Synthesis of neutral stable polyradicals and their application on photovoltaic devices

Three stable polyradicals with large π-conjugated planar phenalenyl (PLY) radical units as side chain were synthesized. Due to the different conjugated backbones and the interactions between main chains and side chains, these polyradicals and their corresponding precursor polymers presented diverse optical and electrical properties, which were confirmed by UV–vis, fluorescence and CV detections. Besides, they showed excellent solubility in common organic solvents and good stability in the air. Considering their special characteristics, we have fabricated photovoltaic (PV) devices using these polyradicals or polymers as donor material and PCBM as acceptor material. The significant PV performance improvement was observed using a radical-based active layer in the PV devices.     

Acetic acid permeation through photovoltaic backsheets: Influence of the composition on the permeation rate

Acetic acid, which is formed during degradation of the most frequently used photovoltaic (PV) encapsulant ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), is linked to several PV module failure mechanisms like corrosion of interconnectors, cells or potential induced degradation (PID). An evaluation of a new measurement technique and data analysis for acetic acid permeation through photovoltaic backsheet films is described. The influence of the layer composition of the multilayer backsheets on the acetic acid permeation rates (AATR) was determined by investigating the permeation properties of the individual layers as well as the whole polymeric multilayer composites. Various polymeric backsheet types based on PET-core layers showing a very high barrier for acetic acid permeation were compared to fully polyamide material stacks which allow for a much higher transmission of acetic acid through the backsheet out of the module. Incorporated Al-layers were found to not affect the AATRs of PET based backsheets.     

Photovoltaic response and values of state dipole moments in single-layered pyrazoloquinoline/polymer composites

We report the photovoltaic response of composite films formed by polymer transport matrices poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) and poly(3-decylthiophene) (PDT) with incorporated 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (PAQ) chromophore (see the first figure). The photovoltage (PV) data were obtained for different substituted PAQ possessing different state dipole moments. The photovoltaic cells were formed between ITO and aluminum electrodes. We found that the PV signal of polymer/PAQ substantially depends on the state dipole moments of the pyrazoloquinoline chromophore. This fact indicates on a possibility of significant enhancement of PV efficiency by appropriate variations of the state dipole moments of chromophore. This results in photoinduced electron transfer from polymer serving as donors to PAQ being the electron acceptor. Despite an efficiency of the PV devices is below 1%, however, it may be substantially enhanced in future varying the chromophore state dipole moments appropriately.     

Optimum location and influence of tilt angle on performance of solar PV panels

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - With the growing demand of economically feasible, clean, and renewable energy, the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is increasing. The PV panel...     

酞菁铜/氟代苯基苝酰亚胺复合材料的聚集态结构及光伏性能

利用真空共沉积法将一种新型半导体材料2,4-二氟代苯基苝酰亚胺(D24DFPP)和传统的有机p型材料酞菁铜(CuPc)复合, 并制成结构为ITO/CuPc/Composite Layer/D24DFPP/Al的光伏器件, 测试表明, 这种含有两种半导体分子复合结构的光伏器件的效率比传统双层器件要高, 并且随复合层中两种材料比例的不同表现出一定的趋势. UV-Vis, XRD和AFM等表征手段证明, 这一现象可以用不同复合比下复合层聚集态结构的不同来解释: 两种有机半导体分子在复合后形成微相分离的结构, 当两种分子含量接近时, 相分离微区最小, 给受体分子接触面积最大, 因而电荷分离效率最高;当其中一种分子含量占优时, 相团聚和相分离倾向增大, 电荷分离效率降低, 因而光伏转换效率下降. 此外, 复合层厚度对转换效率也有一定程度的影响, 当光吸收和载流子扩散因素达到最佳平衡时, 光伏性能得到最优化.     

An Above‐Room‐Temperature Ferroelectric Organo–Metal Halide Perovskite: (3‐Pyrrolinium)(CdCl3)

Hybrid organo–metal halide perovskite materials, such as CH₃NH₃PbI₃, have been shown to be some of the most competitive candidates for absorber materials in photovoltaic (PV) applications. However, their potential has not been completely developed, because a photovoltaic effect with an anomalously large voltage can be achieved only in a ferroelectric phase, while these materials are probably ferroelectric only at temperatures below 180 K. A new hexagonal stacking perovskite‐type complex (3‐pyrrolinium)(CdCl₃) exhibits above‐room‐temperature ferroelectricity with a Curie temperature T_c=316 K and a spontaneous polarization P_s=5.1 μC cm^?2. The material also exhibits antiparallel 180° domains which are related to the anomalous photovoltaic effect. The open‐circuit photovoltage for a 1 mm‐thick bulky crystal reaches 32 V. This finding could provide a new approach to develop solar cells based on organo–metal halide perovskites in photovoltaic research.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of amorphous polymers based on dithienylbenzothiadiazole‐triphenylamine with hexyl side chains on different positions of thienyl groups

