Prospects of Graphene as a Potential Carrier‐Transport Material in Third‐Generation Solar Cells

Third‐generation solar cells are understood to be the pathway to overcoming the issues and drawbacks of the existing solar cell technologies. Since the introduction of graphene in solar cells, it has been providing attractive properties for the next generation of solar cells. Currently, there are more theoretical predictions rather than practical recognitions in third‐generation solar cells. Some of the potential of graphene has been explored in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but it has yet to be fully comprehended in the recent third‐generation inorganic–organic hybrid perovskite solar cells. In this review, the diverse role of graphene in third‐generation OPVs and DSSCs will be deliberated to provide an insight on the prospects and challenges of graphene in inorganic–organic hybrid perovskite solar cells.     

无机材料在有机太阳能电池中的应用

无机材料电子迁移率高、光谱响应范围与太阳光谱匹配,而有机材料价格低廉、合成方法简单、容易制作在基底上,因此在太阳能电池中具有更广阔的应用前景。 目前,阻碍有机太阳能电池发展的主要原因是材料的载流子迁移率低、器件稳定性差、吸收光谱与太阳光谱不匹配,导致光电转换效率较低。 若能将有机、无机材料二者的优点相结合,将可提高有机太阳能电池的能量转换效率。 目前的研究已经取得了一定进展,无机材料在受体层、阴极缓冲层、阳极缓冲层中的应用均不同程度地提高了有机太阳能电池的能量转换效率。 本文综述了目前该领域的研究现状,并对今后的研究提出了展望。     

A Comparative Study of Cellulose Ethers as Thermotropic Materials for Self-Tracking Solar Concentrators

The continuous growth in energy demand requires researchers to find new solutions to enlarge and diversify the possible ways of exploiting renewable energy sources. Our idea is the development of a solar concentrator based on trapping the luminous radiation with a smart window. This system is able to direct light towards the photovoltaic cells placed on window borders and produce electricity, without any movable part and without changing its transparency. Herein, we report a detailed study of cellulose ethers, a class of materials of natural origin capable of changing their state, from transparent aqueous solution to scattering hydrogel, in response to a temperature change. Cellulose thermotropism can be used to produce a scattering spot in a window filled with the thermotropic fluid to create a new kind of self-tracking solar concentrator. We demonstrate that the properties of the thermotropic fluid can be finely tuned by selecting the cellulose functionalization, the co-dissolved salt, and by regulating their dosage. Lastly, the results of our investigation are tested in a proof-of-concept demonstration of solar concentration achieved by thermotropism-based light trapping.     

Improvement of Phase Change Materials (PCM) Used for Solar Process Heat Applications

The high intermittency of solar energy is still a challenge yet to be overcome. The use of thermal storage has proven to be a good option, with phase change materials (PCM) as very promising candidates. Nevertheless, PCM compounds have typically poor thermal conductivity, reducing their attractiveness for commercial uses. This paper demonstrates the viability of increasing the PCM effective thermal conductivity to industrial required values (around 4 W/m·K) by using metal wool infiltrated into the resin under vacuum conditions. To achieve this result, the authors used an inert resin, decoupling the specific PCM material selection from the enhancement effect of the metal wools. To ensure proper behavior of the metal wool under standard industrial environments at a broad range of temperatures, a set of analyses were performed at high temperatures and an inert atmosphere, presenting a thorough analysis of the obtained results.     

Developing Flexible Quinacridone-Derivatives-Based Photothermal Evaporaters for Solar Steam and Thermoelectric Power Generation

Solar-driven interfacial vaporization by localizing solar-thermal energy conversion to the air−water interface has attracted tremendous attention. In the process of converting solar energy into heat energy, photothermal materials play an essential role. Herein, a flexible solar-thermal material di-cyan substituted 5,12-dibutylquinacridone (DCN−4CQA)@Paper was developed by coating photothermal quinacridone derivatives on the cellulose paper. The DCN−4CQA@Paper combines desired chemical and physical properties, broadband light-absorbing, and shape-conforming abilities that render efficient photothermic vaporization. Notably, synergetic coupling of solar-steam and solar-electricity technologies by integrating DCN−4CQA@Paper and the thermoelectric devices is realized without trade-offs, highlighting the practical consideration toward more impactful solar heat exploitation. Such solar distillation and low-grade heat-to-electricity generation functions can provide potential opportunities for fresh water and electricity supply in off-grid or remote areas.     

