Disclosed is a photoelectric conversion element including a cell. The cell includes an electrode substrate, a counter substrate, an oxide semiconductor layer provided on the electrode substrate, an electrolyte provided between the electrode substrate and the counter substrate, and an annular sealing portion joining the electrode substrate and the counter substrate. The layer includes a main body portion provided inside the sealing portion and on the electrode substrate and extending straight from the electrode substrate toward the counter substrate, and a protruding portion which protrudes from the main body portion toward the sealing portion and does not come into contact with the electrode substrate. A width of a second surface of the layer facing the counter substrate is longer than a width of a first surface which is a boundary surface between the layer and the electrode substrate in a cross section along a thickness direction of the layer.

The present invention relates in part to short-wave IR (SWIR) materials comprising generic mixed salts of empirical formula A.sub.aB.sub.bM.sub.cX.sub.d that are composition-dependent, broadband, and tunable. These materials have unique light absorbance wavelengths from 0.4 to 2.6 m, including both the visible and SWIR. The preparation procedure for the SWIR materials is simple, including the use of widely available, cheap, and non-toxic precursors, unlike existing state of the art alloy SWIR materials. These novel materials have broad applications in security, surveillance, military, machine vision, photovoltaic solar cells, medical treatments, spectroscopy detector, and thermography. The present invention also relates to methods of fabricating a film comprising the composition of the invention and to photovoltaic stacks comprising the composition of the invention.

The present invention relates to a compound of formula (I) based on carbazole substituted by diphenylamine and used as organic hole conductors or hole transporting material in an optoelectronic or photoelectrochemical device, with (I), D being selected from formula (1) or (2): ##STR00001##

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a perovskite material comprising negatively charged layers alternated with and neutralized by positively charged layers; the negatively charged layers having a general formula selected from the list consisting of: L.sub.n1M.sub.nX.sub.3n+1, L.sub.nM.sub.nX.sub.3n+2, and L.sub.n1M.sub.nX.sub.3n+3, and the positively charged layers comprising: one or more organic ammonium cations independently selected from monovalent cations Q and divalent cations Q, or a polyvalent cationic conjugated organic polymer Z, wherein Q, Q and Z comprise each a -conjugated system in which at least 8 and preferably at least 10 atoms participate, L is a monovalent cation, M.sub.n are n independently selected metal cations averaging a valence of two, M.sub.n are n independently selected metal cations averaging a valence equal to 2+2/n, X is a monovalent anion, and n is larger than 1.

The present specification relates to an organic-inorganic hybrid solar cell.

Provided is a photoelectric conversion element including a first electrode, a hole blocking layer, an electron transport layer, a first hole transport layer, and a second electrode, wherein the first hole transport layer includes at least one of basic compounds represented by general formula (1a) and general formula (1b) below: ##STR00001##
where in the formula (1a) or (1b), R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represent a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group or aromatic hydrocarbon group and may be identical or different, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may bind with each other to form a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group containing a nitrogen atom.

A photovoltaic device and method of manufacturing the device are described.

Described herein is a device that includes an alkyl ammonium metal halide perovskite layer, and a nanostructured semiconductor layer in physical contact with the alkyl ammonium metal halide perovskite layer. The alkyl ammonium metal halide perovskite layer may include methyl ammonium cations. The alkyl ammonium metal halide perovskite layer may include anions of at least one of chlorine, bromine, astatine, and/or iodine. The alkyl ammonium metal halide perovskite layer may include cations of a metal in a 2+ valence state. The metal may include at least one of lead, tin, and/or germanium.

A ferroelectric enhanced solar cell, including a conductive substrate, and a hole blocking layer, a mesoporous nanocrystalline layer, a mesoporous spacer layer and a mesoporous back electrode sequentially deposited in that order on the conductive substrate. The mesopores of at least one of the mesoporous nanocrystalline layer, the mesoporous spacer layer and the mesoporous back electrode are filled with a photoactive material. At least one of the hole blocking layer, the mesoporous nanocrystalline layer and the mesoporous spacer layer includes a ferroelectric material or a ferroelectric nanocomposite.

Semiconductor devices, and methods of forming the same, include a cathode layer, an anode layer, and an active layer disposed between the cathode layer and the anode layer, wherein the active layer includes a perovskite layer. A passivation layer is disposed directly on a surface of the active layer between the cathode layer and the active layer, the passivation layer including a layer of material that passivates both cationic and anionic defects in the surface of the active layer.