We synthesized and characterized three new amorphous dithienylbenzothiadiazole (TBT)‐triphenylamine (TPA) polymers for application in bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Poly(3HTBT‐TPA) has hexyl side chains on the thienyl groups (pointing toward the benzothiadiazole (BTD) unit), and poly(4HTBT‐TPA) has hexyl side chains on the thienyl groups (pointing outward from the BTD unit). The incident photon to current conversion efficiencies (IPCEs) in the region from 550 to 650 nm for the OPV cells prepared using poly(4HTBT‐TPA) were higher than those for the OPV cells prepared using poly(3HTBT‐TPA) because the absorption spectrum for the poly(4HTBT‐TPA) has a slightly red‐shifted absorption edge. We also demonstrated that the poly(4HTBT‐TPA)‐based OPV performance is independent of the fabrication process, so using an amorphous film to fabricate BHJ OPV cells offers great advantages over using a polycrystalline film in terms of the high reproducibility of the OPV performance. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2536–2544     

Characterization of zeolite NaA membrane by FTIR-ATR and its application to the rapid evaluation of dehydration performance.

A zeolite NaA (LTA) membrane supported by an alumina porous support tube was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance method (FTIR-ATR) with a diamond prism as the waveguide. A method using the FTIR-ATR was developed to estimate rapidly the EtOH/H2O pervaporation (PV) performance of the membrane. The Si-O asymmetric stretching vibration region of LTA membrane spectra synthesized hydrothermally on seeded alumina substrates showed a bimodal peak (830 - 1200 cm(-1)). The two peaks were assigned to a surface LTA directly derived from the seed crystal (1012 cm(-1)), and to LTA and/or amorphous substances embedded in the alumina porous support (930 cm(-1)). The spectrum from LTA membrane synthesized on nonseeded alumina substrate, however, showed a single broad peak similar to the powder-formed one. These results indicate that the Si-O spectral shape of the LTA membrane is influenced strongly by the synthesis method. Also, the FTIR-ATR of the LTA membrane can detect the Si-O peaks as part of the depth information. It was first shown that the relative ratio (930 cm(-1)/1012 cm(-1)) of the two Si-O peaks from the LTA membranes on seeded alumina substrates closely relates to the water selectivity (alpha) in the PV of EtOH/H2O mixture; the alpha increases exponentially with the peak ratio. This result suggests that the differences in the vertical distribution of LTA crystal and amorphous material strongly affect the dehydration performance in the EtOH/H2O PV, that is, the amorphous-like material embedded in the alumina porous support plays an important role. The relative peak ratio measurement can be used for the rapid evaluation of the dehydration performance of the membrane.     

Stabilization of Film Morphology in Polymer‐Fullerene Heterojunction Solar Cells

Abstract

The fixation of film morphology is essential for the long‐term stability of heterojunction polymer photovoltaic (PV) cells. An epoxy‐functionalized fullerene C₆₀ derivative was synthesized for this purpose. This material can be polymerized at acidic conditions and was found to stabilize the phase‐separated morphologies within blended polythiophene–fullerene heterojunction films. The phase stability of the films was characterized by UV‐VIS spectroscopy and optical microscope. Crosslinkable polythiophene derivatives were also prepared but these materials were much less effective in stabilizing film morphology when mixed into PCBM (C61‐butyric acid methyl ester). Heterojunction polymer PV cells were prepared from these materials and their performance was compared with cells made from conventional materials.     

光伏组件封装材料进展

封装材料是影响目前太阳能等光伏组件使用性能的重要因素。结合最新研究进展,本文从化学观点出发,综述和评论了实用的乙烯-乙烯醋酸酯共聚物(EVA)、聚乙烯醇缩丁醛(PVB)和聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)材料在使用过程出现的问题以及改性研究方法,强调了PDMS材料在太阳能光伏组件封装中的重要性。     

Tetrafullerene conjugates for all-organic photovoltaics

The synthesis of two new tetrafullerene nanoconjugates in which four C60 units are covalently connected through different pi-conjugated oligomers (oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene) and oligo(p-phenylene vinylene)) is described. The photovoltaic (PV) response of these C60-based conjugates was evaluated by using them as the only active material in organic solar cells, showing a low PV performance. Photophysical studies in solution demonstrated a very fast ( approximately 10 ps) deactivation of the singlet excited state of the central core unit to produce both charge-separated species (i.e., C60*--oligomer+*-(C60)3 and C60 centered singlet excited states). The charge-separated state recombines partly to the C60 centered singlet state that undergoes subsequent intersystem crossing. Photophysical studies carried out in films support these data, exhibiting long-lived triplet excited states. For both tetrafullerene arrays, the low yield of long-lived charge carriers in thin films accounts for the limited PV response. On the contrary, utilizing the oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) centered precursor aldehyde as an electron donor and antennae unit and mixing with the well-known C60 derivative PCBM, the photophysical studies in films show the formation of long-lived charges. The PV devices constructed from these mixtures showed a relatively high photocurrent of 2 mA cm(-2). The sharp contrast between the nanoconjugates and the physical blends tentatively was attributed to improved charge dissociation and the collection of more favorable energy levels in the blends as a result of partial aggregation of both of the components.     

