Dopant-free, humidity-stable organic layers give perovskite solar cells 21% efficiency

19-Jan-2021

Durable, high-performing perovskite solar cells also require durable, high-performing charge-transporting layers. Scientists have developed the first organic hole transporter that does not need a dopant to attain high charge mobility and stability. According to the study published in the journal ...

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Discovery of chromophores that emit light in the ultraviolet region when excited with visible light

23-Dec-2020

Fluorescence usually entails the conversion of light at shorter wavelengths to light at longer wavelengths. Scientists have now discovered a chromophore system that goes the other way around. When excited by visible light, the fluorescent dyes emit light in the ultraviolet region. According to ...

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Zinc-ion hybrid capacitors with ideal anions in the electrolyte show extra-long performance

18-Nov-2020

Metal-ion hybrid capacitors combine the properties of capacitors and batteries. One electrode uses the capacitive mechanism, the other the battery-type redox processes. Scientists have now scrutinized the role of anions in the electrolyte. The results, which have been published in the journal ...

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Japanese scientists developed a new approach that allows more suitable catalysts to be produced much more easily

03-Nov-2020

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used plastics in the world. By controlling the spatial orientation of the propylene building blocks and additional polar components, it should be possible to create a new generation of attractive, engineered, specialty plastics, with improved ...

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Controlled photoenzymatic RAFT polymerization of nonconjugated polymers

30-Oct-2020

An environmentally friendly and sustainable synthesis of "heavyweight" polymers with very narrow molecular weight distributions is an important concept in modern polymer chemistry. Thanks to a new photoenzymatic process, Chinese researchers have been able to increase the range of possible ...

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Direct coupling of aryl halides and alkyllithium compounds by palladium catalysis

14-Oct-2020

Palladium catalysts help synthesize key chemicals for many industries. However, direct reaction of two basic reagents, aryl halides and alkyllithium compounds, remains a challenge. Now, a team of scientists have found that a catalyst containing YPhos-type ligands can mediate this reaction even at ...

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Superconductivity in hydrogen sulfide

16-Sep-2020

Superconducting wires can transport electricity without loss. This would allow for less power production, reducing both costs and greenhouse gasses. Unfortunately, extensive cooling stands in the way, because existing superconductors only lose their resistance at extremely low temperatures. In ...

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Novel catalytic process for converting CO2 into valuable chemical intermediates in the form of cyclic carbonates

10-Sep-2020

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is not just an undesirable greenhouse gas, it is also an interesting source of raw materials that are valuable and can be recycled sustainably. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Spanish researchers have now introduced a novel catalytic process for convertingCO2 into valuable ...

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Self-assembly of responsive photonic biobased materials in liquid marbles

01-Sep-2020

A surface displays structural colors when light is reflected by tiny, regular structural elements in a transparent material. Researchers have now developed a method to make structural colors from cellulose-based polymers by using coated droplets that exist in a surrounding fluid--so-called liquid ...

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Separation of Trace Acetylene from Ethylene in Ultramicroporous Metal–Organic Frameworks

31-Aug-2020

Ethylene, a key feedstock in the chemical industry, often includes traces of acetylene contaminants, which need to be removed. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, researchers describe a robust and regenerable porous metal–organic framework that captures acetylene with extraordinary efficiency and ...

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