Search Results (7)

All-inorganic CsPbBr₃ perovskite solar cells have garnered extensive attention in the photovoltaic domain due to their remarkable environmental stability. Nevertheless, CsPbBr₃ prepared using the conventional sequential deposition method suffers from issues such as inferior crystallinity, low phase purity, and poor film morphology. Herein, we propose a pre-crystallization methodology by introducing a minute quantity of CsBr into the PbBr₂ precursor solution to generate a small amount of CsPb₂Br₅ crystals within the PbBr₂ film, leading to a porous PbBr₂ film with enhanced crystallinity. Under the influence of more pores and CsPb₂Br₅ crystals as nucleation sites for inducing growth, a CsPbBr₃ film with a larger crystal size, lower grain boundary density, stronger crystallinity, and higher phase purity is formed. Compared with untreated devices, photovoltaic devices prepared using the pre-crystallization method achieved a champion photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.62%. Furthermore, pre-crystallized devices demonstrate higher stability than untreated ones and can still retain 94% of the original PCE after being exposed to air for 1000 h without encapsulating. Full article

The fluorescence intensity of inorganic CsPbBr₃ (CPB) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) decreases in the presence of O₂. In this study, we synthesized CPB NCs with various shapes and sizes for use as optical gas sensing materials. We fabricated O₂ gas sensors from the various CPB NCs on several porous and nonporous substrates and examined the effects of the NC shapes and aggregate sizes and the substrate pore size on the device response. Our sensor fabricated from CPB nanocrystals on a porous substrate exhibited the highest response; the porous substrate allowed the rapid diffusion of O₂ such that the NC surface was exposed effectively to the gas. Thus, the interfacial interaction between NC surfaces and substrates is a critical factor for consideration when preparing gas sensors with a high response. Full article

Efficient identification of groundwater contamination is a major issue in the context of groundwater use and protection. This study used a new approach of multi-hydrochemical indicators, including the Cl-Br mass ratio, the hydrochemical facies, and the concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, organic contaminants, and Pb in groundwater to identify groundwater contamination in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) where there is large scale urbanization. In addition, the main factors resulting in groundwater contamination in the PRD were also discussed by using socioeconomic data and principal component analysis. Approximately 60% of groundwater sites in the PRD were identified to be contaminated according to the above six indicators. Contaminated groundwaters commonly occur in porous and fissured aquifers but rarely in karst aquifers. Groundwater contamination in porous aquifers is positively correlated with the urbanization level. Similarly, in fissured aquifers, the proportions of contaminated groundwater in urbanized and peri-urban areas were approximately two times that in non-urbanized areas. Groundwater contamination in the PRD was mainly attributed to the infiltration of wastewater from township-village enterprises on a regional scale. In addition, livestock waste was also an important source of groundwater contamination in the PRD. Therefore, in the future, the supervision of the wastewater discharge of township-village enterprises and the waste discharge of livestock should be strengthened to protect against groundwater contamination in the PRD. Full article

Due to their high absorption coefficient and long carrier lifetime, halide perovskites are promising candidates for photocatalysts. For this study, the antisolvent crystallization protocol and the colloidal crystal templating approach were combined to fabricate the highly crystalline cesium lead bromide perovskite with inverse opal morphology (IO-CsPbBr₃). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope images demonstrate the three-dimensional well-ordered porous structures of the IO-CsPbBr₃ and their single-crystalline features. The presented approach not only provides hierarchical porous structures but also enhances overall crystallinity. When used as catalysts to promote the polymerization of 2,2′,5′,2″-ter-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, the highly crystalline IO-CsPbBr₃ exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance compared to its polycrystalline counterpart. Furthermore, the morphology and the crystalline structure of the highly crystalline IO-CsPbBr₃ are well preserved under photocatalytic conditions. This novel approach enables the preparation of a halide perovskite inverse opal with high crystallinity. Full article

Due to the low solubility of CsBr in organic solvents, the CsPbBr₃ film prepared by the multi-step method has holes and insufficient thickness, and the light absorption capacity and current density of the perovskite film hinder the further improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CsPbBr₃ solar cells. In this study, we introduced InBr₃ into the PbBr₂ precursor solution and adjusted the concentration of PbBr₂, successfully prepared PbBr₂ with a porous structure on the compact TiO₂ (c-TiO₂) substrate to ensure that it fully reacted with CsBr, and obtained the planar carbon-based CsPbBr₃ solar cells with high-quality perovskite film. The results reveal that the porous PbBr₂ structure and the increasing PbBr₂ concentration are beneficial to increase the thickness of the CsPbBr₃ films, optimize the surface morphology, and significantly enhance the light absorption capacity. Finally, the PCE of the CsPbBr₃ solar cells obtained after conditions optimization was 5.76%. Full article

In the process of preparing CsPbBr₃ films by two-step or multi-step methods, due to the low solubility of CsBr in organic solvents, the prepared perovskite films often have a large number of holes, which is definitely not conducive to the performance of CsPbBr₃ perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In response to this problem, this article proposed a method of introducing InBr₃ into the PbBr₂ precursor to prepare a porous PbBr₂ film to increase the reaction efficiency between CsBr and PbBr₂ and achieve the purpose of In (Ⅲ) incorporation, which not only optimized the morphology of the produced CsPbBr₃ film but also enhanced the charge extraction and transport capabilities, which was ascribed to the reduction of the trap state density and impurity phases in the perovskite films, improving the performance of CsPbBr₃ PSCs. At the optimal InBr₃ concentration of 0.21 M, the InBr₃:CsPbBr₃ perovskite solar cell exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 6.48%, which was significantly higher than that of the pristine device. Full article

In recent years, there has been rapid progress in the development of photonic devices based on lead halide perovskite nanocrystals since they possess a set of unique optical and charge transport properties. However, the main limiting factor for their subsequent application is poor stability against exposure to adverse environmental conditions. In this work, a study of a composite material based on perovskite CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals embedded in porous silica microspheres is presented. We developed two different approaches to change the interface between nanocrystals and the surface of the microsphere pores: surface treatment of (i) nanocrystals or (ii) microspheres. The surface modification with tetraethylorthosilicate molecules not only increased stability but also improved the optical responses of the composite material. The position of the emission band remained almost unchanged, but its lifetime increased significantly compared to the initial value. The improvement of the optical performance via surface modification with tetraethylorthosilicate molecules also works for the lead-free Bi-doped Cs₂AgInCl₆ double perovskite nanocrystals leading to increased stability of their optical responses at ambient conditions. These results clearly demonstrate the advantage of a composite material that can be used in novel photonic devices with improved performance. Full article