A Molecularly Engineered Zwitterionic Hydrogel with Strengthened Anti-Polyelectrolyte Effect: from High-Rate Solar Desalination to Efficient Electricity Generation

Polyzwitterionic hydrogel is an emerging material for solar-driven water evaporation in saline environment due to its special anti-polyelectrolyte effect, which is a promising approach to co-generation of freshwater and electricity. However, the molecular impact on anti-polyelectrolyte effect remains unclear, let alone to optimize the zwitterionic structure to promote water evaporation efficiency in high-salinity brine. Herein, a molecularly engineered zwitterionic hydrogel is developed and the incorporated phenyl-methylene-imidazole motif greatly enhances the salt binding ability and strengthens anti-polyelectrolyte effect, leading to boosted hydration, improved salt tolerance, ultra-low evaporation enthalpy (almost half of traditional zwitterionic gel), and durable anti-microbial ability in brine. Besides, gradient solar-thermal network is penetrated to optimize water transport channel and heat confinement. The gel exhibits excellent evaporation rate of 3.17 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ in seawater, which is 1.6 times of that in water and such high efficiency could be maintained during 8 h continuous desalination, demonstrating outstanding salt tolerance. The high flux of ion stream can generate considerable voltage (321.3 mV) simultaneously. This work will bring new insights to the understanding of anti-polyelectrolyte effect at molecular level and promote materials design for saline water evaporation.     

Biomimetically Assembled Sponge-Like Hydrogels for Efficient Solar Water Purification

Hydrogel-based evaporators for interfacial solar vapor generation (SVG) have emerged as a promising and sustainable strategy for freshwater production. Nevertheless, developing a green and simple approach in the fabrication of porous hydrogel-based evaporators with tunable porous structures and superior mechanical properties continues to be a challenge. Herein, cryo-assembled templating and polymerization (CTP) is proposed as an ecological, simple yet effective approach to synthesizing sponge-like hydrogels (SPHs) with outstanding mechanical properties. Moreover, inspired by the structural geometry of conifer plants of radially aligned microchannels and vertical vessels granting impressive water transportation abilities, the polyzwitterionic SPH evaporators with biomimetically assembled structure (B-SPH) raise the water transport rate by up to nearly 2 orders of magnitude compared to bulk hydrogels. The B-SPH also enables an SVG rate up to ≈ 3.45 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under one sun irradiation and an energy efficiency of ≈ 95%. In addition, the as-prepared materials feature stable mechanical properties and SVG performance even after being rolled, folded, and twisted over hundred times. It is anticipated that the B-SPH prepared by CTP method provides insights into scalable hydrogel-based evaporators with elaborate porous structures and durable mechanical properties in an energy-efficient manner.     

Moisture-Thermal Stable,Superhydrophilic Alumina-Based Ceramics Fabricated by a Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printing Strategy for Solar Steam Generation

The solar-driven interface evaporation is one of the most promising technologies for desalination and wastewater purification. However, in the ebb and flow of the tide, water absorbed in the hydrophilic evaporator bottom would significantly change, leading to the shape deformation of the system and further failure of solar steam generation. Here it is reported that the moisture-thermal stable and superhydrophilic alumina-based ceramics can be fabricated by a selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing strategy. The printed alumina-based ceramics possess superhydrophilicity. Along the side surface of the printed sample, a 5 µL water droplet can be fast absorbed in 14 ms. Most importantly, they can maintain stable and high evaporation efficiency even after being dried out for ten times, demonstrating the excellent physical resistance to continuous moisture-thermal transition. Finally, the “I-shaped” evaporators are printed with salt-resistant ability, which can maintain a steady high evaporation efficiency in seawater and 20 wt% brine for long-term steam generation process. The moisture-thermal stable alumina-based ceramics prepared in this work will provide inspiration for stable solar steam generation materials, and expand the development of 3D printing functional materials.     

