A Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Based on Aligned P(VDF-TrFE) Nanofibers.

Aligned P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers are successfully fabricated by advanced electrospinning. The aligned feature of the nanofibers is achieved by using parallel electrodes, which is fabricated by lithography and wet etching, and a rotating drum collector. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the nanofibers are highly ordered with a smooth surface and uniform diameter.

Ultraviolet-assisted microfluidic generation of ferroelectric composite particles.

We report on the feasible fabrication of microfluidic devices for ferroelectric polymers' synthesis in a rapid and stable fashion. Utilizing micro-mixing and flow-focusing in microchannels, poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and copper phthalocyanine are uniformly dispersed in one hydrogel particle, which are then demonstrated to immediate and complete on-chip steady polymerization by moderate ultraviolet treatment. The advantage of our droplet-based microfluidic devices is generating versatile particles from simple spheres to disks or rods, and the lengths of particles can be precisely tuned from 30 to 400 μm through adjusting the flow rates of both disperse and oil phases.

A composite nanostructured electron-transport layer for stable hole-conductor free perovskite solar cells: design and characterization.

A novel composite nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) based electron-transport layer (ETL) is designed by combining size blended nanoparticles (SBNP) and nanoarrays (NA) for efficient perovskite solar cell (PSC) applications. The composite nanostructured (SBNP + NA) ETL is successfully employed in hole-conductor free PSCs, there by achieving a stable device with a maximum efficiency of 13.5%.

Highly transparent carbon counter electrode prepared via an in situ carbonization method for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells.

A facile in situ carbonization method was demonstrated to prepare the highly transparent carbon counter electrode (CE) with good mechanical stability for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The optical and electrochemical properties of carbon CEs were dramatically affected by the composition and concentration of the precursor. The well-optimized carbon CE exhibited high transparency and sufficient catalytic activity for I3(-) reduction.

Effects of bis(imidazolium) molten salts with different substituents of imidazolium cations on the performance of efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

Bis(imidazolium) iodides (bis-Im(+)I(-)s) are synthesized with different substituents and used as electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Three kinds of low-volatility electrolytes are prepared by using 1,1'-methylene bis(3-imidazolium) diiodide (MIDI), 1,1'-methylene bis(3-n-methylimidazolium) diiodide (MMIDI), and 1,1'-methylene-bis(3-n-ethylimidazolium) diiodide (MEIDI) as the iodide sources. The effects of these substituents on the photovoltaic performance of the cells are investigated.