Tailoring Porous N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres for 3D Bottom-Up Electrode Design: A Versatile Synthesis Toolbox for Particle Size Independent Pore Size Control.

The rational design of carbon-based electrode materials plays an important role in improving the electrochemical properties of both, energy storage and energy conversion electrodes and devices. For most applications, well-defined and easily processable porous carbon-based electrode materials with controlled particle morphology (ideally spherical), particle size, and intraparticle pore size are desired. Here, a hard-templating synthesis toolbox is reported for highly-monodisperse meso- and macroporous N-doped carbon nanospheres (MPNCs) as a versatile material platform for the 3D bottom-up design of porous electrodes.

Ultra-uniform perovskite crystals formed in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bistriflimide afford efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.

Compositional engineering of organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite allows for improved optoelectrical properties, however, phase segregation occurs during crystal nucleation and limits perovskite solar cell device performance. Herein, we show that by applying tetrabutylammonium bistriflimide as an additive in the perovskite precursor solution, ultra-uniform perovskite crystals are obtained, which effectively increases device performance. As a result, power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 24.

Demonstrating clean energy transition scenarios in sector-coupled and renewable-based energy communities.

Background: Energy communities facilitate several advantages, including energy autonomy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, poverty mitigation, and regional economic development. They also empower citizens with decision-making and co-ownership prospects in community renewable projects. Integrating renewable energy sources and sector coupling is a crucial strategy for flexible energy systems.

Tracing pistachio nuts' origin and irrigation practices through hyperspectral imaging.

Pistachio trees have become a significant global agricultural commodity because their nuts are renowned for their unique flavour and numerous health benefits, contributing to their high demand worldwide. This study explores the application of Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) and Machine Learning (ML) to determine pistachio nuts' geographic origin and irrigation practices, alongside predicting essential commercial quality and yield parameters. The study was conducted in two Spanish orchards and employed HSI technology to capture spectral data.

The Role of Luminescent Coupling in Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells.

Luminescent coupling (LC) is a key phenomenon in monolithic tandem solar cells. This study presents a nondestructive technique to quantitatively evaluate the LC effect, addressing a gap in the existing predictions made by optical modeling. The method involves measuring the ratio of photons emitted from the high bandgap top cell that escape through the rear, contributing additional current to the bottom cell, and to those escaping from the front side of top cell.

Reaction Mechanisms of High-Rate Copper Electrochemical Machining in Nitrate Electrolytes.

The high-rate electrochemical dissolution of copper in nitrate electrolytes is investigated primarily via polarization curves, while varying parameters such as the electrolyte flow velocity, the electrolyte resistance, the anode geometry, and the temperature. This study focuses on the re-rise in current at high voltages after the limiting current plateau. As a result of the studies, a change in the complexation mechanism from hydration to "solvo-nitration" is proposed, which requires an additional potential drop within the electrochemical double layer.

In-Situ Characterization of Cathode Catalyst Degradation in PEM Fuel Cells.

The composition and morphology of the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) have a significant impact on the performance and stability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Understanding the primary degradation mechanism of the CCL and its influencing factors is crucial for optimizing PEMFC performance and durability. Within this work, we present comprehensive in-situ characterization data focused on cathode catalyst degradation.

Understanding the Correlation between Electrochemical Performance and Operating Mechanism of a Co-free Layered-Spinel Composite Cathode for Na-Ion Batteries.

Compositing different crystal structures of layered transition metal oxides (LTMOs) is an emerging strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of LTMOs in sodium-ion batteries. Herein, a cobalt-free P2/P3-layered spinel composite, P2/P3-LS-NaMnNiFeO (LS-NMNF), is synthesized, and the synergistic effects from the P2/P3 and spinel phases were investigated. The material delivers an initial discharge capacity of 143 mAh g in the voltage range of 1.

Ultrasmall and Highly Dispersed Pt Entities Deposited on Mesoporous N-doped Carbon Nanospheres by Pulsed CVD for Improved HER.

