Triboelectric Nanogenerator Tree for Harvesting Wind Energy and Illuminating in Subway Tunnel
Not provided.
Materials Science↗
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Results for “ILLUMINATION”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Intrinsically stable organic solar cells under high-intensity illumination
Organic photovoltaic cells are now approaching commercially viable efficiencies, particularly for applications that make use of their unique potential for flexibility and semitransparency. However, their reliability remains a major concern, as even the most stable devices reported so far degrade within only a few years. This has led to the belief that short operational lifetimes are an intrinsic disadvantage of devices that are fabricated using weakly bonded organic materials—an idea that persists despite the rapid growth and acceptance of organic light-emitting devices, which can achieve lifetimes of several million hours9. Here we study an extremely stable class of thermally evaporated single-junction organic photovoltaic cells. We accelerated the aging process by exposing the packaged cells to white-light illumination intensities of up to 37 Suns. The cells maintained more than 87 percent of their starting efficiency after exposure for more than 68 days. The degradation rate increases superlinearly with intensity, leading to an extrapolated intrinsic lifetime, T 80 , of more than 4.9 × 10 7 hours, where T 80 is the time taken for the power conversion efficiency to decrease to 80 per cent of its initial value. This is equivalent to 27,000 years outdoors. Additionally, we subjected a second group of organic photovoltaic cells to 20 Suns of ultraviolet illumination (centred at 365 nanometres) for 848 hours, a dose that would take 1.7 × 10 4 hours (9.3 years) to accumulate outdoors. No efficiency loss was observed over the duration of the test. Overall, we find that organic solar cells packaged in an inert atmosphere can be extremely stable, which is promising for their future use as a practical energy generation technology.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Chromosome-level genome assembly and transcriptome of the green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis illuminates astaxanthin production
Microalgae have potential to help meet energy and food demands without exacerbating environmental problems. There is interest in the unicellular green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis, because it produces lipids for biofuels and a highly valuable carotenoid nutraceutical, astaxanthin. Here, to advance understanding of its biology and facilitate commercial development, we present a C. zofingiensis chromosome-level nuclear genome, organelle genomes, and transcriptome from diverse growth conditions. The assembly, derived from a combination of short- and long-read sequencing in conjunction with optical mapping, revealed a compact genome of ~58 Mbp distributed over 19 chromosomes containing 15,274 predicted protein-coding genes. The genome has uniform gene density over chromosomes, low repetitive sequence content (~6%), and a high fraction of protein-coding sequence (~39%) with relatively long coding exons and few coding introns. Functional annotation of gene models identified orthologous families for the majority (~73%) of genes. Synteny analysis uncovered localized but scrambled blocks of genes in putative orthologous relationships with other green algae. Two genes encoding beta-ketolase (BKT), the key enzyme synthesizing astaxanthin, were found in the genome, and both were up-regulated by high light. Isolation and molecular analysis of astaxanthin-deficient mutants showed that BKT1 is required for the production of astaxanthin. Moreover, the transcriptome under high light exposure revealed candidate genes that could be involved in critical yet missing steps of astaxanthin biosynthesis, including ABC transporters, cytochrome P450 enzymes, and an acyltransferase. Finally, the high-quality genome and transcriptome provide insight into the green algal lineage and carotenoid production.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Temperature-dependent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of plasma-sprayed Cr-doped α-alumina using supercontinuum laser illumination and CO_2 laser heating
Not Available
Brupbacher, Michael C. (ORCID:000000024821090X)↗
First Neutron Edge-Illumination (Structured Illumination) Imaging at Oak Ridge National Laboratory CG-1D Beamline.
Abstract not provided.
Vincent, Michael D.↗
Understanding and Advancing Bifacial Thin Film Solar Cells under Dual Illumination
There is a great deal of interest in increasing the energy yield from thin film solar cells by implementing bifacial operation. However, deleterious band bending and high interface recombination at the back transparent electrode can cause problems. Herein, it is investigated how bifacial thin film devices perform when illuminated through the front, back, and simultaneously through both interfaces using numerical modeling. It is shown that the downward band bending near the back interface is reduced during illumination when the carrier concentration is low. This effect is not found when the doping is relatively high, but the minority carrier distribution is still modified. Under either condition, the power generated under bifacial illumination exceeds the sum of the power generated when the illumination is solely from the back or the front. It is also shown that the back-illuminated device performance is independent of the angle at which the light enters the back of the device, which provides accommodation for scattered light. Finally, the power enhancement is calculated for bifacial devices relative to front-illuminated devices, and is shown that any significant loss in frontside power generation is difficult to overcome with back illumination under real-world albedo conditions.
