Weekly Papers — Zijian

Scan: 2026-05-30 · 8 papers · TL;DRs synthesized from Crossref / OpenAlex abstracts + operator notes
Week's curated reading from Zijian, with TL;DR bullets per paper. Operator notes preserved verbatim with mentions.

Papers

An entropy-regulating molecular lock stabilizes formamidinium lead halide perovskite

Paper 2026-05-14 Miao et al. Science
TL;DR
  • Entropy-regulating molecular-lock strategy on FAPbI3 using 1-pyridin-3-ylmethyl-piperazine hydrochloride (3-PMPCl).
  • 3-PMPCl modulates rotational freedom of organic cations and suppresses the entropy increase tied to [PbI6]4− octahedral disorder, raising the phase-transition energy barrier.
  • Uniform distribution + strong adsorption stabilize the α-phase under elevated temperature and humidity.
  • Certified PCE 27.6% in FAPbI3-based PSC.
  • Bismuth-electrode variant: 26.8% initial PCE, retains 93.0% after 1011 h at 85 °C / 1-sun.
  • Operator pointer: SI "Fabrication details and key points" + movie S2 are informative for our fabrication.
Note highest published certified-PCE of 27.6%. There is "Fabrication details and key points" in SI and movie S2 (informative), which will be helpful for our fabrication. @Dag, Hakan @Classen, Andrej
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Journey toward a Global Understanding of Recombination in Halide Perovskites for Photovoltaic Applications

Paper 2026-05-12 Stranks et al. ACS Energy Letters
TL;DR
  • Review tracing the evolution of recombination models in halide perovskites.
  • Early field inherited an excitonic emphasis from DSSC and OPV backgrounds; mathematical simplification eventually clashed with experiment.
  • Recent trend: return to classical-semiconductor models combined with ML-assisted fitting and confidence quantification.
  • Argues for unified global recombination models; outlines remaining challenges and opportunities.
  • Operator angle: relevant background for trPL model work.
Note review on trPL model @These, Albert
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Buried Interface Engineering in Metal-Halide Perovskite/NiO Heterostructures through Direct Observation of Interfacial Reactions

Paper 2026-05-11 Wang et al. ACS Energy Letters
TL;DR
  • Direct microscopic evidence of PbI2 and Pb–O species formation at the buried perovskite/NiO interface.
  • Ni3+ surface species deprotonate organic cations and oxidize halide anions, generating a PbI2-rich interfacial layer that hinders hole extraction and increases nonradiative recombination.
  • Mitigation: bridging molecular interlayers Me-4PACz and 3PATAT-C3 deposited on NiO.
  • Champion PCE improvements over bare-NiO control: +11.5% (Me-4PACz) and +19.9% (3PATAT-C3), driven by gains in VOC and FF.
  • Operator angle: confirms PbI2 + amorphous Pb-O form even under mild annealing.
Note reaction at NiO/PVK @Wang, Yanxue, leading to the formation of crystalline PbI2 and amorphous Pb-O species even under mild annealing conditions
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Redox-Active Flavonoid Interlayers Enable Strain-Relieved and Efficient Sn–Pb Perovskite Solar Cells

Paper 2026-05-08 Wang et al. ACS Energy Letters
TL;DR
  • Buried-interface modification for Sn–Pb perovskite via plasma-driven oxidation of catechin (flavonoid polyphenol) on PEDOT:PSS/FTO.
  • O2 plasma converts catechin to a quinone-rich form (catechin-Q) → upward band bending + improved energy-level alignment, suppressing interfacial nonradiative recombination.
  • Semiquinone/quinone moieties coordinate Sn/Pb centers and relieve tensile strain at the buried interface.
  • Champion PCE 23.48%; VOC = 873 mV.
  • Operational durability: >95% of initial PCE retained after 4,800 h under ISOS-D-1I.
Note Sn-Pb, 23.48% @Hu, Manman
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Bio-inspired antioxidant stabilization for efficient tin-lead and all-perovskite tandem solar cells

Paper 2026-05-18 Jiang et al. Nature Communications
TL;DR
  • Bio-inspired dual-antioxidant approach for narrow-bandgap Sn-Pb perovskite: gallic acid (GA) as bulk dopant + tannic acid (TA) as surface passivator.
  • GA localizes at grain boundaries, suppressing SnI2 impurities; TA forms a robust surface passivation layer plus a dipole that aids interfacial charge transfer.
  • Dual molecules synergize against intrinsic (precursor degradation) and extrinsic (O2, superoxide) oxidation.
  • Sn-Pb single-junction champion PCE 23.46%.
  • Monolithic all-perovskite tandem: 29.95% (certified 29.44%).
Note Sn-Pb, 23.46% @Hu, Manman
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Molecular Modification Strategy for Efficient NiOx-based Tin-Lead Perovskites Solar Cells and All-perovskite Tandems

