Efficient CsPbBr3 Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Using Sputtered NiO Films as Hole Injection Layers.

Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have showed excellent optoelectronic properties to extend the application range of novel solid-state lighting, such as perovskite QD based LEDs (QD-LEDs). However, the traditional device structure of perovskite QD-LEDs employed PEDOT:PSS as a hole inject layer (HIL), which impairs stability due to acidic surface characteristics. This study proposes the sputtered NiO films as an HIL to replace acidic PEDOT:PSS. The NiO films with significantly different characteristics were prepared by controlling the sputtering parameters to investigate the devices' performance of NiO-based CsPbBr3 QD-LEDs. The optimized device showed an excellent performance with maxima luminescence of 20,118 cd/m2 and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) up to 3.63%.

The Enhanced Thermal Stability of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 Dielectric Ceramics Modified by a Multi-Phase Method.

The thermal stability of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 dielectric ceramics has been improved by mixing with CaTiO3 phases owing to higher positive temperature coefficients. The pure (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 and the mixture phase systems of CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 were verified by XRD diffraction patterns to ensure the crystallite of different phases. The microstructures of the CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 were observed by SEM and EDS to investigate the relation between element ratios and grains. As a result, it can be seen that the thermal stability of the CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 can be effectively enhanced, compared with the pure (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4. Moreover, the radio frequency dielectric performances of CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 dielectric ceramics are strongly dependent upon the density and the morphology of the specimens. The champion sample with the ratio of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 and CaTiO3 of 0.92:0.08 showed an εr value of 19.2, an Qf value of 108,200 GHz, and a τf value of -4.8 ppm/°C, which may encourage (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 ceramics to broaden the range of novel applications and match the requirements of 5G or next-generation communication systems.

Investigation of Two Photon Absorption of Ligand-Modified CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots.

The characteristics and application of nonlinear absorption from CsPbBr3 QDs film with the ligand-modified strategy have been investigated in this work. By means of a near-infrared fs Ti:sapphire laser as a light source, the up-conversion emission of CsPbBr3 QDs film of around 518 nm revealed a quadratic increase with the pump intensity. Through the temperature-dependent up-conversion emission, we obtained the binding energy and longitudinal optical (LO) phonon energy of CsPbBr3 QDs film of around 58.1 and 61.2 meV, respectively. Due to more active thermal coupling between the excited electron or hot phonon effect, the photon decay trace under two-photon excitation was prolonged at higher temperatures. The ligand-modified CsPbBr3 QDs film exhibits a relatively large TPA coefficient of around 28.6 cm/GW by the open aperture Z-scan measurement, and it has been demonstrated as a promising nonlinear medium to obtain the pulsewidth of ultrafast lasers.

Anion-Exchange Blue Perovskite Quantum Dots for Efficient Light-Emitting Devices.

In this study, blue perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) were prepared using didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), which can passivate surface defects caused by the loss of surface ligands and reduce particle size distribution. After the passivation of DDAB, blue CsPbClxBr3-x PQDs dispersed in n-octane produced a more compact and uniform PQD thin film than the non-passivated ones. The resulting device showed a stabile lifetime, and an EL peak of 470 nm and a maximum EQE of 1.63% were obtained at an operating voltage of 2.6 V and a current density of 0.34 mA/cm2. This work aims to provide a simple method to prepare blue-emitting PQDs and high-performance PQD-based light-emitting devices.

Amplified spontaneous emission from all-inorganic perovskite on a flexible substrate with silk fibroin.

