Silicon belongs to group 14 elements along with carbon, germanium, tin, and lead in the periodic table. Similar to carbon, silicon is capable of forming a wide range of stable compounds, including silicon hydrides, organosilicons, silicic acids, silicon oxides, and silicone polymers. These materials have been used extensively in optoelectronic devices, sensing, catalysis, and biomedical applications. In recent years, silicon compounds have also been shown to be suitable for stabilizing delicate halide perovskite structures. These composite materials are now receiving a lot of interest for their potential use in various real-world applications. Despite exhibiting outstanding performance in various optoelectronic devices, halide perovskites are susceptible to breakdown in the presence of moisture, oxygen, heat, and UV light. Silicon compounds are thought to be excellent materials for improving both halide perovskite stability and the performance of perovskite-based optoelectronic devices. In this work, a wide range of silicon compounds that have been used in halide perovskite research and their applications in various fields are discussed. The interfacial stability, structure–property correlations, and various application aspects of perovskite and silicon compounds are also analyzed at the molecular level. This study also explores the developments, difficulties, and potential future directions associated with the synthesis and application of perovskite-silicon compounds.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) are promising as sensing materials for flexible electronics and wearable systems in artificial intelligence, tele-medicine, and internet of things (IoT). Currently, the study of 2D TMDs-based flexible strain sensors mainly focuses on improving the performance of sensitivity, response, detection resolution, cyclic stability, and so on. There are few reports on power consumption despite that it is of significant importance for wearable electronic systems. It is still challenging to effectively reduce the power consumption for prolonging the endurance of electronic systems. Herein, we propose a novel approach to realize ultra-low power consumption strain sensors by reducing the contact resistance between metal electrodes and 2D MoS₂. A dendritic bilayer MoS₂ has been designed and synthesized by a modified CVD method. Large-area edge contact has been introduced in the dendritic MoS₂, resulting in decreased the contact resistance significantly. The contact resistance can be down to 5.4 kΩ µm, which is two orders of magnitude lower than the conventional MoS₂ devices. We fabricate a flexible strain sensor, exhibiting superior sensitivity in detecting strains with high resolution (0.04%) and an ultra-low power consumption (33.0 pW). This study paves the way for future wearable and flexible sensing electronics with high sensitivity and ultra-low power consumption.

High-temperature stable transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are highly desirable in optoelectronics but are rarely achieved due to the defect generation that is inevitable during high-temperature air annealing. This work reports unprecedented stability in aluminum and fluorine co-doped ZnO (AFZO) films prepared by pulse laser deposition. The AFZO can retain a mobility of 60 cm² V^–1 s^–1, an electron concentration of 4.5 × 10²⁰ cm^–3, and a visible transmittance of 91% after air-annealing at 600°C. Comprehensive defect characterization and first principles calculations have revealed that the offset of substitutional aluminum by zinc vacancy is responsible for the instability observed in aluminum-doped ZnO, and the pairing between fluorine substitution and zinc vacancy ensures the high-temperature stability of AFZO. The utility of AFZO in enabling the epitaxial growth of (Al_xGa_1–x)₂O₃ film within a high-temperature, oxygen-rich environment is demonstrated, facilitating the development of a self-powered solar-blind ultraviolet Schottky photodiode. Furthermore, the high-mobility AFZO transparent electrode enables perovskite solar cells to achieve improved power conversion efficiency by balancing the electron concentration-dependent conductivity and transmittance. These findings settle the long-standing controversy surrounding the instability in TCOs and open up exciting prospects for the advancement of optoelectronics.

Breakthroughs brought about by two-dimensional (2D) materials in the field of photodetection have opened up new possibilities in infrared imaging. However, challenges still exist in fabricating high-density detector arrays using such materials, which are essential for traditional imaging systems. In this study, we present a state-of-the-art computing imaging system that utilizes a MoTe₂/Si self-powered photodetector coupled with flexible Hadamard modulation algorithms. This system demonstrates remarkable capability to produce high-quality images in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band, surpassing the capabilities of devices based on alternative material systems. The exceptional infrared imaging capability primarily stems from the MoTe₂/Si photodetector’s inherent features, including an ultra-wide spectral range (265–1550 nm) and extremely high sensitivity (linear dynamic range (LDR) up to 123 dB, responsivity (R) up to 0.33 A W^–1, external quantum efficiency (EQE) up to 43% and a specific detectivity (D*) exceeding 2.9 × 10¹¹ Jones). Moreover, the imaging system demonstrates the ability to achieve high-quality edge imaging of objects in the SWIR band (1550 nm), even in strong scattering environments and under low sampling rate conditions (sampling rate of 25%). We believe that this work will effectively advance the application scope of 2D materials in the field of computational imaging in SWIR bands.

Static rechargeable zinc-iodine (Zn-I₂) batteries are superior in safety, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, giving them great potential for large-scale energy storage applications. However, the shuttle effect of polyiodides on the cathode and the unstable anode/electrolyte interface hinder the development of Zn-I₂ batteries. Herein, a self-segregated biphasic electrolyte (SSBE) was proposed to synergistically address those issues. The strong interaction between polyiodides and the organic phase was demonstrated to limit the shuttle effect of polyiodides. Meanwhile, the hybridization of polar organic solvent in the inorganic phase modulated the bonding structure, as well as the effective weakening of water activity, optimizing the interface during zinc electroplating. As a result, the Zn-I₂ coin cells performed a capacity retention of nearly 100% after 4000 cycles at 2 mA cm^–2. And a discharge capacity of 0.6 Ah with no degradation after 180 cycles was achieved in the pouch cell. A photovoltaic energy storage battery was further achieved and displayed a cumulative capacity of 5.85 Ah. The successfully designed energy storage device exhibits the application potential of Zn-I₂ batteries for stationary energy storage.

The all-solid-state battery (ASSB) concept promises increases in energy density and safety; consequently recent research has focused on optimizing each component of an ideal fully solid battery. However, by doing so, one can also lose oversight of how significantly the individual components impact key parameters. Although this review presents a variety of materials, the included studies limit electrolyte-separator choices to those that are either fully commercial or whose ingredients are readily available; their thicknesses are predefined by the manufacturer or the studies in which they are included. However, we nevertheless discuss both electrode materials. Apart from typical materials, the list of anode materials includes energy-dense candidates, such as lithium metal, or anode-free approaches that are already used in Li-ion batteries. The cathode composition of an ASSB contains a fraction of the solid electrolyte, in addition to the active material and binders/plasticizers, to improve ionic conductivity. Apart from the general screening of reported composites, promising composite cathodes together with constant-thickness separators and metallic lithium anodes are the basis for studying theoretically achievable gravimetric energy densities. The results suggest that procurable oxide electrolytes in the forms of thick pellets (>300 µm) are unable to surpass the performance of already commercially available Li-ion batteries. All-solid-state cells are already capable of exceeding the performance of current batteries with energy densities of 250 Wh kg^–1 by pairing composite cathodes with high mass loadings and using separators that are less than 150 µm thick, with even thinner electrolytes (20 µm) delivering more than 350 Wh kg^–1.