ZIF-67 acts as a very efficient catalyst for the cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides affording cyclic carbonates with high selectivity, without any need for a solvent or a co-catalyst.

In this study, we employed zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as the interlayer between the compact TiO 2 and perovskite layers. As a result, enhanced perovskite grain crystallinity, larger grains, and considerably improved photovoltaic performance were achieved in the fabricated perovskite solar cells (PSC). It was demonstrated that the ZIF-8 film includes all characteristics suitable for being applied as scaffold in the PSCs with the advantage of easier synthesis process in room temperature in comparison to the mesoporous TiO 2 counterpart. Moreover, we replaced the thermal annealing process commonly applied on the perovskite layers with room-temperature ultrasonic vibration post-treatment of wet perovskite films.

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In this work, we excited as-spun wet films of PEDOT:PSS by ultrasonic vibration with varying frequency and power. This is a low-cost and facile technique for tailoring the structural and surface characteristics of solution-processed thin films and coatings. We deposited the coatings on both rigid and flexible substrates and performed various characterization techniques, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), transmittance, electrical conductivity, and contact angle measurements, to understand how the ultrasonic vibration affects the coating properties. We found that as a result of ultrasonic vibration, PEDOT:PSS sheet conductivity increases up to five-fold, contact angle of water on PEDOT:PSS increases up to three-fold, and PEDOT:PSS roughness on glass substrates substantially decreases. Our results affirm that ultrasonic vibration can favor phase separation of PEDOT and PSS and rearrangement of PEDOT-rich charge transferring grains. In addition to providing a systematic study on the effect of ultrasonic frequency and power on the film properties, this work also proves that the ultrasonic vibration is a novel method to manipulate and tailor a wide range of properties of solution-processed thin films, such as compactness, chain length and arrangement of polymer molecules, conductivity, and surface wettability. This ultrasonication method can serve organic, printed and flexible electronics.

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