A BIO-PHOTOELECTROLYTIC ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR PLATFORM FOR MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL OF PROLIFERATION AND BEHAVIOUR OF LIVING CELLS USING LIGHT PULSES | PRESS RELEASE
20 February 2023
A Bio-photoelectrolytic Organic Semiconductor Platform For Measurement And Control Of Proliferation And Behaviour Of Living Cells Using Light Pulses
Organic semiconductors have been shown to be promising for interfacing with biological systems because they are biocompatible, printable and their optical properties can be tailored. A multidisciplinary international team from seven research institutes have designed a bio-photoelectrolytic platform based on semiconducting polymer thin films, onto which cells were cultured immersing both in an aqueous biological medium. The team demonstrated it is possible to inhibit cell proliferation by 50% in a cancer cell line by subjecting the platform to a series of light pulses over time. Light stimulation was found to increase the concentration of calcium ions inside the cells by three times. The platform also enabled to measure bio-electrical signals. The bio–photoelectrolytic platform and the effective use of light stimulation may open new avenues for in vitro light control/manipulation of cell behaviour, for the development of future novel non-invasive tools for application in bio-sensing, regenerative medicine and cell-based therapy, and for cancer progression control and therapy.
Results are published in Advanced NanoBiomed Research, 2200127 (2023)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anbr.202200127
For more information download the press release
CONFERENCE ON NEW GENERATION PHOTOVOLTAICS FOR SPACE (PVSPACE)
You are invited to participate at the Online Conference on New Generation Photovoltaics for Space (PVSPACE), from 21th to 22th of June 2022.
Compared with the terrestrial environment, the cosmic space environment is very harsh. Space is characterized by ultra-high vacuum, extreme temperatures and also exposure to several high-energy charged particles and rays. In line with the fast-growing space economy, new generation of photovoltaic systems e.g., perovskite solar cells and multi-junction thin film PVs have been shown a great potential for compete with conventional PV systems in the space applications due to high efficiency in ultra-low-cost devices, low energy payback time, solution-process and roll-to-roll fabrication, high specific power and intrinsic stability against high energy particles and rays.
The scope of the conference is to gather international experts in new generation photovoltaics such as perovskite, organic PV or tandem between new generation and conventional PV, to have a fresh update on the development in the field and to define new opportunities of new generation PV in space applications. From space applications we consider not only those which are available nowadays such as satellite powering but also new space developments such as extraterrestrial bases, deployable flexible PV arrays, inflatable solar cells etc. The conference would also focus on space relevant tests of new PV technologies as well as the first experimental demonstration on the space environment.
Conference Organizer: Dr. Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Prof. Aldo Di Carlo, Prof. Luigi Schirone, Dr. Mahmoud Zendehdel
SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE DEPOSITION METHOD FOR SOLAR CELL PEROVSKITE FILMS USING A SHEET OF PAPER | PRESS RELEASE
22 January 2022
Simple and effective deposition method for solar cell perovskite films
using a sheet of paper
Perovskite semiconductor solar cells are a very exciting photovoltaic technology possessing similar efficiencies to silicon but cast or printed in thin films via liquid inks. A new method that uses a simple sheet of paper to deposit the perovskite films that does without any expensive equipment at all has been developed by a team from Tor Vergata University and University of Zanjan. The trick to achieve high performance with this remarkably cheap method is to soak the paper applicator in anti-solvent which almost doubles efficiencies compared to when using it dry, reaching 11% on flexible plastic substrates. Paper, compared to other soft applicators, possesses the right porosity and smoothness for deposition of high quality perovskite films.
