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Wang Y, Cheng Y, Yin C, Zhang J, You J, Wang J, Wang J, Zhang J. Manipulating Crystal Growth and Secondary Phase PbI 2 to Enable Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Natural Additives. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2024; 16:183. [PMID: 38683261 PMCID: PMC11058175 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01400-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
In perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the inherent defects of perovskite film and the random distribution of excess lead iodide (PbI2) prevent the improvement of efficiency and stability. Herein, natural cellulose is used as the raw material to design a series of cellulose derivatives for perovskite crystallization engineering. The cationic cellulose derivative C-Im-CN with cyano-imidazolium (Im-CN) cation and chloride anion prominently promotes the crystallization process, grain growth, and directional orientation of perovskite. Meanwhile, excess PbI2 is transferred to the surface of perovskite grains or formed plate-like crystallites in local domains. These effects result in suppressing defect formation, decreasing grain boundaries, enhancing carrier extraction, inhibiting non-radiative recombination, and dramatically prolonging carrier lifetimes. Thus, the PSCs exhibit a high power conversion efficiency of 24.71%. Moreover, C-Im-CN has multiple interaction sites and polymer skeleton, so the unencapsulated PSCs maintain above 91.3% of their initial efficiencies after 3000 h of continuous operation in a conventional air atmosphere and have good stability under high humidity conditions. The utilization of biopolymers with excellent structure-designability to manage the perovskite opens a state-of-the-art avenue for manufacturing and improving PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirong Wang
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaohui Cheng
- Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunchun Yin
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinming Zhang
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jingxuan You
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jizheng Wang
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jinfeng Wang
- Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, 430200, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
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Hou DF, Li PY, Zhang K, Li ML, Feng ZW, Yan C, Liu C, Yang MB. Insight into the Feasibility of Fatty Acyl Chlorides with 10-18 Carbons for the Ball-Milling Synthesis of Thermoplastic Cellulose Esters. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1923-1932. [PMID: 38394470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Fatty acid cellulose esters (FACE) are common cellulose-based thermoplastics, and their thermoplasticity is determined by both the contents and the lengths of the side chains. Herein, various FACE were synthesized by the ball-milling esterification of cellulose and fatty acyl chlorides containing 10-18 carbons, and their structures and thermoplasticity were thoroughly studied. The results showed that FACE with high degrees of substitution (DS) and low melting flow temperatures (Tf) were achieved as the chain lengths of the fatty acyl chlorides were reduced. In particular, a cellulose decanoate with a DS of 1.85 and a Tf of 186 °C was achieved by feeding 3 mol of decanoyl chloride per mole anhydroglucose units of cellulose. However, cellulose stearate (DS = 1.53) synthesized by the same protocols cannot melt even at 250 °C. More interestingly, the fatty acyl chlorides with 10 and 12 carbons resulted in FACE with superior toughness (elongation at break up to 94.4%). In contrast, due to their potential crystallization of the fatty acyl groups with 14-18 carbons, the corresponding FACE showed higher tensile strength and Young's modulus than the others. This study provides some theoretical basis for the mechanochemical synthesis of thermoplastic FACE with designated properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Fa Hou
- National Joint Engineering Research Center for Highly-Efficient Utilization Technology of Forestry Resource, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Wood Adhesives and Glued Products, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, P. R. China
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Pei-Yao Li
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Kai Zhang
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Meng-Lei Li
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Zi-Wei Feng
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Cong Yan
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
| | - Can Liu
- National Joint Engineering Research Center for Highly-Efficient Utilization Technology of Forestry Resource, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Wood Adhesives and Glued Products, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, P. R. China
| | - Ming-Bo Yang
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, P. R. China
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Consolati G, Nichetti D, Quasso F. Probing the Free Volume in Polymers by Means of Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:3128. [PMID: 37514518 PMCID: PMC10386335 DOI: 10.3390/polym15143128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is a valuable technique to investigate defects in solids, such as vacancy clusters and grain boundaries in metals and alloys, as well as lattice imperfections in semiconductors. Positron spectroscopy is able to reveal the size, structure and concentration of vacancies with a sensitivity of 10-7. In the field of porous and amorphous systems, PALS can probe cavities in the range from a few tenths up to several tens of nm. In the case of polymers, PALS is one of the few techniques able to give information on the holes forming the free volume. This quantity, which cannot be measured with macroscopic techniques, is correlated to important mechanical, thermal, and transport properties of polymers. It can be deduced theoretically by applying suitable equations of state derived by cell models, and PALS supplies a quantitative measure of the free volume by probing the corresponding sub-nanometric holes. The system used is positronium (Ps), an unstable atom formed by a positron and an electron, whose lifetime can be related to the typical size of the holes. When analyzed in terms of continuous lifetimes, the positron annihilation spectrum allows one to gain insight into the distribution of the free volume holes, an almost unique feature of this technique. The present paper is an overview of PALS, addressed in particular to readers not familiar with this technique, with emphasis on the experimental aspects. After a general introduction on free volume, positronium, and the experimental apparatus needed to acquire the corresponding lifetime, some of the recent results obtained by various groups will be shown, highlighting the connections between the free volume as probed by PALS and structural properties of the investigated materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Consolati
- Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via LaMasa, 34, 20156 Milano, Italy
- INFN, Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria, 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Fiorenza Quasso
- Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via LaMasa, 34, 20156 Milano, Italy
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Terán JE, Pal L, Spontak RJ, Lucia L. Surface Mechanical Properties and Topological Characteristics of Thermoplastic Copolyesters after Precisely Controlled Abrasion. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:7552-7561. [PMID: 36715689 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c19377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Due to the high probability of surface-to-surface contact of materials during routine applications, surface abrasion remains one of the most challenging factors governing the long-term performance of polymeric materials due to their broad range of tunable mechanical properties, as well as the varied conditions of abrasion (regarding, e.g., rate, load, and contact area). While this concept is empirically mature, a fundamental understanding of mechanical abrasion regarding thermoplastics remains lacking even though polymer abrasion can inadvertently lead to the formation of nano-/microplastics. In the present study, we introduce the concept of precision polymer abrasion (PPA) in conjunction with nanoindentation to elucidate the extent to which controlled wear is experienced by three chemically related thermoplastics under systematically varied abrasion conditions. While depth profiling of one polymer reveals a probe-dependent change in modulus, complementary results from positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy confirm that the polymer density changes measurably, but not appreciably, with depth over the depth range explored. After a single PPA pass, the surface moduli of the polymers noticeably increase, whereas the corresponding increase in hardness is modest. The dependence of wear volume on the number of PPA passes is observed to reach limiting values for two of the thermoplastics, and application of an empirical model to the data yields estimates of these values for all three thermoplastics. These results suggest that the metrics commonly employed to describe the surface abrasion of polymers requires careful consideration of a host of underlying factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio E Terán
- Fiber and Polymer Science Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Lokendra Pal
- Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Richard J Spontak
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Lucian Lucia
- Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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Wang YR, Yin CC, Zhang JM, Wu J, Yu J, Zhang J. Functional Cellulose Materials Fabricated by Using Ionic Liquids as the Solvent. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-022-2787-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Yang L, Liu X, Lu Z, Song T, Yang Z, Xu J, Zhou W, Cao X, Yu R, Wang Q. Free volume dependence of the dielectric constant of poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposite films. RSC Adv 2022; 12:24734-24742. [PMID: 36128369 PMCID: PMC9428769 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra04480c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The free volume effects on the dielectric properties of the polymer are ambiguous, and the quantitative effect of free volume on the dielectric properties has rarely been systematically studied, especially in the high-elastic state dipolar (HESD) polymer. In this work, the free volume of dipolar poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is regulated by the addition of Al2O3, which greatly increase the size of free volume holes. Then the effect of free volume on the dielectric properties of PVDF/Al2O3 composites is discussed. The greatly enlarged size of free volume holes is believed to potentially generate disparate effects on dielectric constant under different frequencies in such kinds of HESD polymer-based composites, bringing about more remarkable frequency dependence of the dielectric constant. The influence of atomic-scale microstructure based on free volume further clarifies the free volume effects on the dielectric properties and provides valuable insights for the research of dielectric behaviour of polymer composites, which is constructive to design novel dielectric materials and further optimize the dielectric properties of dipolar dielectric polymer composites. The size variation of free volume holes is found to potentially generate disparate effects on dielectric constant under different frequencies in high-elastic state dipolar poly(vinylidene fluoride).![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
- Zhejiang Institute, China University of Geosciences, Hangzhou 311305, China
| | - Xuyang Liu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Zhouxun Lu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Tong Song
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Zhihong Yang
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Jianmei Xu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
- Zhejiang Institute, China University of Geosciences, Hangzhou 311305, China
| | - Xingzhong Cao
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Runsheng Yu
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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