Paper 2026-05-14 Xu et al. Advanced Materials
TL;DR
  • NiOx HTL + Sn–Pb perovskite normally suffer from energy-level mismatch and oxidizing active species at the interface.
  • Strategy: ammonium 2-hydroxyethanesulphonate (AHES) deposited on NiOx.
  • –SO3− reacts with NiOx to regulate film morphology and align energy levels; –OH acts as Lewis base, hydrogen-bonding to perovskite components to modulate crystallization and lift lattice strength.
  • Sn–Pb single-junction PCE 22.98% vs 20.02% control; retains 80% of initial efficiency after 212 h 1-sun MPPT (vs 90 h control).
  • Four-terminal all-perovskite tandem: 30.38%.
Note NiOx-based Sn–Pb, 22.98% @Hu, Manman
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Enhancing Heterogeneous Nucleation on Buried Interface for Efficient Antisolvent-Free Inverted Flexible Perovskite Photovoltaics

Paper 2026-05-12 Wang et al. Advanced Materials
TL;DR
  • SAM hydrophobicity normally blocks uniform large-area perovskite deposition, especially on flexible plastic substrates.
  • Strategy: multifunctional N-(4-Cyanophenyl)guanidine hydrochloride (NCGCl) modifies the SAM with hydrophilic groups → spreads perovskite solution evenly.
  • Nitrile + guanidinium groups interact with perovskite components for heterogeneous nucleation + defect passivation; π–π stacking between NCGCl benzene rings and SAM strengthens the substrate-perovskite bridge.
  • Antisolvent-free PSC champion PCE 26.89% (certified 26.64%) on rigid; 25.29% on flexible.
  • 5 cm × 5 cm flexible mini-module: 22.28% with strong mechanical bending stability.
Note Antisolvent-Free, 26.89% @Classen, Andrej @Dag, Hakan
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Robust self-assembled monolayer enables ultraviolet stable perovskite photovoltaics

Paper 2026-05-20 Wang et al. Nature Communications
TL;DR
  • Conventional SAMs degrade rapidly under UV (ab initio MD + experiment) → molecular desorption and film collapse limit long-term operation.
  • New SAM with dual-dimensional reinforcement: vertical (multi-anchor + flexible π-conjugated framework for bidirectional adhesion) + horizontal (intrinsic structural stability + interlocked network preventing UV-driven collapse).
  • Champion PCE 27.10% (certified 26.90%).
  • ISOS-L-2 at 65 °C MPPT: only 2% loss after 2100 h.
  • High-intensity UV (1.73× natural sunlight): 86.7% retained after 2200 h.
  • Outdoor exposure: 90.5% retained after 2035 h — reported as the highest UV stability of SAM-based PSCs.
Note Poly WZW, SAM not stable under UV light
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Scan 2026-05-11

Weekly Papers — Zijian

Scan: 2026-05-11 · 6 papers · TL;DRs synthesized from Crossref / OpenAlex abstracts + operator notes
Week's curated reading from Zijian, with TL;DR bullets per paper. Operator notes preserved verbatim with mentions.

Papers

Towards end-to-end automation of AI research

Paper 2026-03-25 Lu et al. Nature
TL;DR
  • "The AI Scientist" automates the full research lifecycle end-to-end: ideation → code → experiments → manuscript → peer review.
  • An AI-generated manuscript passed the first round of peer review at a top-tier ML workshop (70% acceptance rate).
  • Two modes: focused (human-provided code template scaffold for one topic) and template-free open-ended agentic search.
  • Built on modern foundation models inside a complex agentic system.
  • Authors flag risks: overwhelming review systems + adding noise to the scientific literature.
Note AI generate idea, do experiment, write and review paper @Misha
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Transient Interphase Assisted Crystallization of Antisolvent-Free Perovskite for Enhanced Device Performance