Triazine: An Important Building Block of Organic Materials for Solar Cell Application

Since the beginning of the 21st century, triazine-based molecules have been employed to construct different organic materials due to their unique optoelectronic properties. Among their applications, photovoltaics stands out because of the current need to develop efficient, economic, and green alternatives to energy generation based mainly on fossil fuels. Here, we review all the development of triazine-based organic materials for solar cell applications, including organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and perovskite solar cells. Firstly, we attempt to illustrate the main synthetic routes to prepare triazine derivatives. Then, we introduce the main aspects associated with solar cells and their performance. Afterward, we discuss different works focused on the preparation, characterization, and evaluation of triazine derivatives in solar cells, distinguishing the type of photovoltaics and the role of the triazine-based material in their performance (e.g., as a donor, acceptor, hole-transporting material, electron-transporting material, among others). Throughout this review, the progress, drawbacks, and main issues of the performance of the mentioned solar cells are exposed and discussed. Finally, some conclusions and perspectives about this research topic are mentioned.     

Pumpkin‐Derived Porous Carbon for Supercapacitors with High Performance

Pumpkin has been employed for the first time as a renewable, low‐cost precursor for the preparation of porous carbon materials with excellent performance. Unlike most other precursors, pumpkin is rich in sugars and starch, and it has advantageous properties for large‐scale production. The as‐prepared materials adopted a unique morphology that consisted of numerous fused sphere‐like carbon grains with a high specific surface area (2968 m² g^?1), abundant micro and mesopores, and excellent electrochemical properties. The pumpkin‐derived activated carbon (PAC) material not only exhibited a high specific capacitance of 419 F g^?1, but also showed considerable cycling stability, with 93.6 % retention after 10 000 cycles. Moreover, a symmetrical supercapacitor that was based on PAC showed a high energy density of 22.1 W h kg^?1 in aqueous electrolyte. These superior properties demonstrate that PAC holds great promise for applications in electrochemical energy‐storage devices.     

聚合物太阳能电池给体材料研究进展

随着能源和环境问题日益严重,人们日益关注于太阳能的开发和应用。同时,无机太阳能电池因其自身原因而受到限制,聚合物太阳能电池受到更多的关注。在聚合物基的太阳能电池中,给体材料制约着电池效率的提高,其中材料的带隙和能级是影响其性能的主要因素。而通过研究和选取具有合适带隙和能级的给体材料可以有效地调节电池器件的效率。本文介绍了太阳能电池给体材料的设计原则与主要影响因素,并叙述了近年来该领域内的研究进展和以及发展前景。     

太阳能转换过程中的高分子应用

近年来,在太阳能利用的科学领域内,高分子材料得到了广泛的应用。本文从太阳能工艺学和太阳能转换两个方面对此问题作了介绍和讨论。     

Influence of Alkoxy Chain Length on the Properties of Two-Dimensionally Expanded Azulene-Core-Based Hole-Transporting Materials for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

A series of two-dimensionally expanded azulene-core-based π systems have been synthesized with different alkyl chain lengths in the alkoxy moieties connected to the partially oxygen-bridged triarylamine skeletons. The thermal, photophysical, and electronic properties of each compound were evaluated to determine the influence of the alkyl chain length on their effectiveness as hole-transporting materials (HTMs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). All the synthesized molecules showed promising material properties, including high solubility, the formation of flat and amorphous films, and optimal alignment of energy levels with perovskites. In particular, the derivatives with methyl and n-butyl in the side chains retained amorphous stability up to 233 and 159 °C, respectively. Such short alkoxy chains also resulted in improved electrical device properties. The PSC device fabricated with the HTM with n-butyl side chains showed the best performance with a power conversion efficiency of 18.9 %, which compares favorably with that of spiro-OMeTAD-based PSCs (spiro-OMeTAD=2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9′-spirobifluorene).     