Dual-Zone Photothermal Evaporator for Antisalt Accumulation and Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Interfacial solar steam generation offers a promising and cost-effective way for saline water desalination. However, salt accumulation and deposition on photothermal materials during saline and brine evaporation is detrimental to the stability and sustainability of solar evaporation. Although several antisalt strategies are developed, it is difficult to simultaneously achieve high evaporation rates ( > 2.0 kg m⁻² h⁻¹) and energy efficiencies. In this study, a self-rotating photothermal evaporator with dual evaporation zones (i.e., high-temperature and low-temperature evaporation zones) is developed. This photothermal evaporator is sensitive to weight imbalance ( < 15 mg) thus is able to quickly respond to salt accumulation by rotation to refresh the evaporation surface, while the dual evaporation zones optimize the energy nexus during solar evaporation, simultaneously realizing excellent salt-resistant performance and high evaporation rate (2.6 kg m⁻² h⁻¹), which can significantly contribute to the real-world application of solar steam generation technology.     

Development and Evolution of the System Structure for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation from Zero to Three Dimensions

Direct solar steam generation (DSSG) offers a promising, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solution to the energy and water crisis. In the past decades, DSSG has gained tremendous attention due to its potential applications for clean water production, desalination, wastewater treatment, and electric energy harvesting. Even though the solar–thermal conversion efficiency has approached 100% under 1 sun illumination (1 kW m^?2) using various photothermal materials and systems, the optimization of the materials and system structure remains unclear because of the lack of evaluation methods in unity for the output efficiency. In this review, a few key concerns about different dimensional materials and systems that determine the characteristics of DSSG are explored. Quantitative analysis, including calculations and methods for the solar–thermal conversion efficiency, evaporation rate, and energy loss, is employed to evaluate the materials and systems from the point of view of ultimate utilization. This article focuses on the relationship between the system dimension and energy efficiency and notes opportunities for future system design and commercialization of DSSG.     

Ni-based Plasmonic/Magnetic Nanostructures as Efficient Light Absorbers for Steam Generation

Solar steam generation technologies have gained increasing attention due to their great potential for clean water generation with low energy consumption. The rational design of a light absorber that can maximize solar energy utilization is therefore of great importance. Here, the synthesis of Ni@C@SiO₂ core–shell nanoparticles as promising light absorbers for steam generation by taking advantage of the plasmonic excitation of Ni nanoparticles, the broadband absorption of carbon, and the protective function and hydrophilic property of silica is reported. The nanoparticle-based evaporator shows an excellent photothermal efficiency of 91.2%, with an evaporation rate of 1.67 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. The performance can be further enhanced by incorporating the nanoparticles into a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel to make a composite film. In addition, utilizing the magnetic property of the core–shell particles allows the creation of surface texture in the film by applying an external magnetic field, which helps increase surface roughness and further boost the evaporation rate to as high as 2.25 kg m⁻² h⁻¹.     

Scalable and Highly Efficient Mesoporous Wood‐Based Solar Steam Generation Device: Localized Heat,Rapid Water Transport

Solar steam generation is regarded as one of the most sustainable techniques for desalination and wastewater treatment. However, there has been a lack of scalable material systems with high efficiency under 1 Sun. A solar steam generation device is designed utilizing crossplane water transport in wood via nanoscale channels and the preferred thermal transport direction is decoupled to reduce the conductive heat loss. A high steam generation efficiency of 80% under 1 Sun and 89% under 10 Suns is achieved. Surprisingly, the crossplanes perpendicular to the mesoporous wood can provide rapid water transport via the pits and spirals. The cellulose nanofibers are circularly oriented around the pits and highly aligned along spirals to draw water across lumens. Meanwhile, the anisotropic thermal conduction of mesoporous wood is utilized, which can provide better insulation than widely used super‐thermal insulator Styrofoam (≈0.03 W m^?1 K^?1). The crossplane direction of wood exhibits a thermal conductivity of 0.11 W m^?1 K^?1. The anisotropic thermal conduction redirects the absorbed heat along the in‐plane direction while impeding the conductive heat loss to the water. The solar steam generation device is promising for cost‐effective and large‐scale application under ambient solar irradiance.     

