An effective approach to significantly increase the electrical conductivity of a NiOx hole-transporting layer (HTL) to achieve high-efficiency planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells is demonstrated. Perovskite solar cells based on using Cu-doped NiOx HTL show a remarkably improved power conversion efficiency up to 15.40% due to the improved electrical conductivity and enhanced perovskite film quality. General applicability of Cu-doped NiOx to larger bandgap perovskites is also demonstrated in this study.

that the blade-coating process encourages the formation of self-assembled large perovskite crystalline domains featuring uniform fi lm coverage and signifi cantly improved device ambient stability. In addition, we reveal that this blade-coating process can also be applicable to systems based on using the advanced solvent engineering technique reported for high-performance perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) solar cells. [ 35,36 ] Blade-coating is a simple, cost-effi cient, and roll-to-roll compatible process for optoelectronic device fabrication. [ 37,38 ] In the case of perovskites, we fi nd that the formation of large crystalline domains is encouraged by the relatively slow solvent drying process in the uniformly wet fi lm formed immediately after solution blading. It may change the nucleation kinetics of perovskites to ensure self-assembly driven growth. Taking advantage of this process, we have applied blade-coating to the preparation of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3-x Cl x perovskite fi lms to achieve high quality and moisture/air-resistant fi lms under ambient conditions.To examine the processability of perovskite fi lms in ambient and explore the effect of different coating methods on device performance, we have fabricated perovsktie solar cells using both spin-and blade-coating. The fi lms were annealed at 90 °C in air for 2 h after both coating processes; but in the case of bladecoating, the wet fi lms formed immediately after solution blading were kept at room temperature for 40 min before annealing to wait for the majority of N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent to be evaporated. The same coating and annealing conditions were used for other perovskite fi lms studied later in this work. The device confi guration and energy band diagram of materials used in this study is shown in Figure 1 . [ 39,40 ] The photoactive perovskite layer was prepared from a precursor solution with 1 wt% of 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) additive following the reported method. [ 23 ] For comparison, we have also fabricated reference perovskite solar cells under inert environment, a N 2 -fi lled glove box. The best performing reference device shows a PCE of 10.30%, and the detailed photovoltaic properties of the reference perovskite cells are shown in Figure S1 in the Supporting Information. Current densityvoltage ( J -V ) characteristics of perovskite solar cells fabricated with two coating methods in ambient conditions are shown in Figure 2 a, with summarized device performance in Table 1 .Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskites have attracted signifi cant attention from both academia and industry due to their unique structural and optoelectronic properties such as high crystallinity, excellent charge carrier mobility, luminescence and energy harvesting characteristics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] that led to very rapid progress in perovskite solar cells. [13][14][15][16] However, fabrication of high-performance perovskite solar cells, particularly those based on compact titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) electron-transporting layers, involves hig...

Figure 6. Photograph (a) and typical J -V characteristics (b) of a fl exible perovskite solar cell prepared by blade coating method under humidity of 15%-25%. 1500328 (6 of 6)

We have rationally designed a densely packed 1:1 donor-acceptor (D-A) cocrystal system comprising two isometric distyrylbenzene- and dicyanodistyrylbenzene-based molecules, forming regular one-dimensional mixed stacks. The crystal exhibits strongly red-shifted, bright photoluminescence originating from an intermolecular charge-transfer state. The peculiar electronic situation gives rise to high and ambipolar p-/n-type field-effect mobility up to 6.7 × 10(-3) and 6.7 × 10(-2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), respectively, as observed in single-crystalline OFETs prepared via solvent vapor annealing process. The unique combination of favorable electric and optical properties arising from an appropriate design concept of isometric D-A cocrystal has been demonstrated as a promising candidate for next generation (opto-)electronic materials.

Solution-processed nickel oxides (s-NiO x ) are used as hole injection and transport layers in solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). By increasing the annealing temperature, the nickel acetate precursor fully decomposes and the s-NiO x film shows larger crystalline grain sizes, which lead to better hole injection and transport properties. UV−ozone treatment on the s-NiO x surface is carried out to further modify its surface chemistry, improving the hole injection efficiency. The introduction of more dipolar species of nickel oxyhydroxide (NiO(OH)) is evidenced after the treatment. Dark injection−space charge limited (DI−SCL) transient measurement was carried out to compare the hole injection efficiency of s-NiO x and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole injection layers (HIL). The UV−ozone treated s-NiO x shows significantly better hole injection, with a high injection efficiency of 0.8. With a p-type thin film transistor (TFT) configuration, the high-temperature annealed s-NiO x film shows a hole mobility of 0.141 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , which is significantly higher compared to conventional organic hole transport layers (HTLs). Because of their improved hole injection and transport properties, the solution-processed phosphorescent green OLEDs with NiO x HIL/HTL show a maximum power efficiency of 75.5 ± 1.8 lm W −1 , which is 74.6 + 2.1% higher than the device with PEDOT:PSS HIL. The device with NiO x HIL/HTL also shows a better shelf stability than the device with PEDOT:PSS HIL. The NiO x HIL/HTL is further compared with PEDOT:PSS HIL/N,N′-Di(1-naphthyl)-N,N′diphenyl-(1,1′-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (NPB) HTL in the thermal-evaporated OLEDs. The device with NiO x HIL/HTL shows a comparable efficiency at high electroluminescence (EL) intensities.