Vapor-based deposition techniques are emerging approaches for the design of carbon-supported metal powder electrocatalysts with tailored catalyst entities, sizes, and dispersions. Herein, a pulsed CVD (Pt-pCVD) approach is employed to deposit different Pt entities on mesoporous N-doped carbon (MPNC) nanospheres to design high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. The influence of consecutive precursor pulse number (50-250) and deposition temperature (225-300 °C) are investigated.

Remanufacturing Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules-A Holistic Case Study.

While perovskite photovoltaic (PV) devices are on the verge of commercialization, promising methods to recycle or remanufacture fully encapsulated perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and modules are still missing. Through a detailed life-cycle assessment shown in this work, we identify that the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by re-using the glass substrate and parts of the PV cells. Based on these analytical findings, we develop a novel thermally assisted mechanochemical approach to remove the encapsulants, the electrode, and the perovskite absorber, allowing reuse of most of the device constituents for remanufacturing PSCs, which recovered nearly 90% of their initial performance.

Multifunctional sulfonium-based treatment for perovskite solar cells with less than 1% efficiency loss over 4,500-h operational stability tests.

The stabilization of grain boundaries and surfaces of the perovskite layer is critical to extend the durability of perovskite solar cells. Here we introduced a sulfonium-based molecule, dimethylphenethylsulfonium iodide (DMPESI), for the post-deposition treatment of formamidinium lead iodide perovskite films. The treated films show improved stability upon light soaking and remains in the black phase after two years ageing under ambient condition without encapsulation.

A universal ligand for lead coordination and tailored crystal growth in perovskite solar cells.

Chemical environment and precursor-coordinating molecular interactions within a perovskite precursor solution can lead to important implications in structural defects and crystallization kinetics of a perovskite film. Thus, the opto-electronic quality of such films can be boosted by carefully fine-tuning the coordination chemistry of perovskite precursors controllable introduction of additives, capable of forming intermediate complexes. In this work, we employed a new type of ligand, namely 1-phenylguanidine (PGua), which coordinates strongly with the PbI complexes in the perovskite precursor, forming new intermediate species.

Constructing Hollow Microcubes SnS as Negative Electrode for Sodium-ion and Potassium-ion Batteries.

Sodium/potassium-ion batteries (NIBs and KIBs) are considered the most promising candidates for lithium-ion batteries in energy storage fields. Tin sulfide (SnS) is regarded as an attractive negative candidate for NIBs and KIBs thanks to its superior power density, high-rate performance and natural richness. Nevertheless, the slow dynamics, the enormous volume change and the decomposition of polysulfide intermediates limit its practical application.

Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon-Based Heterogeneous Catalysts for Energy Release of Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Materials.

Molecular solar thermal energy storage (MOST) systems are rapidly becoming a feasible alternative to energy storage and net-zero carbon emission heating. MOST systems involve a single photoisomerization pair that incorporates light absorption, storage, and heat release processes in one recurring cycle. Despite significant recent advancements in the field, the catalytic back-reaction from MOST systems remains relatively unexplored.

A prospective ecological risk assessment of high-efficiency III-V/silicon tandem solar cells.

III-V/Silicon tandem solar cells offer one of the most promising avenues for high-efficiency, high-stability photovoltaics. However, a key concern is the potential environmental release of group III-V elements, especially arsenic. To inform long-term policies on the energy transition and energy security, we develop and implement a framework that fully integrates future PV demand scenarios with dynamic stock, emission, and fate models in a probabilistic ecological risk assessment.

Electrochemical Investigations of Sulfur-Decorated Organic Materials as Cathodes for Alkali Batteries.

Alkali metal-sulfur batteries (particularly, lithium/sodium- sulfur (Li/Na-S)) have attracted much attention because of their high energy density, the natural abundance of sulfur, and environmental friendliness. However, Li/Na-S batteries still face big challenges, such as limited cycle life, poor conductivity, large volume changes, and the "shuttle effect" caused by the high solubility of Li/Na-polysulfides. Herein, novel organosulfur-containing materials, i.

Lead-free organic-inorganic azetidinium alternating metal cation bromide: [(CH)NH]AgBiBr, a perovskite-related absorber.