CdTe↗
Detection of sub-500-μm cracks in multicrystalline silicon wafer using edge-illuminated dark-field imaging to enable thin solar cell manufacturing
High capital expenditures associated with manufacturing thin silicon wafers make it difficult for the industry to scale up and prevent novel technologies from entering the market. Thin wafers fail largely due to breakage during solar cell processing and handling. One of the root causes for breakage is sub-mm edge cracks in the silicon wafer, and these cracks cannot be reliably detected by most commercially-available crack detection tools. In this work, we first investigate the correlation between wafer thickness and critical crack length, and explain the importance of detecting sub-500-μm edge cracks as the wafer thickness is reduced. Secondly, we extend our previous work of micro-crack detection to demonstrate an edge illumination technique using a near-infrared laser to image edge cracks less than 500 μm in length in multicrystalline silicon. Thirdly, we investigate two fundamental edge illumination mechanisms based on dark-field imaging; namely, direct and vicinal illumination. We will then compare these methods to a state-of-the-art rear illumination method. The advantages and disadvantages of both illumination methods are presented and provide an in-depth analysis of light-crack interaction. In particular, we find that the robustness of vicinal illumination is due to diffuse reflectance. The diffuse reflectance has less dependence on crack configurations, while direct illumination has more dependence on the crack configurations because it utilizes specular reflectance. Our results show that our proposed prototype can detect sub-mm edge cracks in multicrystalline silicon wafers, which is an important step in enabling thin silicon wafer manufacturing.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Correlation of the Structure with Performance in MEH-PPV/dPS Thin Films Illuminated during Processing
Thin films containing conjugated polymers have been used in a wide array of optoelectronic devices, and much research has focused on the conformation of the conjugated polymer as a key aspect to tuning the performance of the resulting devices. White light exposure has been studied as a post-processing method to alter the film’s morphology and photoluminescence (PL) in systems composed of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and polystyrene (PS). To date, there have been few studies that correlate the changes in the depth profile with the PL performance of MEH-PPV/PS films. This study is designed to address this gap in knowledge. Thin films of MEH-PPV/dPS annealed above the glass transition temperatures (T g ) in an illuminated environment led to lower PL than that found in annealed samples that are not illuminated. However, at higher MEH-PPV loading in the blend film, the extent of variation of PL with illumination diminished. Additionally, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and small-angle neutron scattering document the three-dimensional morphology of the films under illumination conditions, which are correlated with the changes in PL. Illumination during annealing compressed MEH-PPV-rich layers in the thin film blends at low loadings of MEH-PPV (below 10 wt %) but resulted in significant in-plane phase separation at higher loadings (above 15 wt %). Both changes increase interchain interactions and lower the PL of the illuminated samples. The changes in the depth profile significantly alter the PL of the films, while the in-plane phase separation affected the optoelectronic properties to a lesser degree. This work, therefore, provides insights into how illumination and film composition can be utilized to predictably alter the structure and optoelectronic performance of conjugated polymer blend films.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Simulative Prediction of Solar Illuminance and Application of the Du-Sharples Model in Estimating Adapted Daylighting Metrics for an Urban Environment
The practice of daylighting in indoor spaces can significantly reduce electricity consumption and carbon emissions, improve human productivity, and enhance mood and cognitive perception. This work discussed the recent developments in daylighting science and practice, computed the periodic variations in average diurnal daylight levels for each month, quantified in terms of global horizontal illuminance and diffuse horizontal illuminance, for Kolkata, India, a city with tropical wet and dry climate, with two empirical luminous efficacy models of estimating solar illuminance, and assessed daylighting metrics with the Du-Sharples model. A program was formulated that could compute and generate daylight data with monthly-hourly solar irradiation data and the Du-Sharples model was utilized to predict dirt-corrected daylighting metrics for three glazing transmittance values and five elemental carbon deposition levels on glazing material. The highest monthly average global horizontal illuminance is recorded in April (64.05 klx for Littlefair model and 66.82 klx for Muneer-Kinghorn model) and the highest monthly average diffuse horizontal illuminance is recorded in July (33.23 klx for Littlefair model and 30.63 klx for Muneer-Kinghorn model). Further, the computed yearly average global and diffuse horizontal illuminance levels agree well with a previous study that applied the Perez model. Yearly average horizontal work surface illuminance level remained >1.5 klx for window-towall area ratio >30 %. The approach adopted in this work and the temporal variation charts of computed exterior daylight level data may assist building service engineers, architects, and indoor lighting practitioners in making informed policy decisions at different stages of building planning.
