Yujun Qin

Noncovalent assembly of carbon nanotube-inorganic hybrids

The combination of carbon nanotubes with inorganic nanostructures is believed to be a powerful tool for constructing novel organic-inorganic hybrid architectures with desirable functionalities and applications in many fields ranging from energy storage and conversion, to catalysis, sensing, and medical diagnosis and treatment. Due to the chemically inert graphitic surface of the carbon nanotube, different assembly protocols for building functional carbon nanotube-inorganic hybrids, including covalent and noncovalent routes, have been designed and demonstrated. A better understanding of the chemistry associated with the hybrid assembly holds a key to rational manipulation of the hybrid properties. This critical review discusses nondestructive noncovalent assembly methodologies for constructing diverse carbon nanotube-inorganic hybrid materials and provides the latest advances in this field. Particular focus is given to the noncovalent assembly via functional linking molecules which play pivotal roles in the control of morphology, composition, structure, interface, and thus properties of the hybrid materials.

Dumb-belled PCBM derivative with better photovoltaic performance

Three new fullerene derivatives with one, two, and three PCBM units, respectively, were synthesized and their photovoltaic properties were investigated. The dumb-belled PCBM derivative showed better photovoltaic performance than PCBM, suggesting that the covalently linked fullerene aggregates are promising acceptor materials in solar cells.

Adverse Effects of Excess Residual PbI2 on Photovoltaic Performance, Charge Separation, and Trap-State Properties in Mesoporous Structured Perovskite Solar Cells

Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have rapidly come to prominence in the photovoltaic field. In this context, CH3 NH3 PbI3 , as the most widely adopted active layer, has been attracting great attention. Generally, in a CH3 NH3 PbI3 layer, unreacted PbI2 inevitably coexists with the perovskite crystals, especially following a two-step fabrication process. There appears to be a consensus that an appropriate amount of unreacted PbI2 is beneficial to the overall photovoltaic performance of a device, the only disadvantageous aspect of excess residual PbI2 being viewed as its insulating nature. However, the further development of such perovskite-based devices requires a deeper understanding of the role of residual PbI2 . In this work, PbI2 -enriched and PbI2 -controlled perovskite films, as two extreme cases, have been prepared by modulating the crystallinity of a pre-deposited PbI2 film. The effects of excess residual PbI2 have been elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and optoelectronic studies. The initial charge separation, the trap-state density, and the trap-state distribution have all been found to be adversely affected in PbI2 -enriched devices, to the detriment of photovoltaic performance. This leads to a biphasic recombination process and accelerates the charge carrier recombination dynamics.

Efficient promotion of charge separation and suppression of charge recombination by blending PCBM and its dimer as electron transport layer in inverted perovskite solar cells

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells have achieved great success in recent years. Meanwhile, inverted structured device is an important branch in perovskite photovoltaics owing to its peculiar advantages of low-temperature fabrication process and non-hysteresis behavior. In this kind of device, the electron transport material, as well as the interface between perovskite and electron transport layer (ETL), plays a crucial role in photoelectric conversion process. We report that the utilization of the fullerene derivative blend, PCBM and its dumb-belled dimer, as electron transport material in inverted perovskite solar cells, which could significantly enhance the photovoltaic performances. The morphology of ETL can be regulated by changing the admixing ratio of PCBM and its dimer. Moreover, the steady-state/time-resolved fluorescence and transient photovoltage decay measurements indicate that the optimization of perovskite/ETL interface through an appropriate fullerene blend is beneficial to promote charge separation and suppress charge recombination.

The Influence of Morphology and PbI2 on the Intrinsic Trap State Distribution in Perovskite Films Determined by Using Temperature-Dependent Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Perovskite films with different particle sizes and PbI2 contents were prepared by using a controlled single or sequential method. By means of temperature-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy, the energetic distribution of intrinsic intragap trap states in perovskite was quantitatively determined, and the radiative charge recombinations through the band edge and via trap states were studied. Furthermore, a series of thermodynamic parameters, such as the demarcation energy between radiative and nonradiative recombination regions, detrapping activation energy, and characteristic temperature, were extracted based on which of the possible radiative and nonradiative recombination mechanisms were proposed. In addition, the correlation between the morphology of the perovskite films, the PbI2 content, and the energetic distribution of the trap states was investigated. Finally, we discuss the structure-function relationship of perovskite films prepared by different methods.

A convenient approach to producing a sensitive MWCNT-based paper sensor

MWCNT/octadecylamine hybrids with interesting structures were prepared via a simple ultrasonication and drip-drying method. The morphologies of the hybrids vary from lamellae, balls, to rose-like nanoflowers, depending on the weight ratio of the two components, which could be attributed to the introduction of nanotubes into the long-chained amine with self-organization characteristics. The paper chip sensor based on MWCNT/octadecylamine hybrid shows rapid response, high sensitivity and excellent repeatability to some volatile organic compounds, especially chloroform gas. The proposed sensing mechanism of the hybrid is via the swelling of octadecylamine upon the adsorption of organic gas, thus enlarging the nanotube distance in the MWCNT/octadecylamine hybrid and leading to the conductivity decrease of the paper chip.

Multiple trapping model for the charge recombination dynamics in mesoporous‐structured perovskite solar cells

The photovoltaic performance of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells has reached a bottleneck after rapid development in last few years. Further breakthrough in this field requires deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism of the photoelectric conversion process in the device, especially the dynamics of charge-carrier recombination. Originating from dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), mesoporous-structured perovskite solar cells (MPSCs) have shown many similarities to DSSCs with respect to their photoelectric dynamics. Herein, by applying the multiple-trapping model of the charge-recombination dynamic process for DSSCs in MPSCs, with rational modification, a novel physical model is proposed to describe the dynamics of charge recombination in MPSCs that exhibits good agreement with experimental data. Accordingly, the perovskite- and TiO2 -dominating charge-recombination processes are assigned and their relationships with the trap-state distribution are also discussed. An optimal balance between these two dynamic processes is required to improve the performance of mesoporous-structured perovskite devices.