In the last decade, organic-inorganic hybrid halide perovskite materials have developed into a very large research area in photovoltaics and optoelectronics as promising light harvesters. Lead-free double perovskites have recently been investigated as an environmentally friendly alternative to the lead-containing compositions. However, lead-free organic-inorganic hybrid halide double perovskites have so far rarely been produced due to a certain complexity in their synthesis.

Basic adsorption heat exchanger theory for performance prediction of adsorption heat pumps.

Adsorption modules are the core components of thermally driven adsorption heat pumps and chillers. Due to the transient nature of the adsorption and desorption processes, usually complicated numerical models are used for prediction of efficiency and heat flow rates. In this research article, we suggest a radically simplified calculation based on splitting up the ad- and desorption half cycle into a transient, strongly non-isothermal switching phase and a quasi-isothermal phase.

Modification of Al Surface via Acidic Treatment and its Impact on Plating and Stripping.

Amorphous Al O film that naturally exists on any Al substrate is a critical bottleneck for the cyclic performance of metallic Al in rechargeable Al batteries. The so-called electron/ion insulator Al oxide slows down the anode's activation and hinders Al plating/stripping. The Al O film induces different surface properties (roughness and microstructure) on the metal.

Ultra-Stable ITO-Free Organic Solar Cells and Modules Processed from Non-Halogenated Solvents under Indoor Illumination.

Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) is a very promising technology to harvest artificial illumination and power smart devices of the Internet of Things (IoT). Efficiencies as high as 30.2% have been reported for OPVs under warm white light-emitting diode (LED) light.

Monolithic Two-Terminal Perovskite/Perovskite/Silicon Triple-Junction Solar Cells with Open Circuit Voltage >2.8 V.

The efficiency of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells has exceeded the previous record for III-V-based dual-junction solar cells. This shows the high potential of perovskite solar cells in multi-junction applications. Perovskite/perovskite/silicon triple-junction solar cells are now the next step to achieve efficient and low-cost multi-junction solar cells with an efficiency potential even higher than that for dual-junction solar cells.

Enhanced optoelectronic coupling for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.

Monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are of great appeal as they promise high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) at affordable cost. In state-of-the-art tandems, the perovskite top cell is electrically coupled to a silicon heterojunction bottom cell by means of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), anchored on a transparent conductive oxide (TCO), which enables efficient charge transfer between the subcells. Yet reproducible, high-performance tandem solar cells require energetically homogeneous SAM coverage, which remains challenging, especially on textured silicon bottom cells.

Mask and plate: a scalable front metallization with low-cost potential for III-V-based tandem solar cells enabling 31.6 % conversion efficiency.

Low-cost approaches for mass production of III-V-based photovoltaics are highly desired today. For the first time, this work presents industrially relevant mask and plate for front metallization of III-V-based solar cells replacing expensive photolithography. Metal contacts are fabricated by nickel (Ni) electroplating directly onto the solar cell's front using a precisely structured mask.

A facile spray-pressing synthesis approach for reusable photothermal masks.

Certain types of face masks are highly efficient in protecting humans from bacterial and viral pathogens, and growing concerns with high safety, low cost, and wide market suitability have accelerated the replacement of reusable face masks with disposable ones during the last decades. However, wearing these masks creates countless problems associated with personnel comfort as well as more significant issues related to the cost of fabrication, the generation of medical waste, and environmental contaminants. In this work, we present a facile spray-pressing technique for the production of P-masks with a potential scale-up prospect by adding a graphene layer on one side of meltblown fabric and a functional layer on the other side.

Stable chemical enhancement of passivating nanolayer structures grown by atomic layer deposition on silicon.

Incorporation of carrier-selective passivating contacts is on the critical path for approaching the theoretical power conversion efficiency limit in silicon solar cells. We have used plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create ultra-thin films at the single nanometre-scale which can be subsequently chemically enhanced to have properties suitable for high-performance contacts. Negatively charged 1 nm thick HfO films exhibit very promising passivation properties - exceeding those of SiO and AlO at an equivalent thickness - providing a surface recombination velocity (SRV) of 19 cm s on -type silicon.