Advanced Functional Materials 

About: Advanced Functional Materials is an academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Materials science & Perovskite (structure). It has an ISSN identifier of 1616-301X. Over the lifetime, 20854 publications have been published receiving 1441284 citations. The journal is also known as: Full papers, feature articles, highlights.

Thermally stable, efficient polymer solar cells with nanoscale control of the interpenetrating network morphology

Abstract: By applying the specific fabrication conditions summarized in the Experimental section and post-production annealing at 150 °C, polymer solar cells with power-conversion efficiency approaching 5 % are demonstrated. These devices exhibit remarkable thermal stability. We attribute the improved performance to changes in the bulk heterojunction material induced by thermal annealing. The improved nanoscale morphology, the increased crystallinity of the semiconducting polymer, and the improved contact to the electron-collecting electrode facilitate charge generation, charge transport to, and charge collection at the electrodes, thereby enhancing the device efficiency by lowering the series resistance of the polymer solar cells.

Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract: The status of ambient temperature sodium ion batteries is reviewed in light of recent developments in anode, electrolyte and cathode materials. These devices, although early in their stage of development, are promising for large-scale grid storage applications due to the abundance and very low cost of sodium-containing precursors used to make the components. The engineering knowledge developed recently for highly successful Li ion batteries can be leveraged to ensure rapid progress in this area, although different electrode materials and electrolytes will be required for dual intercalation systems based on sodium. In particular, new anode materials need to be identified, since the graphite anode, commonly used in lithium systems, does not intercalate sodium to any appreciable extent. A wider array of choices is available for cathodes, including high performance layered transition metal oxides and polyanionic compounds. Recent developments in electrodes are encouraging, but a great deal of research is necessary, particularly in new electrolytes, and the understanding of the SEI films. The engineering modeling calculations of Na-ion battery energy density indicate that 210 Wh kg−1 in gravimetric energy is possible for Na-ion batteries compared to existing Li-ion technology if a cathode capacity of 200 mAh g−1 and a 500 mAh g−1 anode can be discovered with an average cell potential of 3.3 V.

Plastic Solar Cells

Abstract: Recent developments in conjugated-polymer-based photovoltaic elements are reviewed. The photophysics of such photoactive devices is based on the photo-induced charge transfer from donor-type semiconducting conjugated polymers to acceptor-type conjugated polymers or acceptor molecules such as Buckminsterfullerene, C60. This photo-induced charge transfer is reversible, ultrafast (within 100 fs) with a quantum efficiency approaching unity, and the charge-separated state is metastable (up to milliseconds at 80 K). Being similar to the first steps in natural photosynthesis, this photo-induced electron transfer leads to a number of potentially interesting applications, which include sensitization of the photoconductivity and photovoltaic phenomena. Examples of photovoltaic architectures are presented and their potential in terrestrial solar energy conversion discussed. Recent progress in the realization of improved photovoltaic elements with 3 % power conversion efficiency is reported.

From bulk to monolayer MoS2: evolution of Raman scattering

Abstract: Molybdenum disulfi de (MoS 2 ) is systematically studied using Raman spectroscopy with ultraviolet and visible laser lines. It is shown that only the Raman frequencies of E 1 and A1g peaks vary monotonously with the layer number of ultrathin MoS 2 fl akes, while intensities or widths of the peaks vary arbitrarily. The coupling between electronic transitions and phonons are found to become weaker when the layer number of MoS 2 decreases, attributed to the increased electronic transition energies or elongated intralayer atomic bonds in ultrathin MoS 2 . The asymmetric Raman peak at 454 cm − 1 , which has been regarded as the overtone of longitudinal optical M phonons in bulk MoS 2 , is actually a combinational band involving a longitudinal acoustic mode (LA(M)) and an optical mode ( A2u ). Our fi ndings suggest a clear evolution of the coupling between electronic transition and phonon when MoS 2 is scaled down from three- to two-dimensional geometry.

Graphene-Like Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Improved Photocatalytic Activities

Abstract: Graphitic (g)-C3N4 with a layered structure has the potential of forming graphene-like nanosheets with unusual physicochemical properties due to weak van der Waals forces between layers. Herein is shown that g-C3N4 nanosheets with a thickness of around 2 nm can be easily obtained by a simple top-down strategy, namely, thermal oxidation etching of bulk g-C3N4 in air. Compared to the bulk g-C3N4, the highly anisotropic 2D-nanosheets possess a high specific surface area of 306 m2 g-1, a larger bandgap (by 0.2 eV), improved electron transport ability along the in-plane direction, and increased lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers because of the quantum confinement effect. As a consequence, the photocatalytic activities of g-C3N4 nanosheets have been remarkably improved in terms of OH radical generation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.