Technical / research

Researchers from China's Zhejiang Sci-Tech University have used electrospinning to create broad-temperature self-healing luminescent perovskite/polyurethane nanofibers, to address the inherent brittleness of perovskite photosensitive films which leads to microcracks during processing and application, resulting in performance degradation and environmental instability. The team explains that while the fiber structure confers tensile flexibility to withstand deformation, the irreparability of microcracks leads to their accumulation and expansion, ultimately causing failure.

The team's new self-healing perovskite/polyurethane composite nanofibers emit intense green light at a wavelength of 527 nm, exhibiting a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 36.75%. The nanofibers demonstrate a maximum strain of 700%, exhibiting extreme stretchability. They also show excellent environmental stability, retaining 90.87% of initial fluorescence intensity after seven weeks at room temperature, 97% after heating at 60 °C for 4 h, and no decay under continuous UV irradiation.

 This is a sponsored post by KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Kyocera Document Solutions is conducting joint research with Professor Takeshi Sano, Deputy Director of Yamagata University’s Organic Innovation Center for Organic Electronics (INOEL), and his team to develop materials aimed at addressing the challenges associated with PTAA a widely used material in inverted PSCs. In parallel, the team has also begun developing a new self-assembled monolayer (SAM) material.

Kyocera Document Solutions and the Innovation Center for Organic Electronics at Yamagata University

Currently, Kyocera and the researchers at INOEL are focusing on developing new hole transport materials for inverted structures, specifically a new polymer to replace PTAA and novel self-assembled monolayer materials.

A team of researchers, led by Professor Philip C. Y. Chow at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has revealed how minute structural modifications in advanced perovskite materials critically influence their light-emission properties. 

The study, conducted in collaboration with research teams from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Southern University of Science and Technology, provides insights and practical guidance for designing brighter, more efficient, and versatile materials. The findings could accelerate the development of next-generation optoelectronic and quantum devices.

Researchers from China University of Petroleum (East China) and Qingdao Institute of Technology have reported a novel molecular strategy to tackle a known challenge in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) - the poor contact at the buried interface between the perovskite absorber and carrier extraction layers (CELs).

By introducing potassium sulfamate (H₂KNO₃S) as a bridging molecule between the SnO₂ CELs and the perovskite layer, the team achieved improvements in both device efficiency and stability. This multifunctional molecule, featuring –SO₃⁻ and –NH₂ groups along with K⁺ cations, simultaneously enhances interface wettability, passivates deep defect states, and strengthens the chemical anchoring between the layers.

Researchers from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) recently developed a perovskite solar cell with a certified power conversion efficiency of 25.13%. This was realized by incorporating two-dimensional titanium carbide, known as MXene, as a multifunctional additive into the perovskite light-absorbing layer. 

Efficient heat transfer pathways formed by Ti3C2TX nanosheets within the perovskite layer. Image from:  Nano-Micro Letters

The new cell structure features a substrate of glass and indium tin oxide (ITO), an electron transport layer made of tin oxide (SnO₂), the MXene-modified perovskite absorber, a hole transport layer using Spiro-OMeTAD, and a gold metal contact.

Researchers from Nanchang University, Wuyi University and Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University have reported a step forward in understanding how interfacial chemistry governs the performance and stability of halide perovskite memristors.

The study systematically explores how top electrode materials - including Au, Ag, Cu, and Al - impact the resistive switching behavior of quasi-2D CsPbBr₃ devices. By introducing a novel bilayer electrode architecture, the team successfully decoupled surface oxidation of the electrode from intrinsic redox processes at the perovskite/electrode interface. This breakthrough approach allowed for a clear separation of the chemical and physical contributions that dictate device performance.

In perovskite photovoltaic systems, ammonium salts are widely utilized to convert residual PbI₂ and undercoordinated Pb²⁺ species into two-dimensional (2D) perovskite layers, thereby providing surface passivation for the three-dimensional (3D) perovskite absorber. Nevertheless, conventional 2D passivation strategies are hindered by the intrinsic trade-off between passivation efficiency and charge transport, as 2D perovskites typically exhibit suboptimal band alignment and limited electrical conductivity. 

To address this limitation, researchers from China's Zhejiang University and ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center have introduced an interfacial n-type modulation approach within 2D perovskite interlayers. 

3D perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have reached impressive power conversion efficiencies, but their poor resistance to heat, moisture, and light continues to hinder commercialization. Quasi-2D perovskites offer a pathway toward greater stability, yet their performance is often compromised by insulating organic cations and disordered phase distribution.

In a recent study, researchers from China's Jinan University introduced a new multifunctional additive - formamidinium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (FATsO) - to overcome these challenges. FATsO simultaneously passivates iodide anions and lead ion defects while strengthening the [PbI₆]₄⁻ framework through hydrogen bonding and Lewis acid–base interactions. The –NH²⁺ group stabilizes the crystal lattice, while the –SO₃⁻ group reduces uncoordinated Pb2+ defects. At the same time, hydrogen bonding between PEA⁺ and the –SO₃⁻ group restricts PEA⁺ diffusion, ensuring a more uniform phase distribution and facilitating efficient energy transfer.

One of the persistent challenges holding back perovskite solar cells lies in the way their hole transport layers (HTLs) are prepared. Traditionally, organic semiconductors like Spiro-OMeTAD or PTAA are “doped” using additives such as lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI). While the process works, it’s far from ideal: it depends on a slow and unpredictable oxidation reaction in air, while the leftover lithium ions become a hidden culprit of long‑term instability, drifting inside the device and eventually degrading performance.

To overcome these drawbacks, researchers from North China Electric Power University and Beijing Huairou Laboratory developed a new strategy they called electrolysis doping. Instead of relying on ambient chemistry, they directly apply an electrical bias that allows the semiconductor to be oxidized in a clean, controlled way on the anode surface. At the same time, the excess lithium ions are reduced at the cathode and effectively removed. The result is a dual benefit — a precisely doped organic semiconductor and the elimination of the mobile ions that undermine stability.

Engineers have long aimed to create small, efficient lasers for silicon chips, crucial for advanced optical communications and computing. Traditional lasers use expensive III-V semiconductors, which are hard to integrate with silicon. All-inorganic perovskite films offer a cheaper, versatile alternative with strong optical properties. However, a key challenge is that at room temperature, perovskite lasers struggle to operate continuously, as they quickly lose charge carriers due to Auger recombination.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and Shanxi‐Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering have developed a simple method to overcome this challenge, leading to record-setting performance for perovskite lasers under near-continuous operation. The new approach uses a volatile ammonium additive during the annealing process of polycrystalline perovskite films. This additive triggers a “phase reconstruction” that removes unwanted low-dimensional phases, reducing channels that accelerate Auger recombination. The result is a pure 3D structure that better preserves the charge carriers needed for lasing, without adding significant optical loss.