Tailoring of a Piezo-Photo-Thermal Solar Evaporator for Simultaneous Steam and Power Generation

Water and electricity shortages constitute a global energy crisis that cannot be ignored. The sun is an unlimited source of energy, and oceans provide abundant water and renewable energy resources. In this study, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/graphene solar evaporator membranes are fabricated for simultaneous freshwater production and power generation. Graphene addition transformed the PVDF crystal from the α-phase to the piezoelectric self-assembly β-phase. The resulting membrane is used to convert the mechanical energy of waves to electrical energy. The membrane has an output voltage of 2.6 V (±1.3 V) and an energy density of 2.11 Wm⁻² for 1 Hz simulated waves, which are higher than values reported in the literature. The stacked graphene and polymer formed a wood-lumens-like mesoporous structure with a photothermal effect. Under one sun illumination, the water production rate is 1.2 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, and the solar-thermal energy conversion efficiency is 84%. Finally, a prototype is built to prove a single evaporator's feasibility that can simultaneously obtain freshwater and generate electricity. Thus, this membrane serves as an ocean wave power generation device that can provide all-weather energy generation, convert stored electrical energy into thermal energy at night and on cloudy days, and continuously provide safe drinking water.     

An Ultrathin Flexible 2D Membrane Based on Single‐Walled Nanotube–MoS2 Hybrid Film for High‐Performance Solar Steam Generation

Solar steam generation is achieved by localized heating system using various floating photothermal materials. However, the steam generation efficiency is hindered by the difficulty in obtaining a photothermal material with ultrathin structure yet sufficient solar spectrum absorption capability. Herein, for the first time, an ultrathin 2D porous photothermal film based on MoS₂ nanosheets and single‐walled nanotube (SWNT) films is prepared. The as‐prepared SWNT–MoS₂ film exhibits an absorption of more than 82% over the whole solar spectrum range even with an ultrathin thickness of ≈120 nm. Moreover, the SWNT–MoS₂ film floating on the water surface can generate a sharp temperature gradient due to the localized heat confinement effect. Meanwhile, the ultrathin and porous structure effectively facilitates the fast water vapor escaping, consequently an impressively high evaporation efficiency of 91.5% is achieved. Additionally, the superior mechanical strength of the SWNT–MoS₂ film enables the film to be reused for atleast 20 solar illumination cycles and maintains stable water productivity as well as high salt rejection performance. This rational designed hybrid architecture provides a novel strategy for constructing 2D‐based nanomaterials for solar energy harvesting, chemical separation, and related technologies.     

Self-Assembled Nanofibrous Hydrogels with Tunable Porous Network for Highly Efficient Solar Desalination in Strong Brine

Hydrogel-based solar evaporators (HSEs) emerged as energy-efficient designs for water purification due to the reduced vaporization enthalpy in the hydrated polymeric network. However, it remains challenging for HSEs to achieve stable performance in desalination, partly due to the tradeoff between desired evaporation dynamics and salt tolerance. Here, composite hydrogels with tunable self-assembled nanofiber networks are exploited for the engineering of solar evaporators with both high evaporation performance and resistance to salt accumulation. The nanofibrous hydrogel solar evaporators (NHSEs) present an intrinsic open network with high porosity, above 90%, enabling continuous water channels for efficient mass transfer. Theoretical modeling captures the complex nexus between microstructures and evaporation performance by coupling water transfer, thermal conduction, and vaporization enthalpy during evaporation. The mechanistic understanding and engineering tuning of the composites lead to an optimum configuration of NHSEs, which demonstrate a stable evaporation rate of 2.85 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ during continuous desalination in 20% brine. The outstanding performance of NHSEs and the underlying design principles may facilitate further development of practical desalination systems.     