Video of the method can be watched on CHOSE Youtube channel:
https://youtu.be/4qrKZtuc1HoResults are published in iScience 25, 103712 (2022)
https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(21)01682-5
For more information download the press release
PEROVSKITE SOLAR MODULE WITH 17% EFFICIENCY
26/03/2021
A research team led by CHOSE has fabricated a perovskite solar module with a total active area of 42.8 cm2 and aperture area of 50 cm2. The panel was built with 20%-efficient perovskite cells connected in 14 series and was able to retain 90% of the initial efficiency after 800 h of thermal stress at 85° C.(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2020.105685)
Read the article by Emiliano Bellini on PV Magazine:
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/03/26/perovskite-solar-module-with-17-efficiency/
AIR-PROCESSED INFRARED-ANNEALED PRINTED METHYLAMMONIUM-FREE PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS AND MODULES INCORPORATING POTASSIUM-DOPED GRAPHENE OXIDE AS AN INTERLAYER
02/03/2021
New Paper out on ACS - Appl. Mater. Interfaces!
Our latest work led by our Luigi Angelo Castriotta shows outstanding results on Methylammonium Free perovskites processed in Air with scalable technique by using Infrared annealing and Potassium doped graphene oxide as an interlayer, achieving efficiencies of 18.3% and 16.10% on 0.1cm2 cell and on 16cm2 module respectively, with enhanced stability compares to the standard multi Cation reference.
Congratulations to the extraordinary work in collaboration with leading researchers worldwide!
Fabio Matteocci, Luigi Vesce, Lucio Cinà, Antonio Agresti, Sara Pescetelli, Alessandro Ronconi, Markus Löffler Minas Stylianakis, Francesco Di Giacomo, Paolo Mariani, Maurizio Stefanelli, Emily Speller, Antonio Alfano, Barbara Paci, Amanda Generosi, Fabio Di Fonzo, Annamaria Petrozza, Bernd Rellinghaus, Emmanuel Kymakis and Aldo Di Carlo
The pubblication is avalaible at the link:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.0c18920
NiO-BASED INVERTED PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS - TRANSITION METAL CARBIDES (MXenes)
01/02/2021
New paper out on "Nano Energy" Journal!
Researchers from CHOSE in collaboration with NUST-MISiS (Moscow), CNR-ISM, INFN-LNF, Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Institut Pprime (University of Poitier), Russian Academy of Sciences and CNR-ISC, demonstrated the use of MXenes in inverted perovskite solar cells as a winning strategy for boosting the device performance.
Check the amazing results on:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.105771
ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBE FOREST AND CHEMICAL TREATMENTS - ENHANCED THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF POLY(3-HEXYLTHIOPHENE)
11/01/2021
CHOSE researchers Saeed Mardi and Andrea Reale, in collaboration with Alberto Vomiero and Khabib Yasupov of the LULEA Univestiy (Sweden) and Patricia M. Martinez, Anvar Zakhidov of the Univestiy of Texas, (Texas, USA) have published on ACS Omega the results of their collaboration on carbon nanotube/polymer composites, that have recently received considerable attention for their importance in the field of thermoelectric applications.
The pubblication is avalaible at the link:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.0c02663
GRAPHENE-BASED INTERCONNECTS FOR STABLE DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR MODULES
Within the EU Graphene Flagship Project, through the collaboration between the C.H.O.S.E. and the "Graphene Cambridge Center" of the University of Cambridge (UCAM), founded and directed by Prof. Andrea C. Ferrari, who is also the Science and Technology Officer and the Chair of the Management Panel of the Graphene Flagship (one of the largest research initiatives ever funded by the European Commission), the first DSSC (Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell) PV (Photo-Voltaic) module, based on Graphene printed interconnects, was realized.
Thanks to these interconnects, corrosion issues that affect the typical silver grids of the DSSC modules have been fixed, thus increasing the structural stability of these devices.
Graphene paste was realized and fabricated via microfluidization at the Graphene Cambridge Center. Graphene-based interconnects of the DSSC module have also allowed to increase the Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) calculated on Aperture Area, up to 12% with respect to silver-based ones. This result, combined with the greater stability of the devices once compared to the standard ones (made of silver), further rolls out the DSSC technology in the BIPV (Build Integrated Photo-Voltaic) sector and in indoor application.