Heat Capacity of Titanium in the Temperature Range 1500 to 1900 K Measured by a Millisecond Pulse-heating Technique

Heat capacity of titanium in the temperature range 1500 to 1900 K was measured by a pulse-heating system, operating in the millisecond time regime. The measurement technique is based on selfheating of a tube-shaped specimen from room temperature to melting in approximately 500 ms and measuring current through the specimen, voltage drop along a defined portion of the specimen, and temperature of the specimen every 0.5 ms. A total of 12 measurements on 3 tube-shaped specimens was made. The reproducibility between individual measurements was 0.4%, between different specimens 0.7%. The extended measurement uncertainty (at a confidence level of 95%) is estimated to be 3%. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Purified,Solvent‐Intercalated Precursor Complex for Wide‐Process‐Window Fabrication of Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules

A high‐purity methylammonium lead iodide complex with intercalated dimethylformamide (DMF) molecules, CH₃NH₃PbI₃?DMF, is introduced as an effective precursor material for fabricating high‐quality solution‐processed perovskite layers. Spin‐coated films of the solvent‐intercalated complex dissolved in pure dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) yielded thick, dense perovskite layers after thermal annealing. The low volatility of the pure DMSO solvent extended the allowable time for low‐speed spin programs and considerably relaxed the precision needed for the antisolvent addition step. An optimized, reliable fabrication method was devised to take advantage of this extended process window and resulted in highly consistent performance of perovskite solar cell devices, with up to 19.8 % power‐conversion efficiency (PCE). The optimized method was also used to fabricate a 22.0 cm², eight‐cell module with 14.2 % PCE (active area) and 8.64 V output (1.08 V/cell).     

相变储能材料的研究进展

综述了相变材料的研究进展状况 ,介绍了相变材料的分类以及各类相变材料的性能、储能机理和优缺点 ,并介绍了一些新型的相变材料 ,指出了该领域中有待解决的问题 ,展望了未来相变材料的发展前景。     

Hexaazatrinaphthylene Derivatives: Efficient Electron‐Transporting Materials with Tunable Energy Levels for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATNA) derivatives have been successfully shown to function as efficient electron‐transporting materials (ETMs) for perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). The cells demonstrate a superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.6 % with negligible hysteresis. This study provides one of the first nonfullerene small‐molecule‐based ETMs for high‐performance p–i–n PVSCs.     

Experimental Evaluation of Procedures for Heat Capacity Measurement by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Experimental evaluation of the procedures adopted for heat capacity measurements employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been carried out by taking nickel and sapphire as test samples. Among the various methodologies reported in literature, the absolute dual step method was chosen for this purpose due to its simplicity and minimum number of measurements required. By proper temperature and heat flux calibration employing indium as reference, it was possible to obtain the calibration factor independent of temperature. This was ascertained by analysing other pure metals namely Sn, Zn, Cd, and Pb and determining their melting temperatures and heats of melting. Various operator- and sample-dependent parameters such as heating rate, sample mass, the structure of the sample, reproducibility and repeatability in the measurements were investigated. Heat capacities of both nickel and sapphire have been determined using the above method. Further, the heat capacity of nickel has also been determined using the widely employed three-step method taking sapphire as the heat flux calibration standard. Both methods yielded the comparable heat capacity values for nickel. Based on the parameters investigated and their influence, it could be concluded that reasonably precise and accurate heat capacity measurements are possible with DSC. One advantage of this method is the elimination of a separate calibration run using a reference material of known heat capacity. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

General Theory of Steady State of tm-DSC and its Application to Complex Heat Capacity Measurements

