The two step sequential deposition of CH3NH3PbI3-based perovskite solar cells has been modified by applying toluene and chlorobenzene vapors during the preparation of PbI2 films leading to the growth of the PbI2 grain size.

Metaphosphate glasses such as LiPO3 and NaPO3 are known to incorporate nitrogen in the molten state under NH3 flow to form (Li/Na)PON glasses through the reaction: (Li/Na)PO3 + xNH3 → (Li/Na)PO3−(3x/2)Nx + (3x/2)H2O, by partially replacing two‐coordinated oxygen with two‐ and three‐coordinated nitrogen. After nitridation, the glasses exhibit improved properties such as increased working range, chemical durability, and ionic conductivity. In this study, LiPO3 and NaPO3 glasses were prepared by the conventional melting and casting method and used as base glasses for the ammonolysis procedure. The nitridation processes were carried out by remelting the base glasses at temperatures up to 780°C, under a constant NH3 flow. The effects on the nitrogen content in the resulting (Li/Na)PON glasses caused by different processing times and masses of powder and/or bulk materials were investigated. Nitridation was successfully confirmed by CNHS chemical analyses, Raman spectroscopy, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Mass loss measurements after the ammonolysis process and Raman spectroscopy were used to quantify the nitrogen content into the glass structure. A new approach using a specific Raman normalization, (P–N<)/(O–P–O)sym, has been demonstrated as a reliable, simple, and fast way to determine the amounts of N incorporated to metaphosphate glass structures.

The performance of organic photovoltaic devices is improving steadily and efficiencies have now exceeded 10%. However, the incident solar spectrum still largely remains poorly absorbed. To reduce optical losses, we employed a microlens array (MLA) layer on the side of the glass substrate facing the incident light; this approach does not interfere with the processing of the active-layer. We observed up to 10% enhancement in the short circuit current of poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl] thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}):(6,6)-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7:PC71BM) OPV cells. Theoretically and experimentally investigating several MLA dimensions, we found that photocurrent increases with the ratio of the height to the pitch size of MLA. Simulations reveal the enhancement mechanisms: MLA focuses light, and also increases the light path within the active-layer by diffraction. Photocurrent enhancements increase for a polymer system with thinner active-layers, as demonstrated in poly[N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT):PC71BM OPVs with 17% improvement in short circuit current.