Bandgap Engineering of Two‐Step Processed Perovskite Top Cells for Perovskite‐Based Tandem Photovoltaics

For high-performance application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem configuration, an optimal bandgap and process method of the perovskite top cell is required. While the two-step method leads to regular perovskite film crystallization, engineering wider bandgaps (Eg > 1.65 eV) for the solution-based two-step method remains a challenge. This work introduces an effective and facile strategy to increase the bandgap of two-step solution-processed perovskite films by incorporating bromide in both deposition steps, the inorganic precursor deposition (step 1, PbBr$_2$) and the organic precursor deposition (step 2, FABr). This strategy yields improved charge carrier extraction and quasi-Fermi level splitting with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 15.9%. Further improvements are achieved by introducing CsI in the bulk and utilizing LiF as surface passivation, resulting in a stable power output exceeding 18.5% for $E_g$ = 1.68 eV. This additional performance boost arises from enhanced perovskite film crystallization, leading to improved charge carrier extraction. Laboratory scale monolithic perovskite/silicon solar cells (TSCs) (1 cm$^2$ active area) achieve PCEs up to 23.7%. This work marks a significant advancement for wide bandgap two-step solution-processed perovskite films, enabling their effective use in high-performance and reproducible PSCs and perovskite/silicon TSCs

Nachhaltigkeit im industriellen Umfeld

Im Rahmen der Lehrveranstaltung "Nachhaltigkeit im industriellen Umfeld" im Masterstudiengang Umwelt- und Verfahrenstechnik der Hochschulen Konstanz und Ravensburg-Weingarten fand im Dezember 2016 eine studentische Fachkonferenz statt. Die Studierenden entwickelten in Einzelarbeit oder als Zweierteam Konferenzbeiträge zu folgenden Themen: - Spannendes aus dem Bereich der Energieerzeugung und der Grauen Energie - Aspekte der Kreislaufwirtschaft - Ökosysteme - ihre Belastung und Erhalt - Spezifische Wirtschaftszweige und Nachhaltigkeit Die Ergebnisse der studentischen Fachkonferenz zur „Nachhaltigkeit im industriellen Umfeld“ werden in der vorliegenden Publikation präsentiert

Understanding and exploiting interfacial interactions between phosphonic acid functional groups and co-evaporated perovskites

Interfacial engineering has fueled recent development of p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with self-assembled monolayer-based hole-transport layers (SAM-HTLs) enabling almost lossless contacts for solution-processed PSCs, resulting in the highest achieved power conversion efficiency (PCE) to date. Substrate interfaces are particularly crucial for the growth and quality of co-evaporated PSCs. However, adoption of SAM-HTLs for co-evaporated perovskite absorbers is complicated by the underexplored interaction of such perovskites with phosphonic acid functional groups. In this work, we highlight how exposed phosphonic acid functional groups impact the initial phase and final bulk crystal structures of co-evaporated perovskites and their resultant PCE. The explored surface interaction is mediated by hydrogen bonding with interfacial iodine, leading to increased formamidinium iodide adsorption, persistent changes in perovskite structure, and stabilization of bulk α-FAPbI3, hypothesized as being due to kinetic trapping. Our results highlight the potential of exploiting substrates to increase control of co-evaporated perovskite growth

Early life child micronutrient status, maternal reasoning, and a nurturing household environment have persistent influences on child cognitive development at age 5 years: Results from MAL-ED

Background: Child cognitive development is influenced by early-life insults and protective factors. To what extent these factors have a long-term legacy on child development and hence fulfillment of cognitive potential is unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation between early-life factors (birth to 2 y) and cognitive development at 5 y. Methods: Observational follow-up visits were made of children at 5 y, previously enrolled in the community-based MAL-ED longitudinal cohort. The burden of enteropathogens, prevalence of illness, complementary diet intake, micronutrient status, and household and maternal factors from birth to 2 y were extensively measured and their relation with the Wechsler Preschool Primary Scales of Intelligence at 5 y was examined through use of linear regression. Results: Cognitive T-scores from 813 of 1198 (68%) children were examined and 5 variables had significant associations in multivariable models: mean child plasma transferrin receptor concentration (β: −1.81, 95% CI: −2.75, −0.86), number of years of maternal education (β: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.45), maternal cognitive reasoning score (β: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.15), household assets score (β: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.24, 1.04), and HOME child cleanliness factor (β: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.05, 1.15). In multivariable models, the mean rate of enteropathogen detections, burden of illness, and complementary food intakes between birth and 2 y were not significantly related to 5-y cognition. Conclusions: A nurturing home context in terms of a healthy/clean environment and household wealth, provision of adequate micronutrients, maternal education, and cognitive reasoning have a strong and persistent influence on child cognitive development. Efforts addressing aspects of poverty around micronutrient status, nurturing caregiving, and enabling home environments are likely to have lasting positive impacts on child cognitive development.publishedVersio