Stretchable microcavity lasers reveal potential application in flexible displays, biomedicine, and wearable devices in the near future. In this work, we investigated the characteristic of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from all inorganic CsPbBr3 QDs on a flexible PET substrate with the assistance of biocompatible silk fibroin (SF) film. In comparison with the sample on PET directly, the ASE of all-inorganic perovskite film revealed a lower threshold of 32.7 µJ/cm2, higher slope efficiency, and a larger gain coefficient of around 100.0 cm-1 owing to the better stack and good arrangement of the CsPbBr3 QDs on top of the SF film. For the temperature-dependent ASE measurement, the larger characteristic temperature of around 277 K is obtained from CsPbBr3 QD/SF film, and the emission peak reveals a slight shift with temperature variation, which indicates its temperature-insensitive property. As the curvature of flexible substrate increases under the mechanical bending, the lasing threshold of CsPbBr3 QD/SF film was reduced along with the increase in slope efficiency owing to the enhancement in the index guiding effect.

Aggregation Control, Surface Passivation, and Optimization of Device Structure toward Near-Infrared Perovskite Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes with an EQE up to 15.4.

In recent years, the performance of perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and QD-based light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) has improved greatly, with electroluminescence (EL) efficiency of green and red emission exceeding 20%. However, the development of perovskite near-infrared (NIR) QLEDs has reached stagnation, where the reported maximum EL efficiency is still below 6%, limiting their further applications. In this work, new NIR-emissive FAPbI3 QDs are developed by post-treating long alkyl-encapsulated QDs with 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI). The incorporation of PEAI reduces the QD surface defects for giving a high photoluminescence quantum yield up to 61.6%. The n-octane solution of PEAI-passivated FAPbI3 QDs is spin coated on top of the PEDOT:PSS-treated ITO electrode modified with a thermally crosslinked hole-transporting layer to give a full-coverage, smooth, and dense QD film. Incorporating with an effective electron-transporting material, CN-T2T, which has deep lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and good electron mobility, the optimal device with EL λmax at 772 nm achieves an external quantum efficiency up to 15.4% at a current density of 0.54 mA cm-2 (2.6 V), which is the highest efficiency ever reported for perovskite-based NIR QLEDs. This study provides a facile strategy to prepare high-quality perovskite QD films suitable for highly efficient NIR QLED applications.

Room-Temperature Synthesis of Air-Stable Near-Infrared Emission in FAPbI3 Nanoparticles Embedded in Silica.

Hybrid organic-inorganic and all-inorganic metal halide perovskite nanoparticles (PNPs) have shown their excellent characteristics for optoelectronic applications. We report an atmospheric process to embed formamidinium CH(NH2)2PbI3 (FAPbI3) PNPs in silica protective layer at room temperature (approximately 26 °C) employing (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES). The resulting perovskite nanocomposite (PNCs) achieved a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield of 58.0% and good stability under atmospheric moisture conditions. Moreover, the PNCs showed high PL intensity over 1 month of storage (approximately 26 °C) and more than 380 min of PNCs solutions in DI water. The studied near-infrared (NIR) light-emitting diode (LED) combined a NIR-emitting PNCs coating and a blue InGaN-based chip that exhibited a 788 nm electroluminescence spectrum of NIR-LEDs under 2.6 V. This may be a powerful tool to track of muscle and disabled patients in the detection of a blood vessel.

Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in Commercially Available Materials for Solution-Process Exciplex OLEDs.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have developed rapidly in recent years. Thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) molecules open a path to increase exciton collection efficiency from 25% to 100%, and the solution process provides an alternative technology to achieve lower cost OLEDs more easily. To develop commercial materials as exciplex hosts for high-performance and solution-processed OLEDs, we attempted to use 4,4'-cyclohexylidenebis[N,N-bis(4-methylphenyl)benzenamine (TAPC), poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK), N,N'-Di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4'-diamine (NPB), and poly(N,N'-bis-4-butylphenyl-N,N'-bisphenyl)benzidine (Poly-TPD) as the donors and 2,4,6-tris[3-(diphenylphosphinyl)phenyl]-1,3,5-triazine (POT2T) as the acceptor to obtain the TADF effect. All donors and the acceptor were purchased from chemical suppliers. Our work shows that excellent TADF properties and high-efficiency exciplex OLEDs with low turn-on voltage and high luminance can be achieved with a simple combination of commercial materials.