The obtained results are published in ACS Publications, available at the following link:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsaem.0c01960
Congratulations to Paolo Mariani, Antonio Agresti, Luigi Vesce, Sara Pescetelli, Alessandro Lorenzo Palma, Flavia Tomarchio, Panagiotis Karagiannidis, Andrea C. Ferrari and Aldo Di Carlo
SEM images of (a) Ag layer, (b) graphene coating, (c) cross section of Ag layer, (d) cross section of graphene coating, (e) schematic cross view of Ag-based device, (f) schematic cross view of graphene-based device
Stability test at 85 °C comparing 5 DSSC modules with Ag-vertical interconnects and 5 with graphene ones
BEYOND 17% STABLE PEROVSKITE SOLAR MODULE VIA POLARON ARRANGEMENT OF TUNED POLYMERIC HOLE TRANSPORT LAYER
Operational stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is rapidly becoming one of the pressing bottlenecks for their upscaling and integration of such promising photovoltaic technology. By using a Polaron Arrangement strategy, we demonstrated stable PSCs with typical power conversion efficiencies above 20%, retain more than 90% of the initial efficiency after 1080 hours thermal stress at 85 ˚C and 87% of initial efficiency after 160 hours exposure against 1 sun light soaking. By using this strategy, we advanced the efficiency of perovskite solar modules beyond 17% on an active area of 43 cm2, keeping above 90% of the initial efficiency after 800 hours thermal stress at 85 ˚C. These results, obtained in ambient conditions, pave the way toward the industrialization of PSC-based photovoltaic technology.
The obtained results published in Nano Energy (an Elsevier journal with IF: 16.6) available online via following link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211285520312581
Congratulations to Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Mahmoud Zendehdel, Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi, Luigi Angelo Castriotta, Felix U. Kosasih, Enrico Lamanna, Mohammad Mahdi Abolhasani, Zhaoxiang Zheng, Zahra Andaji-Garmaroudi, Kamal Asadi, Giorgio Divitini, Caterina Ducati, Richard H. Friend and Aldo Di Carlo.
DEVELOPMENT OF A COLOUR - SENSITIVE INKJET-PRINTED PIXELATED ARTIFICIAL RETINA MODEL AND ITS STUDY VIA AN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICE | PRESS RELEASE
11 December 2020
Development of a colour-sensitive inkjet-printed pixelated artificial retina model and its study via an optoelectronic device
Around 300 million people worldwide are visually impaired. In recent years, photosensitive organic electronic materials have been shown to be a very promising tool for transducing light stimuli to non-functioning retinas. An international interdisciplinary team from four institutes developed a colour-sensitive artificial retina model using polymer semiconductors. These are processable as inks which enabled pixelatation by depositing each polymer dot by inkjet-printing. Three types of polymer semiconductors, with spectral absorbance curves emulating those of rods, and of cones which provide colour sensitivity, were deposited in a concentric layout simplifying the anatomical human retinal scheme. The team verified that the phototransduction process from the artificial retina to a biological electrolyte solution imitating extracellular fluids found in our tissues produced electrical signals compatible with those found in retinas through a novel closed sandwich-type optoelectronic device. Biocompatibility of the materials was also verified. The bio-hybrid device is compact, easy-to-handle, transportable, with controllable size and requires a small amount of bio-electrolyte thus permitting use of tools typically found in an electronic-engineering/physics/chemistry laboratory. The density of the artificial photoreceptors was ∼11000 pixels/cm2 and the corresponding spatial resolution was 267 dpi (dots per inch), with pixel diameters of 95 micrometres comparable to that of a human hair.
