Structure control in solution-processed hybrid perovskites is crucial to design and fabricate highly efficient solar cells. Here, we utilize in situ grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and ...scanning electron microscopy to investigate the structural evolution and film morphologies of methylammonium lead tri-iodide/chloride (CH3NH3PbI3–x Cl x ) in mesoporous block copolymer derived alumina superstructures during thermal annealing. We show the CH3NH3PbI3–x Cl x material evolution to be characterized by three distinct structures: a crystalline precursor structure not described previously, a 3D perovskite structure, and a mixture of compounds resulting from degradation. Finally, we demonstrate how understanding the processing parameters provides the foundation needed for optimal perovskite film morphology and coverage, leading to enhanced block copolymer-directed perovskite solar cell performance.
Bone metastasis is a leading cause of death in patients with breast cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. While much work focuses on the molecular and cellular events that ...drive breast cancer bone metastasis, it is mostly unclear what role bone extracellular matrix (ECM) properties play in this process. Bone ECM primarily consists of mineralized collagen fibrils, which are composed of non-stoichiometric carbonated apatite (HA) and collagen type I. Reduced bone mineral content is epidemiologically linked with increased risk of bone metastasis. Yet elucidating the potential functional impact of collagen mineralization on breast cancer cells has remained challenging because of a lack of model systems that allow studying tumor cell behavior as a function of physiological, intrafibrillar collagen mineralization. Here, we have developed cell culture substrates composed of mineralized collagen type I fibrils using a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) process. Intrafibrillar HA decreased breast cancer cell adhesion forces and accordingly reduced collagen fiber alignment relative to cells cultured on control collagen. The resulting mineral-mediated changes in collagen network characteristics and mechanosignaling correlated with increased cell motility, but inhibited directed migration of breast cancer cells. These results suggest that physiological mineralization of collagen fibrils reduces tumor cell adhesion with potential functional consequences on skeletal homing of disseminated tumor cells in early stages of breast cancer metastasis.
Methylammonium lead halide perovskite solar cells continue to excite the research community due to their rapidly increasing performance which, in large part, is due to improvements in film ...morphology. The next step in this progression is control of the crystal morphology which requires a better fundamental understanding of the crystal growth. In this study we use in situ X-ray scattering data to study isothermal transformations of perovskite films derived from chloride, iodide, nitrate, and acetate lead salts. Using established models we determine the activation energy for crystallization and find that it changes as a function of the lead salt. Further analysis enabled determination of the precursor composition and showed that the primary step in perovskite formation is removal of excess organic salt from the precursor. This understanding suggests that careful choice of the lead salt will aid in controlling crystal growth, leading to superior films and better performing solar cells.
To date, there have been a plethora of reports on different means to fabricate organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite thin films; however, the inorganic starting materials have been limited to ...halide-based anions. Here we study the role of the anions in the perovskite solution and their influence upon perovskite crystal growth, film formation and device performance. We find that by using a non-halide lead source (lead acetate) instead of lead chloride or iodide, the perovskite crystal growth is much faster, which allows us to obtain ultrasmooth and almost pinhole-free perovskite films by a simple one-step solution coating with only a few minutes annealing. This synthesis leads to improved device performance in planar heterojunction architectures and answers a critical question as to the role of the anion and excess organic component during crystallization. Our work paves the way to tune the crystal growth kinetics by simple chemistry.
We investigate the thermally induced morphological and crystalline development of methylammonium lead mixed halide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3–x Cl x ) thin films and photovoltaic device performance with ...meso-superstructured and planar heterojunction architectures. We observe that a short rapid thermal annealing at 130 °C leads to the growth of large micron-sized textured perovskite domains and improved the short circuit currents and power conversion efficiencies up to 13.5% for the planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. This work highlights the criticality of controlling the thin film crystallization mechanism of hybrid perovskite materials for high-performing photovoltaic applications.
Love et al focus on the preparation, formation, structure and applications of self-assembled monolayers formed from alkanethiols (and derivatives of alkanethiols) on gold, silver, copper, palladium, ...mercury and alloys of these metals. Love et al emphasize advances made in this area in the past five years (1999-2004).
Hierarchical porous polymer materials are of increasing importance because of their potential application in catalysis, separation technology, or bioengineering. Examples for their synthesis exist, ...but there is a need for a facile yet versatile conceptual approach to such hierarchical scaffolds and quantitative characterization of their nonperiodic pore systems. Here, we introduce a synthesis method combining well-established concepts of macroscale spinodal decomposition and nanoscale block copolymer self-assembly with porosity formation on both length scales via rinsing with protic solvents. We used scanning electron microscopy, small-angle x-ray scattering, transmission electron tomography, and nanoscale x-ray computed tomography for quantitative pore-structure characterization. The method was demonstrated for AB- and ABC-type block copolymers, and resulting materials were used as scaffolds for calcite crystal growth.
The phenomenon of gelation is thought to arise from fibers becoming entangled and trapping solvent via surface tension. Estroff and Hamilton focus on understanding what determines if a given chemical ...structure will self-assemble in water to form a gel.
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