High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells Enabled by n-Type Polymers with an Ultranarrow Bandgap Down to 1.28 eV
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The rapid rise in power conversion efficiencies of lead-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has established their promise, motivating scale-up and commercialization. As a thin film solar cell, interfacial properties are key to the performance of PSCs; there is a need to further understand which properties are important to control. Here, the impact of the compact TiO 2 (com-TiO 2 ) film properties on the performance of mesoporous PSCs is studied. Com-TiO 2 layers are fabricated by spray pyrolysis as well as by atomic layer deposition (ALD), using ALD as a proof-of-concept method to achieve highly conformal films of precisely controlled thickness. The com-TiO 2 layers’ conformality and surface roughness are examined by microscopy techniques; their relative crystallinity is studied by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction with a synchrotron source and an in situ annealing chamber; and completed devices are analyzed by J–V and impedance spectroscopy techniques. The results show that an ultraconformal comTiO 2 layer can be thinned to 4 nm and match the performance of a ≈50 nm spray-pyrolysis TiO 2 layer. This work concludes that film conformality is the primary consideration for creating a high-performing com-TiO 2 layer, overriding any effects of flm crystallinity—a fnding that can guide fabrication choices for the scale-up of PSCs.
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The growth and characterization of an n‐GaP/i‐GaNP/p + ‐GaP thin film heterojunction synthesized using a gas‐source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method, and its application for efficient solar‐driven water oxidation is reported. The TiO 2 /Ni passivated n‐GaP/i‐GaNP/p + ‐GaP thin film heterojunction provides much higher photoanodic performance in 1 m KOH solution than the TiO 2 /Ni‐coated n‐GaP substrate, leading to much lower onset potential and much higher photocurrent. There is a significant photoanodic potential shift of 764 mV at a photocurrent of 0.34 mA cm −2 , leading to an onset potential of ≈0.4 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) at 0.34 mA cm −2 for the heterojunction. The photocurrent at the water oxidation potential (1.23 V vs RHE) is 1.46 and 7.26 mA cm −2 for the coated n‐GaP and n‐GaP/i‐GaNP/p + ‐GaP photoanodes, respectively. The passivated heterojunction offers a maximum applied bias photon‐to‐current efficiency (ABPE) of 1.9% while the ABPE of the coated n‐GaP sample is almost zero. Furthermore, the coated n‐GaP/i‐GaNP/p + ‐GaP heterojunction photoanode provides a broad absorption spectrum up to ≈620 nm with incident photon‐to‐current efficiencies (IPCEs) of over 40% from ≈400 to ≈560 nm. The high low‐bias performance and broad absorption of the wide‐bandgap GaP/GaNP heterojunctions render them as a promising photoanode material for tandem photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells to carry out overall solar water splitting.
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The development of new and inexpensive semiconductor electrodes that possess suitable bandgap energies and band positions for solar water splitting is of great interest in the field of solar fuel production. In this study, n-type Cu 11 V 6 O 26 that has a bandgap energy of 1.9 eV was produced as a pure, high quality photoanode and its properties and stability for photoelectrochemical water splitting were systematically investigated in pH 9.2 and pH 13 solutions. As Cu 11 V 6 O 26 photoanodes appeared to suffer from poor charge transport properties, Mo and W-doping into the V site were also examined, which considerably improved the photocurrent generation of Cu 11 V 6 O 26 . Furthermore, the bandgap energy, band edge positions, flatband potential, photocurrent generation, and photostability of pristine and doped Cu 11 V 6 O 26 electrodes are discussed in comparison to elucidate the effect of Mo- and W-doping and to evaluate the promise and limitations of Cu 11 V 6 O 26 as a photoanode for use in a water splitting photoelectrochemical cell.
A floating, low-cost solar desalination system was constructed, capable of simultaneous salt rejection and heat localization for continuous operation.
For commercially-viable solar-grade silicon, thinner wafers and surface saturation current densities below 1 fA cm −2 , are required to significantly increase the practical efficiency limit of solar cells.
Na-doped BiFeO 3 demonstrates an enhanced p-type behavior compared to p-type BiFeO 3 prepared without extrinsic dopants, and Na-doped BiFeO 3 can serve as a photocathode for solar O 2 reduction to H 2 O 2 when coupled with Ag nanoparticle catalysts.
