Two kinds of conjugated main-chain ferrocene (Fc)-containing polymers, PFcT8 and PFcTP8, were successfully prepared through the facile melt-state polymerization (MSP) of corresponding monomers which combine the Fc motif with thiophene or thiophene-methane groups. The simple, low-cost MSP was chosen as the method, while thiophene or thiophene-methane groups served as reactive sites for its feature of easy polymerization by a simple heating process. The prepared metallopolymers were characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, and photochemical and electrochemical analysis, metal content, and thermal stability. The results show that metallopolymers with a regular backbone and nearly quantitative metal content were obtained. In addition, the metallopolymer PFcTP8 has the smallest optical band gap (absorption edge at 1100 nm) and high thermal stability among reported Fc-containing polymers, which indicates the thiophene-methane-based Fc-containing structure is a good candidate to construct functional polymers through MSP. The low band gap and high thermal stability of prepared conjugated metallopolymers show their potential application in conducting materials with high working temperature.
TiO 2 nanorod arrays (NAs) were synthesized with different morphology based on ethanol addition in the TiO 2 precursors for efficient hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The morphology and optical properties of samples based on TiO 2 NAs prepared with a different amount of ethanol added in TiO 2 precursors were analyzed. The results indicated that ethanol addition in TiO 2 precursors help regulate the morphology of TiO 2 NAs and improve the photovoltaic performance of the PSCs based on TiO 2 NAs. Finally, the carbon-based PSCs with 96[Formula: see text]nm TiO 2 NAs in diameter by 1[Formula: see text]mL of ethanol addition achieved the optimal performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.86%. The results can offer inspiration for performance improvement of PSCs based on TiO 2 NAs.
Mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanomaterials (MATNs) with both large specific surface areas and structural coherence are highly desirable to achieve excellent physicochemical properties for photovoltaic applications, but the existing synthesis methods either need templates or cause pollution. Herein we report a simple, template-free, and green approach to synthesize MATNs consisting of interconnected nanoparticles. The Ti-complex intermediates were first prepared using titanium isopropoxide and acetic acid in a solvothermal reaction, which went through a morphology transformation sequence of nanowires, microspheres, and microflowers with a prolonged reaction time. Then the Ti-complex intermediates were cracked into MATNs under annealing, which were applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cells (HPSCs). The mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanowire-based DSSCs achieved a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 7.78% because of both a high dye-adsorption capacity and long charge-transfer channels, while the PCE based on the P25 photoelectrodes is 6.61%. The further application of mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanowires in HPSCs achieved an improved PCE of 8.52%, compared to 6.78% for cells prepared using the P25 electrodes.
Economic environment dispatch (EED) is a significant optimization problem in conventional fossil fuel fired power system to distribute load demand reasonably and scientifically so that fuel cost and emission issues are optimized simultaneously while satisfying various constraints. In response to this constrained multi-objective optimization problem including competing objectives as well as complex constraints, an novel multi-objective algorithm (MOCA-PSO) is proposed in this paper to solve EED problem. Simulation results of test system demonstrate that the capability of the proposed algorithm to generate well-distributed Pareto optimal solutions in a single run. Compared with some current methods, MOCA-PSO has a good performance in finding a diverse set of solutions and in converging near the true Pareto optimal front with lower fuel cost and emission issues synthetically.
The preparation of a high‐quality CuSCN thin film is very important to guarantee its efficient performance in an electronic device. Herein, a coordination strategy is reported for the formation of a highly compact CuSCN hole‐transporting layer by retarding fast crystallization via constructing intermediate adducts, and investigated its application for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Specifically, the strong coordination bond between CuSCN and pyridine derivate ligands results in the formation of a stable intermediate phase, which is further converted to compact CuSCN layers under thermal annealing. The configuration of the intermediate phase is demonstrated to be crucial for the subsequent assembly of high‐quality CuSCN layers and results in an improved performance of the devices. CuSCN thin films crystallized from an intermediate adduct, CuSCN‐(Cl‐Py), with a rippled sheet configuration show an exceptional surface uniformity and high hole mobility, which facilitates efficient hole extraction and suppresses charge recombination in PSCs, resulting in an enhanced device efficiency of 19.19%. That is the highest value of the inverted planar PSCs using CuSCN as a hole‐transporting layer to the best of the authors’ knowledge. This novel coordination strategy can be expected to be used in the preparation of other inorganic charge transporting materials for electronic devices.
New thiazolothiazole-thiophene copolymers show high mobilities of ∼0.1 cm2/(V s) despite the fact that the polymer chains are disordered. The polymers demonstrated excellent stability, as they maintained the initial OFET performance after 50 days in ambient air (30−50% humidity).
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