Reinforcement effect of nanocomposites with single/hybrid graphene nanoplatelets and magnesium hydroxide

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This paper reports the energy and exergy performance of a photovoltaic/thermal solar-assisted heat pump system (PV/T-SAHPS) with different solar...     

Electrodeposition of Fe-doped Sb2Se3 thin films for photoelectrochemical applications and study of the doping effects on their properties

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Sb2Se3 (SSe) has been highlight as a low-cost, less complex, low toxicity, and earth-abundant photovoltaic (PV) absorber not only because of its excellent...     

Analysis of novel passive cooling strategies for free-standing silicon photovoltaic panels

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels are sensitive to operating temperatures, especially during exposure to high solar irradiation levels. The...     

Computational engineering to enhance the photovoltaic by end-capped and bridging core alterations: Empowering the future with solar energy through synergistic effect in D-A materials

Organic photovoltaic solar cells are being designed to offer a low energy photovoltaic (PV) solution. Optimizing the molecular backbone is one the most important technique for improving the photovoltaic characteristic of A-D-A type small active layer molecules. Herein, we have designed and theoretical characterized six new molecules by end-capped and bridging core modifications of recently synthesized molecule BFHIC-4F. Enhancement in photovoltaic, optoelectronic and physio-chemical properties of newly designed molecules are seen by doing such modifications. Different advanced quantum chemical techniques have been employed to evaluate the performance of newly planned molecules. Large open circuit voltage and narrow band gap suggested that the designed molecules are efficient aspirants for solar cell applications. Moreover, maximum absorption capability in near-infra-red (NIR) region is observed for these newly designed molecules. To sum up, outcomes of all analyses advocated that the designed molecules are efficient candidates for solar cell applications.     

Thermodynamics assessment on cooling photovoltaic modules by phase change materials (PCMs) in critical operating temperature

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Increasing the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) cells decreases their electricity generation. The use of phase change materials (PCMs) is one of the...     

Experimental performance analysis of two different passive cooling techniques for solar photovoltaic installations

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - At higher ambient temperatures during summer months, the cell temperature of a photovoltaic (PV) module increases to 50–60 °C and sometimes...     

Numerical study of the effects of nanofluids and phase-change materials in photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems

In this paper, the effects of pure water, SiO₂/water nanofluid, and a phase-change material (PCM) as coolants on the performance of a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system are numerically investigated. The simulations are performed on two modules of PVT with PCM (PVT/PCM module) and without (PVT module). Parameters including PV surface temperature, thermal, and electrical efficiencies of the systems are studied and compared with each other. Moreover, the results of nanofluid as a working fluid is compared with those obtained using pure water. The results show that in the water-based PVT/PCM, the average PV cell temperature is decreased by 16 °C compared to that of the PVT system. This results in an increase of 8% in the electrical efficiency and 25% in the thermal efficiency. In addition, using nanofluid (SiO₂ with 1 and 3 mass% mass fraction) as a coolant in the PVT/PCM system increases the thermal efficiency by 3.51% and 10.40%, for 1 and 3 mass%, respectively, compared to that of the PVT/PCM with pure water as a coolant. This study shows that increasing the melting temperature of the phase-change material leads to an increase in the thermal efficiency of the PVT/PCM system.

     

钴析氧催化剂原位制备及其结合半导体硅的光解水制氢性能

将发展成熟的硅光伏电池与析氧催化剂(OEC)结合,在近中性环境下光解水制备了氢气。采用原位制备方法,在硅光伏材料上电沉积钴形成无定形Co-OEC膜,有效促进光生电荷分离,实现了利用AM1.5组合滤波片模拟太阳光照射下水分解制氢气。 结果表明,在K₂B₄O₇缓冲溶液(pH=9.2)中,0 V(vs NHE)电压下沉积400 s形成的无定形Co-OEC具有良好的催化析氧效果,在无外加电压且模拟太阳光照射下,析氧电流密度可达1.7×10^-2 A/cm²,产氧速率为1.28 mol/(h·m²),且具有良好的稳定性。     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of new europium complex Eu（DBM）3（CPyBM）

A new europium（Ⅲ） complex, tris（dibertzoylmethanate）{ 1-[9-hexyl-9-carbazole]-2-（2-pyridyl）-bertzimidazole}europium（Ⅲ） [Eu（DBM）a（CPyBM）] was synthesized and used as an electron-acceptor and electron-transport layer in organic photovoltaic （PV） device. Power conversion efficiency achieved from the device was 1.04% under illumination with 365 nm UV light at 1.6 mW/cm^2. Compared with the previous reported devices based on Eu（Ⅲ） complexes, the PV performances were improved. The working mechanism of the organic PV device was discussed.