The combination of two similar ‘disc-shaped’ organo-cations is shown to template the formation of (110)-cut layered perovskites of stoichiometry AA′BX4.

Hybrid perovskite materials are widely researched due to their high absorptivity, inexpensive synthesis, and promise in photovoltaic devices. These materials are also of interest as highly sensitive photodetectors. In this study, their potential for use in visible light communication is explored in a configuration that allows for simultaneous energy and data harvesting. Using a triple-cation material and appropriate device design, a new record data rate for perovskite photodetectors of 56 Mbps and power conversion efficiencies above 20% under white LED illumination are achieved. With this device design, the −3 dB bandwidth is increased by minimizing the dominating time constant of the system. This correlation between the bandwidth and time constant is proved using measurements of time-resolved photoluminescence, transient photovoltage, and device resistance.

Organic solar cells are a promising renewable energy technology, offering the advantages of mechanical flexibility and solution processability. The charge carrier mobility is an important parameter as it influences the competition between charge extraction and recombination and therefore the cell efficiency. We report the electron mobility of two high performance non-fullerene acceptors ITIC and IDTBR in neat films and blended with their common donors. In a pure film ITIC has a zero-field electron mobility of 7.4 x 10 -4 cm 2 /Vs, which dropped to 1.0 x 10 -4 cm 2 /Vs when put into a blend with PTB7-Th or P3HT. The IDTBR:P3HT blend was found to have a slightly lower electron mobility of 5.6 x 10 -5 cm 2 /Vs. The measured electron mobility is the same order of magnitude as the hole mobility in these blends, leading to balanced transport and efficient photovoltaic cells.

Membrane adhesion is a vital component of many biological processes. Heterogeneities in lipid and protein composition are often associated with the adhesion site. These heterogeneities are thought to play functional roles in facilitating signalling. Here we experimentally examine this phenomenon using model membranes made of a mixture of lipids that is near a phase boundary at room temperature. Non-adherent model membranes are in a well-mixed, disordered-fluid lipid phase indicated by homogeneous distribution of a fluorescent dye that is a marker for the fluid-disordered (L d ) phase. We specifically adhere membranes to a flat substrate bilayer using biotin-avidin binding. Adhesion produces two types of coexisting heterogeneities: an ordered lipid phase that excludes binding proteins and the fluorescent membrane dye, and a disordered lipid phase that is enriched in both binding proteins and membrane dye compared with the non-adhered portion of the same membrane. Thus, a single type of adhesion interaction (biotin-avidin binding), in an initially-homogeneous system, simultaneously stabilizes both ordered-phase and disordered-phase heterogeneities that are compositionally distinct from the non-adhered portion of the vesicle. These heterogeneities are long-lived and unchanged upon increased temperature.