26 Mar 2026
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22 Sep 2023
“Twisted or planar?” is the question Assistant Professor at Lund University and WISE faculty member, Maning Liu, and his colleagues explore in their new article.
“Twisted or planar?” is the question Assistant Professor at Lund University and WISE faculty member, Maning Liu, and his colleagues explore in their new article entitled “Twisted or Planar? Side-Chain Tailoring of Fluorene-Based Hole-Transport Materials for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells” published in the journal of Solar RRL.
The current energy crisis underlines the urgent need to develop robust energy systems based on renewable energy sources. In this scenario, solar energy defines a competitive opportunity with short energy payback time. It has been estimated that by harnessing solar power in a smart way, we can effectively meet future energy needs. However, unlocking its full potential requires significant advancements in the process of clean energy generation, including how we collect, convert, and store it.
One important piece of the puzzle is solar panels. These devices consist of solar cells made from materials that generate free charge carriers when exposed to sunlight, that finally are collected to produce an electric current. One of the promising materials, known as semiconductor halide perovskite, is pivotal for future technologies to convert sunlight into electricity.
Twisted or planar?
The question Dr. Liu and his colleagues addressed in this first WISE publication refers to how the side-chain geometrical arrangement of small molecules, acting as efficient hole-transport materials (whether twisted or planar) in certain novel semiconductor materials, impact the charge transfer properties. The interfacial properties of these hole-transporting materials, with the perovskites placed underneath, can be properly tailored by controlling the geometries of these molecules’ side-chains. This leads to a significant improvement of both the performance and stability of the solar cells.
-Eventually, we found that twisted side-chains in the small molecular hole-transport materials are more favorable for the efficient interfacial charge transfer as well as for blocking the diffusion of hygroscopic dopants towards perovskites, leading to much enhanced device performance (almost doubled efficiency compared to the planar case) and operation stability, says Liu.
The capability to tailor these materials is of great interest, primarily because of their potential to usher in the era of third-generation solar cells.
-We are very happy and proud to see the first results of WISE research now being published and made available to our academic colleagues, society and industry, continue Magnus Berggren, Director of WISE and Olle Eriksson, Co-Director of WISE.
This article is going to be featured as the front cover in the coming issue of the journal of Solar RRL.
The article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202300367
26 Mar 2026
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26 Mar 2026
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24 Dec 2025
We’re pleased to announce that registration is now open for the AM4Life/WISE Additive Autumn School on the theme “Post-processing in AM and Surface Engineering.”
3 Oct 2025
On 2 October 2025, Chalmers University of Technology officially inaugurated its new additive manufacturing infrastructure: AM@Chalmers and the Chalmers WISE Additive node.
3 Oct 2025
The Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT) and the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE) are launching a new call to spark collaboration at the cutting edge of research.
2 Oct 2025
—Imagine a world where vehicles, buildings, and even everyday devices become self-powering, seamlessly merging structure and storage. This is the vision of structural power composites. Structural power composites open the door to a future where every part of a product contributes not only to its form and strength, but also to its function as an energy source, says WISE Guest Professor Madhavi Srinivasan from Nanyang Technological University.
25 Sep 2025
-Our role is to act as a bridge between PhD students, postdocs, and WISE Research School management. We receive questions and concerns both from students and postdocs as well as from the RS management, which we bring to our meetings for discussion, says Yamini Portes, chairperson of the WISE Student Council and PhD student at Stockholm University.
24 Sep 2025
Join us for the 6th Machine Learning Meets Materials Science Seminar, part of the WISE–WASP initiative! Mark your calendars: October 1 at 10:00!
24 Sep 2025
We are pleased to welcome Professor Johan Hjelm, WISE Guest Professor at Lund University (LU), and Professor Yury Gogotsi, WISE Guest Professor at Linköping University (LiU), for a joint digital event on October 2, 2025, from 15:00 to 16:00.
17 Sep 2025
At WISE, we love to share the stories of the people driving science forward. Meet Professor Chao Zhang, an Associate Professor at Uppsala University who is passionate about reimagining the future of energy.