Integrating Low-Cost Earth-Abundant Co-Catalysts with Encapsulated Perovskite Solar Cells for Efficient and Stable Overall Solar Water Splitting

Metal halide perovskite solar cells have an appropriate bandgap (1.5–1.6 eV), and thus output voltage (>1 V), to directly drive solar water splitting. Despite significant progress, their moisture sensitivity still hampers their application for integrated monolithic devices. Furthermore, the prevalence of the use of noble metals as co-catalysts for existing perovskite-based devices undermines their use for low-cost H₂ production. Here, a monolithic architecture for stable perovskite-based devices with earth-abundant co-catalysts is reported, demonstrating an unassisted overall solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 8.54%. The device layout consists of two monolithically encapsulated perovskite (FA_0.80MA_0.15Cs_0.05PbI_2.55Br_0.45) solar cells with low-cost earth-abundant CoP and FeNi(OH)_x co-catalysts as the photocathode and photoanode, respectively. The CoP-based photocathode demonstrates more than 17 h of continuous operation, with a photocurrent density of 12.4 mA cm⁻² at 0 V and an onset potential as positive as ≈1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The FeNi(OH)_x-based photoanode achieves a photocurrent of 11 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V versus RHE for more than 13 h continuous operation. These excellent stability and performance demonstrate the potential for monolithic integration of perovskite solar cells and low-cost earth-abundant co-catalysts for efficient direct solar H₂ production.     

Tailoring Aerogels and Related 3D Macroporous Monoliths for Interfacial Solar Vapor Generation

Interfacial solar vapor generation is emerging as a promising water treatment technology with high solar energy efficiency and minimized carbon footprint. Among various kinds of materials development, aerogels, with inherent high porosity, lightweight, enhanced absorption, and minimized thermal conductivity, are attracting significant attention for achieving high‐performance solar vapor generation. Herein, recent progress in tailoring aerogels (such as graphene [oxide], carbon nanotubes, and polymer aerogels) and related 3D macroporous architectures for interfacial solar vapor generation is presented. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities associated with employing aerogels in solar vapor generation are also discussed.     

Plasmon Based Double‐Layer Hydrogel Device for a Highly Efficient Solar Vapor Generation

Solar vapor generation is a facile and an efficient way for solar energy harvesting, which is applied to address the issue of fresh water extraction from sewage or brine. Several solar vapor generation devices have been developed in the past few years, but the low evaporation rate still remains as a challenge. In this work, a novel double‐layer solar vapor generation device, named as Ag‐PSS‐AG/AG device, is reported. This device is based on the hierarchical composition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and poly (sodium‐p‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS) decorated agarose gel (AG). The device reveals a synergetic effect of the two layers with high light‐harvesting and water‐transfer performance, respectively, leading to an ultrahigh vapor generation rate of 2.10 kg m^?2 h^?1 with a solar thermal efficiency of 92.8% under 1 sun illumination. This high evaporation rate is mainly owing to the powerful light‐thermal conversion of Ag NPs as well as the outstanding water transfer capability of agarose hydrogel. Consequently, this device can be directly used for the purification of sewage and muddy water. It is also promising for applications in separation, humidity management, and others.     

Thermogelling,ABC Triblock Copolymer Platform for Resorbable Hydrogels with Tunable,Degradation‐Mediated Drug Release

Clinical application of injectable, thermoresponsive hydrogels is hindered by lack of degradability and controlled drug release. To overcome these challenges, a family of thermoresponsive, ABC triblock polymer‐based hydrogels has been engineered to degrade and release drug cargo through either oxidative or hydrolytic/enzymatic mechanisms dictated by the “A” block composition. Three ABC triblock copolymers are synthesized with varying “A” blocks, including oxidation‐sensitive poly(propylene sulfide), slow hydrolytically/enzymatically degradable poly(ε‐caprolactone), and fast hydrolytically/enzymatically degradable poly(d ,l ‐lactide‐co‐glycolide), forming the respective formulations PPS₁₃₅‐b‐PDMA₁₅₂‐b‐PNIPAAM₂₂₅ (PDN), PCL₈₅‐b‐PDMA₁₅₀‐b‐PNIPAAM₁₅₀ (CDN), and PLGA₆₀‐b‐PDMA₁₄₈‐b‐PNIPAAM₁₅₂ (LGDN). For all three polymers, hydrophilic poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) and thermally responsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) comprise the “B” and “C” blocks, respectively. These copolymers form micelles in aqueous solutions at ambient temperature that can be preloaded with small molecule drugs. These solutions quickly transition into hydrogels upon heating to 37 °C, forming a supra‐assembly of physically crosslinked, drug‐loaded micelles. PDN hydrogels are selectively degraded under oxidative conditions while CDN and LGDN hydrogels are inert to oxidation but show differential rates of hydrolytic/enzymatic decomposition. All three hydrogels are cytocompatible in vitro and in vivo, and drug‐loaded hydrogels demonstrate differential release kinetics in vivo corresponding with their specific degradation mechanism. These collective data highlight the potential cell and drug delivery use of this tunable class of ABC triblock polymer thermogels.     

