Antimony selenide is an emerging promising thin film photovoltaic material thanks to its binary composition, suitable bandgap, high absorption coefficient, inert grain boundaries and earth-abundant constituents. However, current devices produced from rapid thermal evaporation strategy suffer from low-quality film and unsatisfactory performance. Herein, we develop a vapor transport deposition technique to fabricate antimony selenide films, a technique that enables continuous and low-cost manufacturing of cadmium telluride solar cells. We improve the crystallinity of antimony selenide films and then successfully produce superstrate cadmium sulfide/antimony selenide solar cells with a certified power conversion efficiency of 7.6%, a net 2% improvement over previous 5.6% record of the same device configuration. We analyze the deep defects in antimony selenide solar cells, and find that the density of the dominant deep defects is reduced by one order of magnitude using vapor transport deposition process.

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Lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for future lighting applications, due to their high quantum yield, narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), and wide color gamut. However, the toxicity of lead represents a potential obstacle to their utilization. Although tin(II) has been used to replace lead in films and QDs, the high intrinsic defect density and oxidation vulnerability typically leads to unsatisfactory material properties. Bismuth, with much lower toxicity than lead, is promising to constitute lead-free perovskite materials because Bi is isoelectronic to Pb and more stable than Sn . Herein we report, for the first time, the synthesis and optical characterization of MA Bi Br perovskite QDs with photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) up to 12 %, which is much higher than Sn-based perovskite nanocrystals. Furthermore, the photoluminescence (PL) peaks of MA Bi X QDs could be easily tuned from 360 to 540 nm through anion exchange.

Double perovskite Cs 2 AgInCl 6 is newly reported as a stable and environmentally friendly alternative to lead halide perovskites. However, the fundamental properties of this material remain unexplored. Here, we first produced high-quality Cs 2 AgInCl 6 single crystals (SCs) with a low trap density of 8.6 × 10 8 cm −3 , even lower than the value reported in the best lead halide perovskite SCs. Through systematical optical and electronic characterization, we experimentally verified the existence of the proposed parity-forbidden transition in Cs 2 AgInCl 6 and identified the role of oxygen in controlling its optical properties. Furthermore, sensitive (dectivity of ∼10 12 Jones), fast (3 dB bandwidth of 1035 Hz), and stable UV photodetectors were fabricated based on our Cs 2 AgInCl 6 SCs, showcasing their advantages for optoelectronic applications.

Sb 2 Se 3 is a promising candidate for thin-film photovoltaics, with a suitable band gap, benign grain boundaries, Earth-abundant and nontoxic constituents, and excellent stability. However, the low doping density (10 13 cm −3 ) of Sb 2 Se 3 absorber and back contact barrier limit its efficiency. Here we introduced a PbS colloidal quantum dot (CQD) film as the hole-transporting layer (HTL) to construct a n-i-p configured device and overcame these problems. Through simulation-guided optimization, we have significantly improved the efficiency of a Sb 2 Se 3 thin-film solar cell to a new certified record of 6.5%. The PbS CQD HTL not only minimized carrier recombination loss at the back contact and boosted carrier collection efficiency but also contributed photocurrent by its own nearinfrared absorption. Furthermore, these n-i-p devices also demonstrated improved device uniformity, achieving 6.39% in a 1.02 cm 2 device.

The binary semiconductor of antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) has received wide attention as potential solar cell absorber material recently due to its attractive optoelectronic properties such as proper bandgap (1.17 eV direct and 1.03 eV indirect), large absorption coefficient (>10 5 cm −1 ), decent carrier mobility (≈10 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), and long carrier lifetime (≈60 ns) as well as its low toxicity, low cost, and earth-abundant constituents. [1] Based on the rapid thermal evaporation (RTE) deposition technology, power conversion efficiencies (PCE) were achieved in superstrate CdS-based Sb 2 Se 3 and Sb 2 (S x ,Se 1−x ) 3 thin film solar cells as 5.6% and 5.79%, [2] respectively. Simultaneously, the substrate Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells with CdS buffer layer were also rapidly developed with PCE over 4% reported by several groups. [3] The traditional CdS buffer layer is toxic to human and environment, and the device reveals low

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The primary malignant bone tumor, osteosarcoma, is a deadly disorder. Its etiology is complex, and treatment is mostly obscure. The transcription factors (TFs) involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) have significant role in osteosarcoma. A number of evidence suggests that overexpression of EMT-TFs, such as Twist, Snails and Zebs, is involved in complex pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. Recent research studies have showed some extent of promise in osteosarcoma treatment by targeting these EMT-TFs. However, success in research on osteosarcoma-EMT-TFs axis is just in primary stage, and a long way to go. Targeting Twist, Snail or Zeb by specific molecules or chemotherapeutic agents may provide a new dimension in osteosarcoma treatment by controlling metastasis.