Antimycotic chemosensitization and its mode of action are of growing interest. Currently, use of antifungal agents in agriculture and medicine has a number of obstacles. Foremost of these is development of resistance or cross-resistance to one or more antifungal agents. The generally high expense and negative impact, or side effects, associated with antifungal agents are two further issues of concern. Collectively, these problems are exacerbated by efforts to control resistant strains, which can evolve into a treadmill of higher dosages for longer periods. This cycle in turn, inflates cost of treatment, dramatically. A further problem is stagnation in development of new and effective antifungal agents, especially for treatment of human mycoses. Efforts to overcome some of these issues have involved using combinations of available antimycotics (e.g., combination therapy for invasive mycoses). However, this approach has had inconsistent success and is often associated with a marked increase in negative side effects. Chemosensitization by natural compounds to increase effectiveness of commercial antimycotics is a somewhat new approach to dealing with the aforementioned problems. The potential for safe natural products to improve antifungal activity has been observed for over three decades. Chemosensitizing agents possess antifungal activity, but at insufficient levels to serve as antimycotics, alone. Their main function is to disrupt fungal stress response, destabilize the structural integrity of cellular and vacuolar membranes or stimulate production of reactive oxygen species, augmenting oxidative stress and apoptosis. Use of safe chemosensitizing agents has potential benefit to both agriculture and medicine. When co-applied with a commercial antifungal agent, an additive or synergistic interaction may occur, augmenting antifungal efficacy. This augmentation, in turn, lowers effective dosages, costs, negative side effects and, in some cases, countermands resistance.

A new dicyanodistyrylbenzene‐based phasmidic molecule, (2Z,2′Z)‐2,2′‐(1,4‐phenylene)bis(3‐(3,4,5‐tris(dodecyloxy)phenyl)acrylonitrile), GDCS, is reported, which forms a hexagonal columnar liquid crystal (LC) phase at room temperature (RT). GDCS molecules self‐assemble into supramolecular disks consisting of a pair of molecules in a side‐by‐side disposition assisted by secondary bonding interactions of the lateral polar cyano group, which, in turn, constitute the hexagonal columnar LC structure. GDCS shows very intense green/yellow fluorescence in liquid/solid crystalline states, respectively, in contrast to the total absence of fluorescence emission in the isotropic melt state according to the characteristic aggregation‐induced enhanced emission (AIEE) behavior. The AIEE and two‐color luminescence thermochromism of GDCS are attributed to the peculiar intra‐ and intermolecular interactions of dipolar cyanostilbene units. It was found that the intramolecular planarization and restricted molecular motion associated with a specific stacking situation in the liquid/solid crystalline phases are responsible for the AIEE phenomenon. The origin of the two‐color luminescence was elucidated to be due to the interdisk stacking alteration in a given column driven by the specific local dipole coupling between molecular disks. These stacking changes, in turn, resulted in the different degree of excited‐state dimeric coupling to give different emission colors. To understand the complicated photophysical properties of GDCS, temperature‐dependent steady‐state and time‐resolved PL measurements have been comprehensively carried out. Uniaxially aligned and highly fluorescent LC and crystalline microwires of GDCS are fabricated by using the micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) method. Significantly enhanced electrical conductivity (0.8 × 10−5 S•cm−1/3.9 × 10−5 S•cm−1) of the aligned LC/crystal microwires were obtained over that of multi‐domain LC sample, because of the almost perfect shear alignment of the LC material achieved in the MIMIC mold.

A new 2:1 donor (D):acceptor (A) mixed-stacked charge-transfer (CT) cocrystal comprising isometrically structured dicyanodistyrylbenzene-based D and A molecules is designed and synthesized. Uniform 2D-type morphology is manifested by the exquisite interplay of intermolecular interactions. In addition to its appealing structural features, unique optoelectronic properties are unveiled. Exceptionally high photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ ≈ 60%) is realized by non-negligible oscillator strength of the S transition, and rigidified 2D-type structure. Moreover, this luminescent 2D-type CT crystal exhibits balanced ambipolar transport (µ and µ of ≈10 cm V s ). As a consequence of such unique optoelectronic characteristics, the first CT electroluminescence is demonstrated in a single active-layered organic light-emitting transistor (OLET) device. The external quantum efficiency of this OLET is as high as 1.5% to suggest a promising potential of luminescent mixed-stacked CT cocrystals in OLET applications.