Star-Shaped Organic Semiconductor with Extraordinary Thermomechanical Property and Solution Processability for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Achieving the desired thermomechanical properties for highly solution-processable organic semiconductors is challenging but crucial for heat tolerance of emerging optoelectronic devices. To this end, the successful synthesis of triphenylene–ethylenedioxythiophene-dimethoxytriphenylamine (TP–ETPA), a star-shaped organic semiconductor, is reported through a direct arylation reaction that involves ETPA, an electron donor, being grafted densely onto TP, which possesses six electron-equivalent functionalization sites. Remarkably, TP–ETPA exhibits significantly improved hole mobility compared to 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) at a given hole density, owing to its lower energetic disorder, larger average centroid distance, and smaller reorganization energy. TP–ETPA, with a molecular weight of 2888 Da and lacking flexible chains, demonstrates extraordinary solubility in nonpolar solvents, enabling the formation of dense, pinhole-free films through solution codeposition with an air-doping promoter. By utilizing the p-doped TP–ETPA composite as the hole transport layer, perovskite solar cells with an average power conversion efficiency of 23.4% are successfully fabricated. Notably, these devices display significantly enhanced operational stability and thermal stability at 85 °C. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the TP–ETPA-based hole transport layer possesses a high cohesive energy density, resulting in a large elastic modulus and slow diffusion of external species.     

Self-Polymerization of Monomer and Induced Interactions with Perovskite for Highly Performed and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

While there is promising achievement in terms of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), long-term stability has been considered the main obstacle for their practical application. In this work, the authors demonstrate the small monomer 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with unsaturated carboxylic acid ester bond in the antisolvent for perovskite formation to improve the PCE and stability. The results show that DMAEMA is self-polymerized and uniformly distributed in the film, contributing to the improved crystallinity of the perovskites. Equally important, it is found that there are newly established interactions of Pb²⁺ and DMAEMA, and iodine and ternary amine between DMAEMA and perovskites, which improves the uniformity of the lead (II) iodide vertical distribution along with the films and thus phase stability, as well as largely decreases defects density in the film. Overall, the inverted PSCs with DMAEMA exhibit a open-circuit voltage of 1.10 V, short-circuit current of 23.86 mA cm^?2, fill factor of 0.82, and finally PCE reaches 21.52%. Meanwhile, the PSC stability is significantly improved due to the inhibition of the formation of iodine, reduction of the uncoordinated Pb²⁺, and suppression of phase segregation.     

Fluorinated Black Phosphorene Nanosheets with Robust Ambient Stability for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

Extraordinary electronic and photonic features (e.g., tunable direct bandgap, high ambipolar carrier mobility) render few-layer black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets/quantum dots an important optoelectronic material. However, most of the BP applied in metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are produced by sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation, which inevitably brings inferior electronic properties, thus leading to limited beneficial effects. Furthermore, this study uncovers that the intrinsic instability of BP nanosheets sandwiched between (CsFAMA)Pb(BrI)₃ perovskite and spiro-OMeTAD has a deleterious effect on the performance stabilization of PSCs. To address the above constraints, a feasible strategy herein is developed by introducing high-quality fluorinated BP (F-BP) nanosheets synthesized by one-step electrochemical delamination. In addition to P-Pb coordination, there is a strong hydrogen bond between F^? and MA⁺/FA⁺ as well as an ionic bond between F^? and Pb²⁺ for the perovskite/F-BP interface, thus leading to fewer interfacial traps than perovskite/BP, which is responsible for the highest power conversion efficiency (22.06%) of F-BP devices. More importantly, F-BP devices exhibit significantly improved humidity and shelf-life stabilities due to the excellent ambient stability of F-BP, resulting from the antioxidation and antihydration behavior of fluorine adatoms. Overall, the findings provide a promising strategy to simultaneously enhance the photovoltaic performance and long-term stability of BP-based PSCs.     

