Confocal microscopy articles within Nature

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• Letter | 26 April 2017

  The effect of illumination on the formation of metal halide perovskite films

  Films of metal halide perovskite are used as the absorber material in solar cells, and light irradiation during their formation is shown to affect their crystallization, morphology and photovoltaic performance.

  • Amita Ummadisingu
  • , Ludmilla Steier
  •  & Michael Grätzel

• Letter | 15 December 2010

  Pleats in crystals on curved surfaces

  Hexagons can easily tile a flat surface, but not a curved one. Defects with topological charge (such as heptagons and pentagons) make it easier to tile curved surfaces, such as soccer balls. Here, a new type of defect is reported that accommodates curvature in the same way as fabric pleats. The appearance of such defects on the negatively curved surfaces of stretched colloidal crystals are observed. The results will facilitate the exploration of general theories of defects in curved spaces, the engineering of curved structures and novel methods for soft lithography and directed self-assembly.

  • William T. M. Irvine
  • , Vincenzo Vitelli
  •  & Paul M. Chaikin