Engineering↗
Mutually promoting or constraining? Disentangling the superimposed effect of velocity and illuminance on fish motion in low-velocity flows with a novel metric
Global climate change, species invasion, and human activities such as the construction of hydraulic facilities are contributing to the worldwide degradation of fish stocks. As a pivotal environmental factor that affects fish migration and population distribution, low-velocity flow has not drawn enough attention despite its extensive presence in various ecoregions. Herein, to understand the behavioural profiles of fish in low-velocity flow, we examined the motility and swimming performance of two representative cyprinids, grass carp (GC, Ctenopharyngodon idella) and silver carp (SC, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), under the combined effect of different flow velocities and illuminance ranges. The two species were exposed to two flow velocities (0.15 and 0.25 m/s) and three illuminance ranges (100.0 – 0.9 lx, 300.0 – 2.5 lx, and 700.0 – 4.9 lx). A novel behavioural metric, composed of light preference, cruising swimming speed, rheotaxis index (RI), swimming stability (SS), and the probability of moving forwards/backwards over a certain distance (PM f -0.1 and PM b -0.1), was developed to depict the motion strategy of fish fully. By investigating the individual distribution of the fish in light gradient, we confirmed the scototaxis of GC and found the oscillating light preference in SC that changed from 84.4 – 10.2 lx to 6.0 – 2.1 lx and disappeared with increasing illuminance. At the given velocities, the RI and SS increased in both species with a faster flow, and SC was more forward-prone and stable than GC. Despite its fluctuating light preference, the higher illuminances heightened the RI and SS in SC; while in GC, higher illuminances inhibited the SS and had no impact on the RI. The results of PM f -0.1 and PM b -0.1 indicated that a higher flow velocity could facilitate temporary upstream swimming in both species, while illuminance could promote the same effect in SC only. Finally, our study proposed possible moving manoeuvres in fine-scale spatio-temporal scenarios such as attraction flow and untraditional passages and provides valuable insights into fish community dynamics, laying the groundwork for alleviating the threat from invasive species and for future fish population recovery.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Artificial illumination identification from an unmanned aerial vehicle
Artificial illumination identification within images is a useful tool for many applications. Performing such identification allows for an estimation of the illumination source spectrum, which in turn can be used for additional applications ranging from spectral detection and exploitation to statistics about nighttime light usage. Illumination identification has been performed in laboratory settings but not from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform. Here, we test the feasibility of using a UAV and commercial off-the-shelf multispectral imaging sensor to perform such artificial illumination identification through linear discriminant analysis using nighttime UAV images. The results are very promising, showing source classification accuracies of 83.3%, 92.3%, 100%, and 100% for the incandescent, light-emitting diode, high pressure sodium, and metal halide illumination sources, respectively. We show that the information gained from the source identification can be further used to inform additional analysis, such as spectral identification. The high resolution of UAV imaging techniques combined with the knowledge of the illumination source can lead to better exploitation of such nighttime data for many applications.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Effect of Illumination Area on the Ultrafast Temporal Response of MSM GaN Photodiodes
We investigate the influence of spatial illumination profiles on the temporal response of metal–semiconductor–metal GaN photodiodes. Using both simulation and experimental measurements, we compare the response curves under two scenarios: illumination confined to the active area between electrodes and extended illumination beyond the contacts. The results show that limiting the beam illumination to the active region significantly sharpens the response, reducing the long decay tails associated with slow carrier drift from peripheral regions. As a result, the experimental data closely match simulation predictions, confirming that illumination geometry plays a critical role in optimizing photodiode performance for ultrafast detection applications.
