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The effect of incorporating 2.85 nm red luminescent silicon nanoparticles as photoluminescence down-shifters on the efficiency of organic solar cells based on regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester is investigated. The silicon nanoparticles are deposited by spin coating and inkjet printing on different layers of the devices. The presence of the silicon nanoparticles in the organic solar cells does not result in any performance improvement and causes a significant degradation of the power conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Detrimental Effect of Silicon Nanoparticles on P3HT:PCBM-Based OPV Devices" published in a previous issue is presented.

The incorporation of noble metal nanoparticles, displaying localized surface plasmon resonance, in the active area of donor-acceptor bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices is an industrially compatible light trapping strategy, able to guarantee better absorption of the incident photons and give an efficiency improvement between 12% and 38%. In the present work, we investigate the effect of Au and Ag nanoparticles blended with P3HT: PCBM on the P3HT crystallization dynamics by synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. We conclude that the presence of (1) 80 nm Au, (2) mix of 5 nm, 50 nm, 80 nm Au, (3) 40 nm Ag, and (4) 10 nm, 40 nm, 60 nm Ag colloidal nanoparticles, at different concentrations below 0.3 wt% for Au and below 0.1% for Ag in P3HT: PCBM blends, does not affect the behaviour of the blends themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning nanofocus X-ray diffraction (nXRD) performed at a synchrotron is used to simultaneously probe the morphology and the structural properties of spin-coated CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) perovskite films for photovoltaic devices. MAPI films are spin-coated on a Si/SiO2/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) substrate held at different temperatures during the deposition in order to tune the perovskite film coverage. The films are then investigated using nXRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The advantages of nXRD over SEM and other techniques are discussed. A method to visualize, selectively isolate, and structurally characterize single perovskite grains buried within a complex, polycrystalline film is developed. The results of nXRD measurements are correlated with solar cell device measurements, and it is shown that spin-coating the perovskite precursor solution at elevated temperatures leads to improved surface coverage and enhanced solar cell performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On page 8221, S. Lilliu and co‐workers show how synchrotron nXRD can be used to simultaneously probe the morphology and the structural properties of spin‐coated CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films for photovoltaic devices. A method to visualize, selectively isolate, and structurally characterize single perovskite grains buried within a complex, polycrystalline film is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-halide perovskites have emerged as high-performance photovoltaic materials. We mapped the propagation of photogenerated luminescence and charges from a local photoexcitation spot in thin films of lead tri-iodide perovskites. We observed light emission at distances of ≥50 micrometers and found that the peak of the internal photon spectrum red-shifts from 765 to ≥800 nanometers. We used a lateral-contact solar cell with selective electron- and hole-collecting contacts and observed that charge extraction for photoexcitation >50 micrometers away from the contacts arose from repeated recycling between photons and electron-hole pairs. Thus, energy transport is not limited by diffusive charge transport but can occur over long distances through multiple absorption-diffusion emission events. This process creates high excitation densities within the perovskite layer and allows high open-circuit voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]