Results are published in “Colour‑sensitive conjugated polymer inkjet‑printed pixelated artificial retina model studied via a bio‑hybrid photovoltaic device” article in Scientific Reports at https://rdcu.be/cbQ6g
For more information see the press release and
SPECIAL ISSUE "ADVANCED HYBRID AND COMPOSITE CRYSTALS FOR SOLAR FUELS"
A Special Issue on "ADVANCED HYBRID AND COMPOSITE CRYSTALS FOR SOLAR FUELS"
Various technologies based on photochemical, photobiological, thermochemical, photoelectrochemical, and photovoltaic-electrochemical integration have been utilized for solar fuel production. However, there are numerous scientific challenges to developing these technologies, including finding suitable materials and hybrid/composite structures to improve light absorption, developing more efficient and stable catalysts and thin films, enhancing selectivity, minimizing interfacial losses, and resisting degradation. Accordingly, the utilization of some advanced organic/inorganic hybrid and composite crystalline compounds and relative thin films such as 2D/3D structures, plasmonic core-shell, carbon-based nanostructures, porous nanostructures, molecular catalysts, metal-organic and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, polyoxometalates, hybrid conjugated polymers, and hybrid biomimetics can markedly improve the performance of solar fuel technologies toward industrialization.
Special Issue Editors:
Narges Yaghoobi Nia, Aldo Di Carlo, Adelio Mendes, Mahmoud Zendehdel, Hong Zhang, Gabriele Centi, Francesco Aquilante
Available at the link:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals/special_issues/solar_fuel
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2021.
TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS IN PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
9 July 2020
Want to know more about Perovskites and 2 D materials?
On "IOPscience" the latest review by Aldo Di Carlo, Antonio Agresti, Francesca Brunetti and Sara Pescetelli entitled "Two-dimensional materials in perovskite solar cells":
HIGH-EFFICIENCY INDOOR PEROVSKITE PHOTOVOLTAICS ON ULTRA-THIN GLASS | PRESS RELEASE
29 April 2020
High-Efficiency Indoor Perovskite Photovoltaics on Ultra-Thin Glass
A revolution is already under way which includes development of autonomous wireless sensors, low-power consumer electronics, smart homes, domotics and the Internet of Things. All these elements require efficient and easy-to-integrate energy harvesting devices for their power. Indoor photovoltaic (PV) power sources, on ultra-thin curvable substrates, will have the potential to facilitate these technological innovations if they can provide sufficient energy under indoor illumination rather than the sun to the electronic components, while remaining small, convenient and economical. An international team with researchers from University of Rome – Tor Vergata, Universidad Surcolombiana, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology has published results in Cell Reports Physical Science which highlights the progress made in achieving efficiencies above 20% under indoor illumination using flexible perovskite solar cells fabricated on ultra-thin glass. The efficiencies obtained represent the highest reported for any indoor photovoltaic cell technology that is flexible and curvable, as well as surpassing by a 60-90% margin the prior best-performing perovskite photovoltaic cells on flexible substrates. Specific powers in Watts delivered per gram of weight (W/g) are 40-55% higher than their counterparts on plastic PET films and an order of magnitude greater than those on rigid glass. More information: “Perovskite Photovoltaics on Roll-To-Roll Coated Ultra-thin Glass as Flexible High-Efficiency Indoor Power-Generators” https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100045.
For more information see the press release and
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100045
AN ALL-ITALIAN SUCCESS: A TANDEM PEROVSKITE/SILICON SOLAR CELL FOR A RECORD EFFICIENCY OF MORE THAN 26%
CHOSE researchers from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), with Graphene Labs and its BeDimensional spin-off, in collaboration with the ENEA researchers of the Photovoltaic Technologies Laboratory, have accomplished an innovative solar cell of perovskite and silicon, to record efficiencies of up to 26.3%.
The results of this relevant research were published on the international journal "Joule":
PEROVSKITES TAKE STEPS TO INDUSTRIALIZATION
Another step forward to the industrialization of perovskite photovoltaics, the new technology at centre of the research on solar energy.
Also Prof. Aldo Di Carlo, Prof. Francesca Brunetti and Dr. Francesca De Rossi of CHOSE in a team of scientists, who expressed a Consensus Statement for the definition of the procedures to be applied to assessing and measuring the perovskite photovoltaics' stability.
The Consensus Statement was published on the prestigious magazine "Nature Energy" (VOL 5 | January 2020) at the link:
The "Nature Energy" magazine also published the article "Perovskites take steps to industrialization" (22/01/2020), to read at the link:
Università degli Studi di Roma
"Tor Vergata"