Carrier drift time↗
Illumination-induced modulation of conductivity and Gunn oscillation properties in epitaxial GaAs
In this work, we illuminate a gallium arsenide (GaAs) Gunn device and study the light-induced changes of Gunn oscillation properties. We observe that illumination leads to the modulation of the Gunn threshold voltage, the Gunn oscillation magnitude, and the coherency of Gunn oscillation, with the nature of the modulation being closely related to the position of illumination on the device. These effects are attributed to the generation of optically excited carriers, which results in the modulation of conductivity and the electric field profile along the device. The finite element method is used to simulate the change of the field profile of the Gunn device caused by illumination. We also report an unexpected phenomenon of Gunn oscillation property manipulation with an optical chopper. In addition, wavelength-dependent, power-dependent, and pulsed illumination measurements are performed to help with further understanding the observations.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Deep level defects in dilute GaAsBi alloys grown under intense UV illumination
Dilute GaAs1-xBix alloys exhibiting narrow band edge photoluminescence (PL) were recently grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with the growth surface illuminated by intense UV radiation. To investigate whether the improved optical quality of these films results from a reduction in the concentration of deep level defects, p+/n and n+/p junction diodes were fabricated on both the illuminated and dark areas of several samples. Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements show that the illuminated and dark areas of both the n- and p-type GaAs1-xBix epi-layers have similar concentrations of near mid-gap electron and hole traps, in the 1015 cm-3 range. Thus the improved PL spectra cannot be explained by a reduction in non-radiative recombination at deep level defects. We note that carrier freeze-out above 35 K is significantly reduced in the illuminated areas of the p-type GaAs1-xBix layers compared to the dark areas, allowing the first DLTS measurements of defect energy levels close to the valence band edge. These defect levels may account for differences in the PL spectra from the illuminated and dark areas of un-doped layers with a similar Bi fraction.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Measurement and simulation of top- and bottom-illuminated solar-blind AlGaN metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with high external quantum efficiencies
A comprehensive study on top- and bottom-illuminated Al{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}N/AlN metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors having different AlGaN absorber layer thickness is presented. The measured external quantum efficiency (EQE) shows pronounced threshold and saturation behavior as a function of applied bias voltage up to 50 V reaching about 50% for 0.1 μm and 67% for 0.5 μm thick absorber layers under bottom illumination. All experimental findings are in very good accordance with two-dimensional drift-diffusion modeling results. By taking into account macroscopic polarization effects in the hexagonal metal-polar +c-plane AlGaN/AlN heterostructures, new insights into the general device functionality of AlGaN-based MSM photodetectors are obtained. The observed threshold/saturation behavior is caused by a bias-dependent extraction of photoexcited holes from the Al{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}N/AlN interface. While present under bottom illumination for any AlGaN layer thickness, under top illumination this mechanism influences the EQE-bias characteristics only for thin layers.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Observation of turnover of spontaneous polarization in ferroelectric layer of pentacene/poly-(vinylidene-trifluoroethylene) double-layer capacitor under photo illumination by optical second-harmonic generation measurement
The details of turnover process of spontaneous polarization and associated carrier motions in indium-tin oxide/poly-(vinylidene-trifluoroethylene)/pentacene/Au capacitor were analyzed by coupling displacement current measurement (DCM) and electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurement. A model was set up from DCM results to depict the relationship between electric field in semiconductor layer and applied external voltage, proving that photo illumination effect on the spontaneous polarization process lied in variation of semiconductor conductivity. The EFISHG measurement directly and selectively probed the electric field distribution in semiconductor layer, modifying the model and revealing detailed carrier behaviors involving photo illumination effect, dipole reversal, and interfacial charging in the device. A further decrease of DCM current in the low voltage region under illumination was found as the result of illumination effect, and the result was argued based on the changing of the total capacitance of the double-layer capacitors.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Illumination correction of dyed fabric based on extreme learning machine with improved ant lion optimizer
Abstract In order to eliminate the influence of scene illumination on the evaluation of the color difference of dyed fabrics, this paper proposes a dyed fabric illumination correction algorithm based on the extreme learning machine (ELM) with grey wolf optimizer (GWO)‐optimized ant lion optimizer (ALO). Firstly, the Grey Edge framework is used to extract the features of the dyed fabric image as the input vector. Then, to improve the optimization ability of the ALO algorithm, the GWO algorithm is used to provide a set of optimized initial populations to the ALO algorithm, and then the improved ALO algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the ELM. Finally, the proposed GWO‐ALO‐ELM algorithm is used to correct the illumination of the dyed fabric, and restore the graphics to the effect display under standard illumination through the diagonal reduction model. Compared with the experimental results of GWO‐ELM, ALO‐ELM, backpropagation (BP), ELM, random vector function link (RVFL), and other algorithms, it can be seen that the GWO‐ALO‐ELM algorithm proposed in this paper has good predictive value and quasi‐bias effect, and good stability.
Zhou, Zhiyu↗
Distance Determination by Gated Viewing Systems Taking into Account the Illuminating Pulse Shape
For gated viewing systems with triangular and trapezoidal illuminating pulses, we have obtained the range-intensity profiles (RIPs) of the signal as the time delay was varied between the leading edges of the gate pulse and the illuminating pulse. We have established that if the duration of the illuminating pulse Δt{sub las} is less than or equal to the duration of the gate pulse Δt{sub IC}, then the expressions for the characteristic distances are the same as for rectangular pulses and they can be used to determine the distance to objects. When Δt{sub las} > Δt{sub IC}, in the case of triangular illuminating pulses the RIP is bell-shaped. For trapezoidal pulses, the RIP is bell-shaped with or without a plateau section. We propose an empirical method for determining the characteristic distances to the RIP maximum and the boundary points for the plateau section, which we then use to calculate the distance to the object. Using calibration constants, we propose a method for determining the distance to an object and we have experimentally confirmed the feasibility of this method.
42 ENGINEERING↗