Landfill based microgrids powered by renewable energy aid reliability and resiliency while promoting environmental and energy justice. This paper aims to design a flexible boundary algorithm for a proposed Chattanooga landfill microgrid with the ability to shrink or expand its boundaries based on the available power from the solar PV and battery storage. This helps to improve resiliency unlike the conventional fixed boundary microgrids. The flexible boundary algorithm determines the combination and switching status of the intellirupter ® which changes the microgrid boundaries to achieve power balance by dropping or energizing specific load sections. Finally, the microgrid with flexible boundary was simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and performed satisfactorily when tested under various scenarios.
Information to characterize the solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF)-gross primary production (GPP) relationship in C4 cropping systems remains limited. The annual C4 crop corn and perennial C4 crop miscanthus differ in phenology, canopy structure and leaf physiology. Investigating the SIF-GPP relationships in these species could deepen our understanding of SIF-GPP relationships within C4 crops. Using in situ canopy SIF and GPP measurements for both species along with leaf-level measurements, we found considerable differences in the SIF-GPP relationships between corn and miscanthus, with a stronger SIF-GPP relationship and higher slope of SIF-GPP observed in corn compared to miscanthus. These differences were mainly caused by leaf physiology. For miscanthus, high non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) under high light, temperature and water vapor deficit (VPD) conditions caused a large decline of fluorescence yield (ΦF), which further led to a SIF midday depression and weakened the SIF-GPP relationship. The larger slope in corn than miscanthus was mainly due to its higher GPP in mid-summer, largely attributed to the higher leaf photosynthesis and less NPQ. Our results demonstrated variation of the SIF-GPP relationship within C4 crops and highlighted the importance of leaf physiology in determining canopy SIF behaviors and SIF-GPP relationships.
θ Cygni is an F3 spectral type magnitude V = 4.48 main-sequence star that was the brightest star observed by the original Kepler spacecraft mission. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data using a custom aperture were first obtained during Quarter 6 (2010 June–September) and subsequently in Quarters 8 and 12–17. We present analyses of solar-like oscillations based on Q6 and Q8 data, identifying angular degree l = 0, 1, and 2 modes with frequencies of 1000–2700 μ Hz, a large frequency separation of 83.9 ± 0.4 μ Hz, and maximum oscillation amplitude at frequency ν {sub max} = 1829 ± 54 μ Hz. We also present analyses of new ground-based spectroscopic observations, which, combined with interferometric angular diameter measurements, give T {sub eff} = 6697 ± 78 K, radius 1.49 ± 0.03 R {sub ⊙}, [Fe/H] = -0.02 ± 0.06 dex, and log g = 4.23 ± 0.03. We calculate stellar models matching these constraints using the Yale Rotating Evolution Code and the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal. The best-fit models have masses of 1.35–1.39 M {sub ⊙} and ages of 1.0–1.6 Gyr. θ Cyg’s T {sub eff} and log g place it cooler than the red edge of the γ Doradus instability region established from pre- Kepler ground-based observations, but just at the red edge derived from pulsation modeling. The pulsation models show γ Dor gravity modes driven by the convective blocking mechanism, with frequencies of 1–3 cycles per day (11 to 33 μ Hz). However, gravity modes were not seen in Kepler data; one signal at 1.776 cycles per day (20.56 μ Hz) may be attributable to a faint, possibly background, binary.
Previous investigations on the energy spectra of solar energetic particle (SEP) events revealed that the energy spectra observed at 1 au often show double power laws with break energies from one to tens of MeV/nuc. In order to determine whether the double power-law features result from the SEP source or the interplanetary transport process from the Sun to 1 au, we separately analyze the SEP spectra in the decay phase, during which the transport effect is minimum. In this paper, we reported three events observed by the Interplanetary Monitory Platform 8 spacecraft, which occurred on 1977 September 19, November 22, and 1979 March 1. For the first two events, the event-integrated spectra of protons possess double power-law profiles with break energies in a range of several MeV to tens of MeV, while the spectra integrated in the decay (reservoir) phase yield single power laws. Moreover, a general trend from a double power law at the rising phase to a single power law at the decay phase is observed. For the third event, both the event-integrated and the reservoir spectra show double power-law features. However, the difference between the low- and high-energy power-law indices is smaller for the reservoir spectrum than the event-integrated spectrum. These features were reproduced by solving the 1D diffusion equation analytically and we suggest that the transport process, especially the diffusion process, plays an important role in breaking the energy spectra.
Explorer 12 observations of solar cosmic rays and energetic storm particles following solar flare activity
Correlation of orbiting geophysical satellite solar flare observations with solar radio and energetic particle emission
Design and performance of two vacuum chambers and solar-radiation simulators for solar-cell research