For complex heat capacity measurements, steady state of various types of temperature modulated DSC is theoretically investigated by a set of common comprehensive fundamental equations of heat balance. Heat capacities of heat paths, heat loss to the environment and mutual heat exchange between the sample and the reference material are taken into accounts together with thermal contact effect between the cell and its holder plate. Rigorous and general solutions have been obtained, and useful relations for complex heat capacity measurements have been derived for each type of DSC. They are compared with each other to elucidate unique features of each type of DSC.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Molecular Solar Thermal Batteries through Combination of Magnetic Nanoparticle Catalysts and Tailored Norbornadiene Photoswitches

Cobalt catalysts are immobilized on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles for the preparation of highly active quasi-homogeneous catalysts toward an efficient release of photochemically stored energy in norbornadiene-based photoswitches. The facile separation of the iron oxide nanoparticles through exploitation of the intrinsic magnetic properties of this material enables efficient cyclization of energy storage and release. Through the transition from cobalt (II) salphen to cobalt porphyrins, a 22.6-fold increase in the catalytic efficiency of the QC-NBD back-conversion is achieved, with an initial TOF of up to 3.64 s⁻¹ and excellent TON of over 3305. In addition, a series of novel “push–pull” functionalized norbornadiene derivatives is prepared, featuring excellent absorption properties with maxima up to 366 nm, quantum yields around 70 %, high energy storage capacities of up to 98.0 kJ mol⁻¹, and outstanding thermal stability with t_1/2 (25 °C) over 100 days. Finally, the energy storage potential of these molecular solar thermal (MOST) systems is harnessed in a heat release experiment. This demonstrates the potential of norbornadiene-based photoswitches in combination with efficient magnetic catalysts for the generation of environmentally benign process heat.     

Heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate)

The low‐temperature heat capacity of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was measured from 5 to 330 K. The experimental heat capacity of solid PBT, below the glass transition, was linked to its approximate group and skeletal vibrational spectrum. The 21 skeletal vibrations were estimated with a general Tarasov equation with the parameters Θ₁ = 530 K and Θ₂ = Θ₃ = 55 K. The calculated and experimental heat capacities of solid PBT agreed within better than ±3% between 5 and 200 K. The newly calculated vibrational heat capacity of the solid from this study and the liquid heat capacity from the ATHAS Data Bank were applied as reference values for a quantitative thermal analysis of the apparent heat capacity of semicrystalline PBT between the glass and melting transitions as obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. From these results, the integral thermodynamic functions (enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs function) of crystalline and amorphous PBT were calculated. Finally, the changes in the crystallinity with the temperature were analyzed. With the crystallinity, a baseline was constructed that separated the thermodynamic heat capacity from cold crystallization, reorganization, annealing, and melting effects contained in the apparent heat capacity. For semicrystalline PBT samples, the mobile‐amorphous and rigid‐amorphous fractions were estimated to complete the thermal analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4401–4411, 2004     

3,4‐Phenylenedioxythiophene (PheDOT) Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

Two new electron‐rich molecules based on 3,4‐phenylenedioxythiophene (PheDOT) were synthesized and successfully adopted as hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). X‐ray diffraction, absorption spectra, photoluminescence spectra, electrochemical properties, thermal stabilities, hole mobilities, conductivities, and photovoltaic parameters of PSCs based on these two HTMs were compared with each other. By introducing methoxy substituents into the main skeleton, the energy levels of PheDOT‐core HTM were tuned to match with the perovskite, and its hole mobility was also improved (1.33×10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1, being higher than that of spiro‐OMeTAD, 2.34×10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1). The PSC based on MeO‐PheDOT as HTM exhibits a short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of 18.31 mA cm^?2, an open‐circuit potential (V_oc) of 0.914 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 0.636, yielding an encouraging power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.64 % under AM 1.5G illumination. These results give some insight into how the molecular structures of HTMs affect their performances and pave the way for developing high‐efficiency and low‐cost HTMs for PSCs.