Paper 2026-04-20 Liu et al. Advanced Materials
TL;DR
  • Antisolvent-free CsxFA1−xPbI3 PSCs via a "transient interphase" strategy controlling nucleation + crystal growth.
  • Tetramethylurea (TMU) replaces DMF; triggers instantaneous Cs-rich nucleation and forms a transient interphase that balances component crystallization rates.
  • Cell efficiency up to 25.63%; module efficiency 19.62%.
  • ISOS-L-1 stability: negligible degradation after 1700 h; retains 90% of initial efficiency after 3500 h — longest reported MPPT stability for antisolvent-free CsxFA1−xPbI3 PSCs to date.
  • Mechanism: suppressed phase segregation via α-CsxFA1−xPbI3 phase formation.
Note quench-free, use TMU replace DMF, 25.63% @Classen, Andrej
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Synthetic Surface Design of Transparent Electrodes for Enhanced Molecular Contact in Perovskite Solar Cells

Paper 2026-04-16 Hooijer et al. Advanced Energy Materials
TL;DR
  • NiOx-free p-i-n architecture: ITO + phosphonic-acid SAM as charge-selective contact.
  • Counter-intuitive finding: moderate (not maximum) ITO hydroxyl/hydroxide content gives more uniform and electronically favourable SAM anchoring.
  • Simple solution-based ITO surface treatment (operator note: H2SO4/H2O2) simultaneously tunes surface chemistry, conductivity, and homogeneity.
  • Improved charge extraction + higher reproducibility + operational stability.
  • Validated under extreme thermal cycling (−80 → +80 °C, LEO-space relevance) across single-junction + tandem cells.
Note NiOx-free, ITO/SAM, from Erkan Aydin. ITO treated by H2SO4/H2O2 has higher reproducibility @Dag, Hakan
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Assessing the Opportunities of Spectral Shaping by Quantum Cutting for Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

Paper 2026-04-17 Wieliczka et al. ACS Energy Letters
TL;DR
  • Yb-doped halide perovskite quantum-cutting layer: one UV/visible photon → two near-infrared photons, reshaping the solar spectrum into the Si bottom-cell band.
  • Detailed-balance analysis: idealized PVK/Si tandem efficiency limit largely unchanged — but the optimal top-cell bandgap shifts from 1.7 → ≈1.45 eV.
  • That shift opens the door to neat iodide (Br-free) perovskite compositions — potentially more stable than mixed-halide Br-rich top cells — without losing efficiency.
  • Bonus mechanism: quantum-cutting layer absorbs UV photons that would otherwise hit and degrade the perovskite stack — UV-stability gain on top of spectral gain.
  • Operator angle confirmed: 1.46 eV downconversion target lines up with the paper's ≈1.45 eV optimum.
Note down conversion for PVK/Si, decrease PVK to 1.46 eV, quantum cutting @Dag, Hakan
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Bypassing the yellow phase for extremely stable formamidinium lead iodide perovskite solar cells

Paper 2026-04-30 Garai et al. Science
TL;DR
  • Coadditive in FAPbI3: 15 mol% FACl + 0.5 mol% BA2PbI4 (BA = butylammonium).
  • Chloride incorporation + compressive lattice strain stabilize the FAPI black 3C phase and bypass the yellow-phase degradation pathway.
  • p-i-n devices: 24.1% average PCE across 40 devices; only 2% efficiency loss after 1200 h at 85 °C / 1-sun / open-circuit.
  • Mechanism: transition 2H → 4H → 6H → 8H face-sharing phases → corner-sharing 3C black phase.
  • Surprising degradation path: under 15-sun + 90 °C stress, 3C decays via the energetically uphill 3R-PbI2 phase, not 2H-PbI2.
  • Operator angle: better than the classic MACl additive.
Note additive of FACl and BAPbI4 stablize perovskite under 85C, better than MACl additive @Dag, Hakan
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Crystallization modulation of methylammonium-free narrow-bandgap perovskite for thermal-stable all-perovskite tandem solar modules

Paper 2026-05-01 Gao et al. Science Advances
TL;DR
  • MA-free Pb-Sn (FACs-based) all-perovskite tandem — replaces thermally unstable methylammonium with cesium.
  • Crystallization modifier: p-π conjugated semicarbazide hydrochloride (SHCl) in precursor solution.
  • SH+ and Cl− synergistically modulate Cs precipitation + retard crystal growth → homogeneous nucleation in large-area films.
  • Single-junction FACs Pb-Sn: 85% retained efficiency after 700 h at 85 °C.
  • 20.25 cm² tandem module: 24.3% certified PCE — highest among MA-free all-perovskite tandem modules.
  • Encapsulated modules: 90% retained under ISOS damp heat (200 h); 92% under thermal cycling (200 cycles).
Note MA-free, Sn-Pb @Hu, Manman
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