halide perovskites that are currently intensively studied for photovoltaic applications, also present outstanding properties for light emission. Here, we report on the preparation of bright solid state light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on a solution-processed hybrid lead halide perovskite (Pe). In particular, we have utilized the perovskite generally described with the formula CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x) and exploited a configuration without electron or hole blocking layer in addition to the injecting layers.

Efficient passivated phthalocyanine-quantum dot solar cells.

The power conversion efficiency of CdSe and CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells is enhanced by passivation with asymmetrically substituted phthalocyanines. The introduction of the phthalocyanine dye increases the efficiency up to 45% for CdSe and 104% for CdS. The main mechanism causing this improvement is the quantum dot passivation.

All solution processed low turn-on voltage near infrared LEDs based on core-shell PbS-CdS quantum dots with inverted device structure.

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are extraordinarily appealing for the development of light emitting devices (LEDs) due to tunable and pure color emission, brightness and solution processability. This last advantage of the QD-LEDs is even more evident in the field of infrared emission where the devices currently used are prepared by high cost epitaxial techniques. Here we show the fabrication of low cost NIR QD-LEDs based on high quantum yield core-shell PbS-CdS QDs and a novel inverted device structure.

Recombination Study of Combined Halides (Cl, Br, I) Perovskite Solar Cells.

We report on the preparation of a series of solution-processed perovskite solar cells based on methylammonium (MA) lead halide derivatives, MAPbX3, which show tunable optical properties depending on the nature and ratio of the halides employed (X = Cl, Br, and I). Devices have been prepared with different cell architecture, thin film, and mesoporous scaffold (TiO2 and Al2O3). We have analyzed different sample sets focusing on the characterization of the charge recombination by means of impedance spectroscopy (IS).

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Passivation in Quantum-Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells.

The effect of semiconductor passivation on quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) has been systematically characterized for CdS and CdS/ZnS. We have found that passivation strongly depends on the passivation agent, obtaining an enhancement of the solar cell efficiency for compounds containing amine and thiol groups and, in contrast, a decrease in performance for passivating agents with acid groups. Passivation can induce a change in the position of TiO2 conduction band and also in the recombination rate and nature, reflected in a change in the β parameter.