Polymeric Hole Transport Materials for Red CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

In this study, the performances of red CsPbI3-based all-inorganic perovskite quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (IPQLEDs) employing polymeric crystalline Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT), poly(9-vinycarbazole) (PVK), Poly(N,N'-bis-4-butylphenyl-N,N'-bisphenyl)benzidine (Poly-TPD) and 9,9-Bis[4-[(4-ethenylphenyl)methoxy]phenyl]-N2,N7-di-1-naphthalenyl-N2,N7-diphenyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diamine (VB-FNPD) as the hole transporting layers (HTLs) have been demonstrated. The purpose of this work is an attempt to promote the development of device structures and hole transporting materials for the CsPbI3-based IPQLEDs via a comparative study of different HTLs. A full-coverage quantum dot (QD) film without the aggregation can be obtained by coating it with VB-FNPD, and thus, the best external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 7.28% was achieved in the VB-FNPD device. We also reported a standing method to further improve the degree of VB-FNPD polymerization, resulting in the improved device performance, with the EQE of 8.64%.

Investigation of random lasing from all-inorganic halide perovskite quantum dots prepared under ambient conditions.

Random lasing from CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) prepared by the hot injection method under ambient conditions has been investigated. The lasing characteristics and performance were related to the thickness and aggregation of the QDs film on a glass substrate. The perovskite emitted linear polarized ASE from the edge of the prepared sample as pump energy above a certain threshold, owing to the gain guiding effect. In comparison to the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the prepared perovskite random lasers produced a speckle reduced image with a lower contrast of around 0.051. Through temperature-dependent measurements under a surface normal emission configuration, the photon energy of ASE revealed a red shift as the temperature increased and showed a larger characteristic temperature of around 230 K. This result illustrates that the perovskite prepared under ambient conditions can be a promising material for a microcavity laser in the near future.

Red Light-Emitting Diodes with All-Inorganic CsPbI3/TOPO Composite Nanowires Color Conversion Films.

This work presents a method for obtaining a color-converted red light source through a combination of a blue GaN light-emitting diode and a red fluorescent color conversion film of a perovskite CsPbI3/TOPO composite. High-quality CsPbI3 quantum dots (QDs) were prepared using the hot-injection method. The colloidal QD solutions were mixed with different ratios of trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) to form nanowires. The color conversion films prepared by the mixed ultraviolet resin and colloidal solutions were coated on blue LEDs. The optical and electrical properties of the devices were measured and analyzed at an injection current of 50 mA; it was observed that the strongest red light intensity was 93.1 cd/m2 and the external quantum efficiency was 5.7% at a wavelength of approximately 708 nm when CsPbI3/TOPO was 1:0.35.

Using Thermally Crosslinkable Hole Transporting Layer to Improve Interface Characteristics for Perovskite CsPbBr3 Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

In this paper, a thermally crosslinkable 9,9-Bis[4-[(4-ethenylphenyl)methoxy]phenyl]-N2,N7-di-1-naphthalenyl-N2,N7-diphenyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diamine (VB-FNPD) film served as the hole transporting layer (HTL) of perovskite CsPbBr3 quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) was investigated and reported. The VB-FNPD film crosslinked at various temperatures in the range of 100~230 °C followed by a spin-coating process to improve their chemical bonds in an attempt to resist the erosion from the organic solvent in the remaining fabrication process. It is shown that the device with VB-FNPD HTL crosslinking at 170 °C has the highest luminance of 7702 cd/m2, the maximum current density (J) of 41.98 mA/cm2, the maximum current efficiency (CE) of 5.45 Cd/A, and the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1.64%. Our results confirm that the proposed thermally crosslinkable VB-FNPD is a candidate for the HTL of QD-LEDs.

Development and evaluation of a tablet-based participation measure for older adults in rehabilitation settings.