10 Sep 2025
–Materials science can never be done in “vacuum.” By this I mean that sustainability and circular economy must be considered from the very beginning, and this requires collaboration. No one can be an expert in everything, says WISE Guest Professor Mari Lundström from Aalto University.
2 Sep 2025
On September 11, 2025, from 15:00 to 16:00, WISE (Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability) will host a special guest professor lecture featuring two leading international researchers in materials science.
1 Sep 2025
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is delighted to announce the 2025 call for Proof of Concept Grants in Materials Science for Sustainability, is now open for applications until October 15, 2025, at 13:00.
26 Aug 2025
In a recent report published in Scientific Reports, Professor Saeed Chehreh Chelgani from Luleå University of Technology and WISE-affiliated researcher and his colleagues tackled one of the cement industry’s most pressing challenges: energy efficiency.
25 Aug 2025
WIRA-SuPRA invites industry professionals to Husqvarna, Sweden, for a two-day event exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the plastics industry.
25 Aug 2025
Welcome Meeting 2025 is now wrapped up – and what an event it was!
22 Aug 2025
Can smarter recycling pave the way for a more sustainable industry?
19 Aug 2025
“To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, research and innovations in energy, transport, manufacturing industry, and sustainable practices globally are crucial”, says Professor Ange Nzihou from IMT Mines Albi, France.
16 Aug 2025
On Wednesday, 20 August, Prof. Hjörvarsson will give a talk at the WISE Welcome Meeting at Louis De Geer Konsert & Kongress in Norrköping.
– I’ll give you a teaser: the title of my talk is “Bullerbyn 2.0 / El Dorado,” says Hjörvarsson with a big smile.
12 Aug 2025
The call for KAW Proof of Concept Grants in Materials Science for Sustainability will open soon.
11 Aug 2025
The Wallenberg Initiative Material Science for Sustainability (WISE) is proud to launch its second major faculty recruitment drive, opening up new opportunities to lead cutting-edge research in sustainable materials science.
Picture by Luleå University of Technology.
7 Aug 2025
An international team of scientists from France, Germany, and Sweden has taken a closer look at how magnetism can change incredibly fast—a phenomenon called ultrafast demagnetization.
For the first time, they were able to observe some of the key steps in this process as it happens in a magnetic material. Their work, published in Nature Communications, could help pave the way for faster and more energy-efficient spintronic devices used for storing and processing information.
7 Aug 2025
Get ready—one of the most anticipated events of the year is just around the corner! The WISE Welcome Meeting 2025 is fast approaching, and you won’t want to miss it!
17 Jun 2025
MAX IV is awarded 200 million SEK from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and WISE to construct and establish a 3D imaging X-ray technology aimed at studying and developing advanced materials for the transition to a sustainable society.
16 Jun 2025
The Wallenberg Initiative Material Science for Sustainability (WISE) is excited to announce the launch of its second major faculty recruitment call.
Picture by Luleå University of technology.
9 Jun 2025
Do not miss out as the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation soon is set to open applications for its 2025 Proof of Concept Grants in Materials Science for Sustainability. The call opens on September 1 and closes on October 15, 2025, at 13:00.
26 May 2025
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, in partnership with the WISE research program, has selected nine promising innovation projects to receive Proof-of-Concept (PoC) grants. ,
22 May 2025
Making steel the traditional way pushes a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere—about 8% of all global energy-related emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). But there’s a greener way forward.
Picture taken by Smoltek Hydrogen.
19 May 2025
A notable ensemble of WISE expertise—including Vladislav Borisov (WISE-affiliated researcher, Uppsala University), Prof. Mikhail I. Katsnelson (Radboud University, WISE Guest Professor), Prof. Konstantin Novoselov (National University of Singapore, member of WISE’s International Scientific Advisory Board), Prof. Olle Eriksson (Uppsala University, WISE co-director), and collaborators—uncovered a novel form of magnetic order in 2D materials.
16 May 2025
Chalmers University of Technology has officially inaugurated a new high-end research infrastructure to support Sweden’s transition to sustainable materials, as part of the national WISE initiative.