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).     

Constitutive equation for friction with transition from static to kinetic friction and recovery of static friction

A high friction coefficient is first observed as a sliding between bodies commences, which is called the static friction. Then, the friction coefficient decreases approaching the lowest stationary value, which is called the kinetic friction. Thereafter, if the sliding stops for a while and then it starts again, the friction coefficient recovers and a similar behavior as that in the first sliding is reproduced. In this article the subloading-friction model with a smooth elastic–plastic sliding transition [Hashiguchi, K., Ozaki, S., Okayasu, T., 2005. Unconventional friction theory based on the subloading surface concept. Int. J. Solids Struct. 42, 1705–1727] is extended so as to describe the reduction from the static to kinetic friction and the recovery of the static friction. The reduction is formulated as the plastic softening due to the separations of the adhesions of surface asperities induced by the sliding and the recovery is formulated as the viscoplastic (creep) hardening due to the reconstructions of the adhesions of surface asperities during the elapse of time under a quite high actual contact pressure between edges of asperities.     

Porphyrin synthesis in water provides new expanded porphyrins with direct bipyrrole linkages: isolation and characterization of two heptaphyrins

The use of water for the porphyrin cyclization changes the products completely. Scandium-catalyzed aqueous condensation between pentafluorobenzaldehyde and pyrrole and subsequent oxidation provides novel expanded porphyrins with direct bipyrrole linkages, of which two novel heptaphyrins have been characterized by X-ray analyses.     

Electron hydration dynamics in water clusters: A direct ab initio molecular dynamics approach

Electron attachment dynamics of excess electron in water cluster (H2O)n (n = 2 and 3) have been investigated by means of full-dimensional direct ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) method at the MP26-311++G(d,p) level. It was found that the hydrogen bond breaking due to the excess electron is an important process in the first stage of electron capture in water trimer. Time scale of electron localization and hydrogen bond breaking were determined by the direct ab initio MD simulation. The initial process of hydration in water cluster is clearly visualized in the present study. In n = 3, an excess electron is first trapped around the cyclic water trimer with a triangular form, where the excess electron is equivalently distributed on the three water molecules at time zero. After 50 fs, the excess electron is concentrated into two water molecules, while the potential energy of the system decreases by -1.5 kcal/mol from the vertical point. After 100 fs, the excess electron is localized in one of the water molecules and the potential energy decreases by -5.3 kcal/mol, but the triangular form still remained. After that, one of the hydrogen bonds in the triangular form is gradually broken by the excess electron, while the structure becomes linear at 100-300 fs after electron capture. The time scale of hydrogen bond breaking due to the excess electron is calculated to be about 300 fs. Finally, a dipole bound state is formed by the linear form of three water molecules. In the case of n = 2, the dipole bound anion is formed directly. The mechanism of electron hydration dynamics was discussed on the basis of theoretical results.     

Radical hydroxyalkylation of C-H bond adjacent to nitrogen of tertiary amides, ureas, and amines

Tertiary amides, ureas, and amines undergo direct intermolecular addition to aldehydes under the Et3B/air conditions, thereby providing a unique and simple means for the radical sp3 C-H transformation of nitrogen-containing molecules.     

Highly directive 18.9 nm nickel-like molybdenum x-ray laser operating at 150 mJ pump energy

We experimentally demonstrate that by longitudinally pumping 2 mm long molybdenum preformed plasma with high-intensity 475 fs duration laser pulse, a highly directive soft-x-ray laser at 18.9 nm wavelength is generated. The divergence of the beam is evaluated to be of the submilliradian order, and only requires a pump laser energy of 150 mJ.     

Oligodeoxynucleotide-modified capillary for electrophoretic separation of single-stranded DNAs with a single-base difference.

We describe here a method of affinity capillary electrophoresis in which oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) was immobilized onto the inner surface of the capillary. The immobilized ODN functioned successfully as an affinity ligand for sequence-based DNA separation. Six- or 12-mer ODN with a sequence complementary to one of the c-K-ras gene was used as an immobilized ligand. When the 12-mer ODN was used, the detection peak for the complementary ODN disappeared selectively, while the single-base mutant was detected as usual. In contrast, when the 6-mer ODN was used as the affinity ligand with a mixture of the complementary ODN and its single-base mutant, it was possible to detect both as completely separate peaks. That is, the separation mode was dependent on the base number of the immobilized ODN used as an affinity ligand.     

Furan derivatives. part 11 [1]. on substituent effects in the synthesis of 3,4,5,6-tetrahydrocyclohepta[cd]benzofurans

Tetrahydrocyclohepta[cd]benzofurans 7a-e were synthesized by the treatment of ( 5 -oxo-tetrahydro-5H-benzocyclohepten-4-yloxy)acetic acids 5a-e with sodium acetate in acetic anhydride or by heating of their esters 6a-e with sodium hydroxide or sodium hydride in dioxane. The yield of furans 7 decreased as a substituent R of acids 5 or esters 6 was changed from hydrogen to a methyl, ethyl, or isopropyl group. When R was a phenyl group furan 7e was always prepared in good yield. Sodium hydride was a useful base for synthesis of tetrahydrocyclohepta[cd]benzofurans.     

Sampling measurement of soft-x-ray-pulse shapes by femtosecond sequential ionization of Kr+ in an intense laser field

We propose a sampling technique for measuring the shape of ultrashort soft-x-ray pulses. The technique uses the transient state of Kr+ ions that is produced by the femtosecond sequential evolution of Kr ions during optical-field-induced ionization as an ultrafast x-ray-absorption sampling gate. We demonstrate the technique by measuring the pulse shape of the 51st harmonic (15.6 nm) generated by a 100-fs titanium:sapphire laser pulse. The measured pulse duration is 220 fs. Our experimental result confirms that the sequential evolution of Kr+ ions from neutral Kr to Kr2+ is the dominant contribution to the ionization process from the aspect of time-domain measurement.