Purpose: To develop a tablet-based participation measure and to evaluate its reliability and acceptability to an older Chinese population in rehabilitation settings.Method: A multidimensional, self-reported participation measure, the Participation Measure-3 Domains, 4 Dimensions (PM-3D4D), was programed into mobile application software and presented on tablet computers. To explore the reliability of the tablet-based PM-3D4D, 80 adults in rehabilitation outpatient settings aged ≥65 years completed the tablet and the paper versions of the measure at baseline and at 1-week follow-up. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for concordance and test-retest reliability. Participants' acceptability toward the two versions of the measure was described.Results: The tablet-based PM-3D4D showed good to excellent test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.79 ∼ 0.96) and high concordance with the paper-form (Intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.74-1.00). Approximately, 44% participants reported preference for the tablet-based measure, and 20% reported preference for the paper-form measure. Many participants found the tablet-based measure user-friendly, convenient, and environmentally-friendly.Conclusions: Findings of this study provide supportive evidence for administering the tablet-based PM-3D4D to an older Chinese population in rehabilitation settings and suggest a promising measurement methodology for future clinical practice.Implications for rehabilitationThe developed tablet-based participation measure, the Participation Measure-3 Domains, 4 Dimensions (PM-3D4D), fills a critical void for an efficient and reliable rehabilitation outcome measure tailored to the needs of older adults in rehabilitation settings.The tablet-based PM-3D4D is a reliable outcome measure.Most of the older adults in rehabilitation settings preferred to use the tablet-based participation measure than the paper-form measure; and very few of them reported difficulty with using the tablet-version measure.A high concordance was found between data collected by the tablet version PM-3D4D and data collected by the paper version PM-3D4D.

Influence of PMMA on All-Inorganic Halide Perovskite CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots Combined with Polymer Matrix.

The poor stability of CsPbX3 quantum dots (QDs-CsPbX3) under wet conditions is still considered to be a key issue. In order to overcome this problem, this study presents a high molecular weight polymer matrix (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA) incorporated into the QDs-CsPbBr3 to improve its stability and maintain its excellent optical properties. In this study, the Cs2CO3, PbO, Tetrabutylammonium Bromide (TOAB) powder, oleic acid, and toluene solvent were uniformly mixed and purified to prepare high-quality QDs powders. Then, hexane was used as a dispersing agent for the QD powder to complete the perovskite QDs-CsPbBr3 solution. Finally, a solution with different proportions of quantum dots CsPbBr3 and PMMA was prepared and discussed. In the preparation of thin films, firstly, a thin film with the structure of glass/QD-CsPbBr3/PMMA was fabricated in a glove box using a well-developed QDs-CsPbBr3 solution by changing the ratio of CsPbBr3:PMMA. The material analysis of QDs-CsPbBr3 thin films was performed with photoluminescence (PL), transmittance, absorbance, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The structures and morphologies were further examined to study the effect of doped PMMA on perovskite QDs-CsPbBr3.

Enhanced Efficiency of MAPbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with FAPbX3 Perovskite Quantum Dots.

We describe a method to enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE) of MAPbI3 perovskite solar cell by inserting a FAPbX3 perovskite quantum dots (QD-FAPbX3) layer. The MAPbI3 and QD-FAPbX3 layers were prepared using a simple, rapid spin-coating method in a nitrogen-filled glove box. The solar cell structure consists of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MAPbI3/QD-FAPbX3/C60/Ag, where PEDOT:PSS, MAPbI3, QD-FAPbX3, and C60 were used as the hole transport layer, light-absorbing layer, absorption enhance layer, and electron transport layer, respectively. The MAPbI3/QD-FAPbX3 solar cells exhibit a PCE of 7.59%, an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.9 V, a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 17.4 mA/cm², and a fill factor (FF) of 48.6%, respectively.

Preparation and Characteristics of MAPbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots on NiOx Film and Application for High Transparent Solar Cells.

