ACS Applied Energy Materials最新文献

We fabricate a type of back-contact perovskite solar cell based on 1.5 μm-width grooves that are embossed into a plastic film whose opposing “walls” are selectively coated with either n- or p-type contacts. A perovskite precursor solution is then deposited into the grooves, creating individual photovoltaic devices. Each groove device is series-connected to its neighbors, creating minimodules consisting of hundreds of connected grooves. Here, we report on the fabrication of groove-based devices using slot-die coating to deposit the perovskite precursor and explore the structure of the perovskite in the grooves using a range of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. Significantly, our devices do not contain any expensive or scarce elements such as indium, indicating that this technology is both sustainable and low-cost. Furthermore, all coating processes explored here were performed using roll-to-roll processing techniques. Our technology is therefore completely scalable and is consistent with high-throughput, low-cost manufacturing.

We fabricate a type of back-contact perovskite solar cell based on 1.5 μm-width grooves that are embossed into a plastic film whose opposing "walls" are selectively coated with either n- or p-type contacts. A perovskite precursor solution is then deposited into the grooves, creating individual photovoltaic devices. Each groove device is series-connected to its neighbors, creating minimodules consisting of hundreds of connected grooves. Here, we report on the fabrication of groove-based devices using slot-die coating to deposit the perovskite precursor and explore the structure of the perovskite in the grooves using a range of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. Significantly, our devices do not contain any expensive or scarce elements such as indium, indicating that this technology is both sustainable and low-cost. Furthermore, all coating processes explored here were performed using roll-to-roll processing techniques. Our technology is therefore completely scalable and is consistent with high-throughput, low-cost manufacturing.

Water electrolysis using solar power is a key technology for producing green hydrogen. However, in many areas with high densities of solar radiation and stable weather conditions, for example, arid regions, it is difficult to even access freshwater for daily life. On the other hand, even in the arid regions, the atmosphere contains a certain amount of water vapor. In this study, we investigated water electrolysis using water vapor from the air, specifically direct air electrolysis (DAE) using NaClO₄ as a deliquescent neutral electrolyte salt and SiO₂, Al₂O₃, MFI-type and LTA-type zeolites, and TiO₂ as reservoirs. After the DAE modules remained in the air at ∼83% relative humidity (RH), the water vapor was captured by NaClO₄ loaded onto all reservoirs, forming an electrolyte solution. The amount of water captured from the humid air increased with an increasing amount of NaClO₄. Water electrolysis began after the stay in the humid air for 5–12 h in all cases. After water absorption for 20 h under 83% RH, the current densities of DAE with Al₂O₃, MFI-type zeolite, and TiO₂ as reservoirs were comparable to that measured in a NaClO₄ aqueous solution. Water captured in the TiO₂ reservoir was efficiently electrolyzed even when less than 40 vol % of the reservoir was filled with the electrolyte solution.

Attaining high ionic conduction using semiconductor electrolytes at low temperatures has attracted great interest, which is exciting but challenging. In this work, cobalt (Co) doping into CaTiO₃ is proposed to be used as an electrolyte for low-temperature ceramic fuel cells. The cobalt incorporation into CaTiO₃ creates a distinct surface charge region, facilitating ion transport through charge redistribution and pathway while suppressing the electronic conduction. It disrupts the lattice, generates oxygen vacancies, and improves charge transport efficiency, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) investigations show fine morphology and the formation of a deficit layer due to surface doping. The Co-doped CTO exhibits a high ionic conductivity of 0.123 S cm^–1 and better fuel cell performance of 620 mW cm^–2 at 520 °C. The results highlight a promising approach for designing efficient electrolytes for low-temperature ceramic fuel cells.

Currently, tin (Sn) is the most efficient alternative to lead (Pb) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the fabrication of pinhole-free uniform and highly crystalline Sn-perovskite typically, FASnI₃ films remains a crucial factor due to their rapid crystallization. To address this issue, we incorporated 2-pyridylthiourea (2PTU) into the precursor solution during FASnI₃ film fabrication. Based on the morphology, structure, and elements analysis, we have observed that 2PTU impacts the growth of perovskite crystals and surface morphology by coordinating with SnI₆ ^4– octahedral. Moreover, the 2PTU-added FASnI₃ film contained fewer defects and a prolonged carrier lifetime. These substantial improvements in the FASnI₃ film resulted in an enhanced open-circuit voltage, elevating the power conversion efficiency of Sn-PSC from 10.23% (pristine) to 12.85% (2PTU). Significantly, after 500 h of continuous illumination at maximum power point tracking under one sun, the 2PTU-added FASnI₃-based PSCs showed remarkable stability and maintained above 90% of their initial PCE.

Metal hydrides can undergo significant volume changes upon hydrogen uptake and release, which induce a mechanical response that depends not only on the evolving hydrogen composition but also on the microstructure. We present a comprehensive mesoscale modeling framework based on microelasticity theory to quantify the micromechanical responses of metal hydrides, specifically focusing on a hydrogenating polycrystalline MgH_2x particle within a host material as a model micromechanical system. Utilizing digitally generated realistic microstructures and density-functional-theory-derived parameters, we analyzed highly nonuniform local stress profiles in the polycrystalline hydrides under the clamping force exerted by the host during hydrogenation. Our framework also allows us to predict the corresponding strain energy accumulation and mechanical hot spots formation in the hydrides, highlighting their roles in thermodynamic destabilization and mechanical failure, respectively. Through extensive parametric simulations, we further quantified the influence of interface type, crystallinity, grain size, loading ratio, and host stiffness, providing practical guidance for optimizing microstructural design and host material selection. This proposed approach is broadly applicable to micromechanical systems with complex microstructural features involving chemical reaction- and/or phase-transformation-induced deformation.