Non-motor predictors of 36-month quality of life after subthalamic stimulation in Parkinson disease

AbstractTo identify predictors of 36-month follow-up quality of life (QoL) outcome after bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this ongoing, prospective, multicenter international study (Cologne, Manchester, London) including 73 patients undergoing STN-DBS, we assessed the following scales preoperatively and at 6-month and 36-month follow-up: PD Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), NMSScale (NMSS), Scales for Outcomes in PD (SCOPA)-motor examination, -activities of daily living, and -complications, and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD). We analyzed factors associated with QoL improvement at 36-month follow-up based on (1) correlations between baseline test scores and QoL improvement, (2) step-wise linear regressions with baseline test scores as independent and QoL improvement as dependent variables, (3) logistic regressions and receiver operating characteristic curves using a dichotomized variable “QoL responders”/“non-responders”. At both follow-ups, NMSS total score, SCOPA-motor examination, and -complications improved and LEDD was reduced significantly. PDQ-8 improved at 6-month follow-up with subsequent decrements in gains at 36-month follow-up when 61.6% of patients were categorized as “QoL non-responders”. Correlations, linear, and logistic regression analyses found greater PDQ-8 improvements in patients with younger age, worse PDQ-8, and worse specific NMS at baseline, such as ‘difficulties experiencing pleasure’ and ‘problems sustaining concentration’. Baseline SCOPA scores were not associated with PDQ-8 changes. Our results provide evidence that 36-month QoL changes depend on baseline neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric non-motor symptoms burden. These findings highlight the need for an assessment of a wide range of non-motor and motor symptoms when advising and selecting individuals for DBS therapy

Circulating, cell-free DNA as a marker for exercise load in intermittent sports

<div><p>Background</p><p>Attempts to establish a biomarker reflecting individual player load in intermittent sports such as football have failed so far. Increases in circulating DNA (cfDNA) have been demonstrated in various endurance sports settings. While it has been proposed that cfDNA could be a suitable marker for player load in intermittent sports, the effects on cfDNA of repeated sprinting as an essential feature in intermittent sports are unknown. For the first time, we assessed both alterations of cfDNA due to repeated maximal sprints and due to a professional football game.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Nine participants were subjected to a standardised sprint training session with cross-over design of five maximal sprints of 40 meters with either “short” (1 minute) or “long” pauses (5 minutes). Capillary cfDNA and lactate were measured after every sprint and venous cfDNA before and after each series of sprints. Moreover, capillary cfDNA and lactate values were taken in 23 professional football players before and after incremental exercise testing, during the course of a training week at rest (baseline) and in all 17 enrolled players following a season game.</p><p>Results</p><p>Lactate and venous cfDNA increased more pronounced during “short” compared to “long” (1.4-fold, p = 0.032 and 1.7-fold, p = 0.016) and cfDNA correlated significantly with lactate (r = 0.69; p<0.001). Incremental exercise testing increased cfDNA 7.0-fold (p<0.001). The season game increased cfDNA 22.7-fold (p<0.0001), while lactate showed a 2.0-fold (p = 0.09) increase compared to baseline. Fold-changes in cfDNA correlated with distance covered during game (spearman’s r = 0.87, p = 0.0012), while no correlation between lactate and the tracking data could be found.</p><p>Discussion</p><p>We show for the first time that cfDNA could be an objective marker for distance covered in elite intermittent sports. In contrast to the potential of more established blood-based markers like IL-6, CK, or CRP, cfDNA shows by far the strongest fold-change and a high correlation with a particular load related aspect in professional football.</p></div