Search

Single-step ligand passivation of grain boundary and surface defects often struggles with heterogeneous ligand distributions and distinct chemical environments. Here, the authors report a two-step sequential method to selectively target both types of defects, achieving a device efficiency of 26.06%.

Ionic liquid additives increase the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells, but their effect on perovskite crystallization remains unclear. Xu et al. provide mechanistic insights and demonstrate improved operational stability under continous illumination and 90 °C thermal stress.

For the celebration of our tenth anniversary, Nature Microbiology asks the former editors to reflect on their time at the journal.

Two-dimensional metal halide perovskites exhibit diverse structures, but tuning their intralayer structure is challenging. Now, ammonium-terminated bidentate linkers have been used to develop 2D perovskites. These materials exhibit superior thermal resistance and improved photovoltaic performance compared with their Ruddlesden–Popper and Dion–Jacobson counterparts.

A dipolar-passivation strategy enables all-perovskite tandem solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of over 30%.

Here, the authors perform a benchmark study of field-effect transistors (FETs) based on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, i.e., 230 MoS₂ and 160 WS₂ FETs, and track device-to-device variations to gauge the technological viability in future integrated circuits.

Lewis acid additive semicarbazide hydrochloride improves the formation of α-phase FAPbI₃-based films and promotes a homogeneous vertical distribution of A-site cations through a deprotonation–reprotonation process. The upgraded device performance reaches up to 26.12% with high stability, and mini-module perovskite solar cells achieving 21.47% (area, 11.52 cm²) demonstrate great scalability.

Ensuring both stability and efficiency in mixed lead–tin perovskite solar cells is crucial to the development of all-perovskite tandems. Xiao et al. use an antioxidant zwitterionic molecule to suppress tin oxidation thus enabling large-area tandem cells with 24.2% efficiency and operational stability over 500 hours.

Quantum systems make it challenging to determine candidate Hamiltonians from experimental data. An automated protocol is presented and its capabilities to infer the correct Hamiltonian are demonstrated in a nitrogen-vacancy centre set-up.

The random orientation of spontaneously formed 2D phase atop 3D perovskites limits the performance of solar cells. Here, authors introduce a meta-amidinopyridine ligand with solvent post dripping to generate highly ordered 2D perovskites, achieving maximum efficiency of 26.05% for stable devices.

Energy-level mismatches and defects at the inorganic perovskite/fullerene interface limit the performance of solar cells. Now Li et al. address these issues with a dipolar molecule, enabling the use of wide-bandgap inorganic perovskites in all-perovskite tandem cells.

Solar cells based on 3D/2D perovskite heterostructures show promising performance, but ion diffusion limits the device stability. Now Luo et al. suppress ion diffusion by inserting a cross-linked polymer between the 2D and 3D layers, improving the operational stability.

The use of harmful solvents to fabricate stable devices hampers the commercialization of perovskite solar cells. Here, the authors introduce a biorenewable solvent system and precursor-phase engineering to realize stable formamidinium lead triiodide-based solar cells.

We find that 2D–3D perovskitoid passivation applied to perovskite solar cells impedes cation migration and decreases carrier recombination at the interface, providing enhanced operating stability at elevated temperatures and increased power conversion efficiencies.

An imbalance in I/Pb stoichiometry is thought to lead to defects in metal halide films. Here, Zhang et al. show that the addition of hypophosphorous acid in the precursor solution can significantly improve the film quality and enhance the photoluminescence intensity, leading to improved photovoltaic devices.

Semiconductor defects persist as a source of energy loss in solar cells. Here, the authors use ab initio simulations to reveal overlooked defect dynamics, guiding passivator design for enhanced photovoltaic performance.

Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells are limited by losses in open-circuit voltage. Wang et al. show that diammonium halide salts promote a homogeneous distribution of halides in the perovskite, improving the performance of single- and triple-junction solar cells.

A reinforcement learning-based virtual reality system, implementing a series of sport sessions with coaching, was as effective as standard physical activity in reducing fat mass in adolescents, with positive effects on cognition.

The application of all-perovskite tandem photovoltaics is limited by the poor operational stability of the solar cell. Here, the authors report a solar-assisted water-splitting system using an electrochemical flow cell and a tandem solar cell and achieve a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 17.8%.