Vertical Phase Separated Cesium Fluoride Doping Organic Electron Transport Layer: A Facile and Efficient “Bridge” Linked Heterojunction for Perovskite Solar Cells

In perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the interfaces of the halide perovskite/electron transport layer (ETL) and ETL/metal oxide electrode (MOE) always attract and trap free carriers via the surface electrostatic force, altering quasi‐Fermi level (E_Fq) splitting of contact interfaces, and significantly limit the charge extraction efficiency and intrinsic stability of devices. Herein, a graded “bridge” is first reported to link the MOE and perovskite interfaces by self vertical phase separation doping (PSD), diminishing the side effect of notorious ionic defects via both reinforced interface E_bi and the vacancies filling. Experimental and theoretical results prove that the inhomogeneous distribution of CsF in the bulk or surface of PC₆₁BM would not only form metal–oxygen (M–O) dipole on MOE, reinforcing the interface E_bi, but also create a graded energy bridge to alleviate the disadvantage of band offset raised by the enhanced interface E_bi, which significantly avoid the carrier accumulation and recombination at defective interfaces. Employing PSD, the power conversion efficiency of the devices approaches 21% with a high open‐circuit voltage (1.148 V) and delivers a high stability of 89% after aging 60 days in atmosphere without encapsulation, which is the highest efficiency of organic electron transport layers for n–i–p PSCs.     

High-Efficiency All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells Based on New Molecule Donors with Conjugated Symmetric/Asymmetric Hybrid Cyclopentyl-Hexyl Side Chains

All small molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs) have numerous advantages but lower power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) than their polymer equivalents, which is largely due to the suboptimal nanoscale network structure in a bulk heterojunction (BHJ). Herein, new small molecule donors with symmetric/asymmetric hybrid cyclopentyl-hexyl side chains are designed, accounting for manipulated intermolecular interactions and BHJ morphology. Theoretical and experimental results reveal that the asymmetric cyclopentyl-hexyl side chains modification has a significant influence on potential energy surface and intermolecular interaction that can ensure preferable molecular assembly and regulate the D/A interfacial energetics, thus boosting the exciton dissociation and charge transport when pairing with a wide-used acceptor L8-BO. Concurrently, a nanoscale bicontinuous interpenetrating network with optimal domain size can be fully evolved in the BHJ layer. As a consequence, the As-TCp-based binary device achieves a superior PCE of 16.46% in comparison to that of the controlled symmetric counterparts S-BF (14.92%) and A-TCp (15.77%), and ranks one of best performance among ASM-OSCs. This study demonstrates that precise manipulation of the cyclo-alkyl chain in combination with the asymmetric 2D side chain strategy is an effective synergistic approach to control intermolecular interaction and nanoscale bicontinuous phase separation for achieving high-performance ASM-OSCs.     

Chemical Reduction of Iodine Impurities and Defects with Potassium Formate for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is negatively affected by iodine (I₂) impurities generated from the oxidation of iodide ions in the perovskite precursor powder, solution, and perovskite films. In this study, the use of potassium formate (HCOOK) as a reductant to minimize the presence of detrimental I₂ impurities is presented. It is demonstrated that HCOOK can effectively reduce I₂ back to I⁻ in the precursor solution as well as in the devices under external conditions. Furthermore, the introduced formate anion (HCOO⁻) and alkali metal cation (K⁺) can reduce the defect density within the perovskite film by modulating perovskite growth and passivating electronic defects, significantly prolonging the carrier lifetime and reducing the J–V hysteresis. Consequently, the maximum efficiency of the HCOOK-doped planar n–i–p PSCs reaches 23.8%. After 1000 h of operation at maximum power point tracking under continuous 1 sun illumination, the corresponding encapsulated devices retain 94% of their initial efficiency.