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) possess merits of high theoretical specific capacity, high energy density, abundant resource, and low cost, making them promising candidates for future energy storage systems. Although numerous advanced high-performance LSBs have been studied, their further development still faces severe challenges. The redox intermediate lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) can be easily soluble in electrolytes and shuttles to anodes through a separator, leading to continuous loss of cathode-active materials and side reactions with lithium anodes, thereby compromising cycling stability. In addition, the sulfur cathode and its discharge product Li₂S exhibit poor electronic conductivity and undergo substantial volumetric changes during the discharge/charge process, affecting reaction kinetics and cycle life. To address these challenges, we developed an integrated system combining a MoS₂-modified N-doped graphene host material (MoS₂–NG) with an organosulfide-active material (S-SH), yielding a composite cathode material (MoS₂–NG@S-SH) with multiple advantages. The porous carbon-based MoS₂–NG host material, containing various heteroatoms, provides improved electronic conductivity, volume change buffering, physical barriers, chemical adsorption, and catalytic sites for LiPSs, synergistically suppressing the shuttle effect and facilitating the reaction kinetics. Furthermore, the S-SH active material features stable chemical bonds, contributing to enhanced cycling stability. Consequently, the MoS₂–NG@S-SH cathode delivers a high specific capacity of 1573.8 mA h g^–1 at 0.05 C and maintains an exceptional average retention of 99.94% per cycle after 500 cycles at 1.0 C, demonstrating superior electrochemical performance.

This study introduces an advanced Cu₂MnS₂ ctenophore-like nanostructured electrocatalyst, synthesized through a hydrothermal process and enhanced via argon (Ar) plasma activation (Cu₂MnS₂-Ar) to improve its performance in overall water splitting (OWS) and urea oxidation reactions (UORs). Plasma activation generates reactive species that modify the material’s surface, increasing its conductivity, electroactive sites, and surface energy, all contributing to enhanced catalytic activity. The Cu₂MnS₂-Ar catalyst exhibits impressive performance in hydrogen evolution (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions, with overpotentials of 0.012 and 0.026 V at 10 and 300 mA/cm², respectively, much lower than the untreated Cu₂MnS₂ catalyst, which shows 0.308 and 0.309 V. More importantly, the developed cell with the Cu₂MnS₂-Ar electrocatalyst demonstrates an exceptional overpotential of 1.47 and 1.37 V at 50 mA/cm² for the OWS and UOR and, notably, which is much smaller than the noble metal-based catalyst. Conversely, our developed cell exhibits outstanding performance by achieving cell voltages of 1.59 V even under demanding industrial conditions (60 °C). The stability of the Cu₂MnS₂-Ar catalyst was further evaluated using time series analysis (TSA) and long short-term memory (LSTM) modeling, which accurately predicts the electrocatalytic behavior, confirming the effectiveness of the modeling technique in understanding the catalyst’s performance.

Ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) based on all-small molecules represent a promising avenue toward high-performance and stable devices. In this study, we introduce an efficient all-small-molecule ternary OSC, incorporating 20 wt % of the medium bandgap electron acceptor DBTBT-IC into the CA-CO:Y6 binary blend, resulting in a notable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.42%. This marks an improvement of ∼25% compared to the CA-CO:Y6 binary device’s (PCE 12.27%). Moreover, the large molecular electrostatic potential (ESP) difference between the CA-CO donor and Y6 acceptor reveals efficient charge transfer, creating an induced intermolecular electric field to facilitate charge generation within the materials. The ternary device also exhibits lower nonradiative energy loss than binary devices. This work highlights the significance of simple coumarin-based donors in enhancing the performance of OSCs by promoting charge carrier transport while minimizing recombination.

The pursuit for efficient piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) for mechanical energy harvesting is attractive for self-powered, flexible, portable, and wearable Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. This study presents the development of a high-performance PENG by incorporating sono-chemically exfoliated two-dimensional molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂) nanosheets into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), resulting in a nanocomposite frictional layer. Utilizing dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent, we achieved an optimized concentration of MoSe₂ within PVDF in a sandwich-structured configuration, leading to a significant improvement in the energy-harvesting efficiency. The device exhibited a maximum open-circuit voltage of ∼56 V and a power density of 680 μW/cm² under an applied pressure of about 15 kPa leading to a sensitivity of ∼3.73 V/kPa, revealing the potential of 2D MoSe₂ for efficient energy harvesting. Subsequent measurements demonstrated several mechanical energy harvesting sources using pen sketching, wind flow from a hand blower, and water droplets. Moreover, biomechanical activities such as wrist and elbow movements and walking produced notable output voltages, underscoring the potential of this PENG in wearable electronics, portable devices, and IoT applications. These nanogenerators could be potentially attractive for autonomous, low-maintenance energy solutions, transforming daily life activities into electrical power for consumer devices and facilitating environmental monitoring via remote sensors energized by natural vibrations.