In this work, a MAPbBr3 quantum dot (QD-MAPbBr3) layer was prepared by a simple and rapid method. Octylammonium bromide (OABr) gives the MAPbBr3 better exciton binding energy, good surface morphology, and stability. To form a nanocrystalline thin film on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass, the QD-MAPbBr3 film was coated by a spin-coating method in a nitrogen-filled glove box and the NiOx film was used as an adhesive layer and hole transport layer. The highest transmittance of MAPbBr3 on NiOx/ITO glass was around 75% at 700 nm. This study also reported a high transparent and perovskite bulk-free ITO/NiOx/QD-MAPbBr3/C60/Ag solar cell where the NiOx, QD-MAPbBr3, and C60 were used as a hole transport layer, active layer, and electron transport layer, respectively.

Improved Performance of Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes by Quantum Confinement Effect in Perovskite Nanocrystals.

In this study, we demonstrate an easy and reliable solution-processed technique using an extra adductive in the perovskite precursor solution. Using this method, a dense and uniform morphology with full surface coverage and highly fluorescent films with nanoscale crystal grains can be obtained. The high exciton binding energy in the resulting films employing octylammonium bromide (OAB) adductives proved that high fluorescence originated from the quantum confinement effect. The corresponding perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) that were based on this technique also exhibited excellent device performance.

Effect of Different CH3NH3PbI3 Morphologies on Photovoltaic Properties of Perovskite Solar Cells.

In this study, the perovskite layers were prepared by two-step wet process with different CH3NH3I (MAI) concentrations. The cell structure was glass/FTO/TiO2-mesoporous/CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3)/spiro-OMeTAD/Ag. The MAPbI3 perovskite films were prepared using high and low MAI concentrations in a two-step process. The perovskite films were optimized at different spin coating speed and different annealing temperatures to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells. The PCE of the resulting device based on the different perovskite morphologies was discussed. The PCE of the best cell was up to 17.42%, open circuit voltage of 0.97 V, short current density of 24.06 mA/cm2, and fill factor of 0.747.

Unraveling current hysteresis effects in regular-type C60-CH3NH3PbI3 heterojunction solar cells.

Comprehensive studies were carried out to understand the origin of the current hysteresis effects in highly efficient C60-CH3NH3PbI3(MAPbI3) heterojunction solar cells, using atomic-force microscopy, transmittance spectra, photoluminescence spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns and a femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe technique. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of C60-MAPbI3 solar cells can be increased to 18.23% by eliminating the point (lattice) defects in the MAPbI3 thin film which is fabricated by using the one-step spin-coating method with toluene washing treatment. The experimental results show that the point defects and surface defects of the MAPbI3 thin films can be minimized by varying the dropping time of the washing solvent. The point defects (surface defects) can be reduced with an (a) increase (decrease) in the dropping time, resulting in an optimized dropping time for obtaining the defect-minimized MAPbI3 thin film deposited on top of the C60 thin film. Consequently, the formation of the defect-minimized MAPbI3 thin film allows for high-efficiency MAPbI3 solar cells.

Overcoming the Intrinsic Difference between Hydrophilic CH3NH3PbI3 and Hydrophobic C60 Thin Films to Improve the Photovoltaic Performance.

Dimethylformamide/dimethyl sulfoxide solvent mixtures were used as the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) precursor solvent in a one-step spin coating method to fabricate smooth and hydrophilic crystalline MAPbI3 thin films on top of hydrophobic carbon-60 (C60) thin film for highly efficient photovoltaics. The structural, optical, and excitonic characteristics of the resultant MAPbI3 thin films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic-force microscopy, absorbance spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectrometry, and nanosecond time-resolved PL. There was a trade-off between the crystallinity and surface roughness of the MAPbI3 thin films, which strongly influenced the device performance of MAPbI3-based photovoltaics. The high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.55% was achieved by improving the wettability of MAPbI3 precursor solutions on top of the C60 thin films. In addition, it was predicted that the fill factor and PCE could be further improved by increasing the crystallinity of the MAPbI3 thin film while keeping it smooth.