While perovskite solar cells with an inverted architecture hold great promise for operation stability, their power conversion efficiency lags behind that of conventional cells. Here, Zheng et al. achieve a certified 22.34% efficiency, exploiting alkylamine ligands as grain and interface modifiers.

The stability of perovskite solar cells depends on each layer and interface in the device. Here, Christians et al. systematically design the entire device stack focusing on stability, creating cells that retain 88% of their initial efficiency on average, after 1,000 h of unencapsulated operation.

The authors report on harnessing sp2-organic molecules as a basis for uniformly initiating the homoepitaxial-like, size-controlled, synthesis of sub-5 nm semiconducting graphene nanoribbons for electronics via chemical vapor deposition.

Because open-circuit voltage deficit is greater in wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells, the authors introduce diammonium molecules to modify perovskite surface states and achieve a more uniform spatial distribution of surface potential, enabling record voltage all-perovskite tandem solar cells.

Metal halide perovskites are promising for solar energy harvesting, but currently prone to a large hysteresis and current instability. Here, Xu et al. show improvements in a hybrid material in which the fullerene is distributed at perovskite grain boundaries and thus passivates defects effectively.

Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells suffer from severe open-circuit voltage loss with increasing bromine content. Here, authors tackle this issue through homogeneous halogen-phase distribution realized by bottom-up templated crystallization and demonstrate tandem devices with efficiency of 28.08%.

Addition of a multifunctional ionic additive in mixed two-dimensional–three-dimensional bromide/chloride perovskites enables efficient blue perovskite LEDs with external quantum efficiency of up to 21.4% and half-lifetime of 129 min at an initial luminance of 100 cd m^–2.

Efficient radiation is essential to reach thermodynamic limit of photovoltaic efficiency. Here, authors design thick quantum barriers to suppress interfacial quenching and boost photon recycling in perovskite cells, achieving high radiation and photovoltaic efficiencies and long device stability.

Mixed-valent one-dimensional platinum chains are interesting inorganic compounds with potential applications in molecular electronics. Here, the authors report a series of platinum dimer-based chains with controllable oxidation state and conductivity behaviour.

Quasi-2D halide perovskites are attracting increasing attention for light-emitting devices. Here, the authors demonstrated efficient and stable quasi-2D perovskite LEDs enabled by suppressed phase disproportionation with newly designed organic ligands.

Organic ligands enhance the stability and the solution processability of semiconductor quantum dots, but they can impede charge transport in films of such nanoparticles. Passivation with atomic ligands now offers an alternative strategy that enables the fabrication of PbS colloidal-quantum-dot solar cells with power-conversion efficiencies of up to 6%.

All-perovskite triple-junction solar cell devices have been fabricated, with a certified efficiency of 23.3%; these devices retain 80% of their initial efficiency following 420 hours of operation.

Understanding degradation mechanisms in perovskite solar cells is key to their development. Now, Guo et al. show a greater degradation of the perovskite structure and morphology for devices operated under vacuum than under nitrogen.

Water-based semiconducting polymer nanoparticles are eco-friendly and non-toxic but their performance suffers from the surfactants. Here Xie et al. design an approach to minimize the amount of residual surfactant in these nanoparticles and make high-efficiency and stability solar cells.

Plectasin, a natural host defence peptide of fungal origin, uses a calcium-sensitive supramolecular killing mechanism to block bacterial cell wall synthesis.

The BioDIGS project is a nationwide initiative involving students, researchers and educators across more than 40 research and teaching institutions. Participants lead sample collection, computational analysis and results interpretation to understand the relationships between the soil microbiome, environment and health.

Low-cost, flexible solar cells offer new possibilities to harvest solar energy, for example on curved or movable surfaces. Here, Docampo and colleagues demonstrate the fabrication of efficient organometallic perovskite heterojunction solar cells on flexible substrates.

Red-emitting perovskite LEDs were fabricated by stabilizing their octahedral structure with a ligand to yield devices with enhanced efficiency, spectral stability and lifetime.

Lead-halide perovskites are sensitive to humidity, which limits their use in water splitting applications. Here, the authors protect the perovskite layer with Field’s metal, driving photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in an aqueous solution for approximately one hour under constant illumination.