Optimization of 1D photonic crystals to minimize the reflectance of silicon solar cells

This paper presents a process to easily fabricate photonic crystals (PCs) on silicon to increase the efficiency of solar cells by reducing the sunlight reflection in the front surface of the cell. The process, based on laser interference lithography (LIL) and reactive ion etching (RIE), allows creating nanostructures over large areas with different shapes and dimensions. The reflectance of the resulting surface depends on the height, pitch, width and shape of the created PC. In this work, these parameters have been optimized by computer simulation and the best PC so far found has been fabricated on silicon. We obtain a normal reflectance under 10% in the spectral region between 500 and 900 nm without any other material employed as antireflecting coating.     

Substituent Effects on 31P NMR Chemical Shifts and 1JP–Se of triarylselenophosphates

The effect of electron-withdrawing (EW) and electron-releasing (ER) substituents on the ³¹P NMR chemical shifts and the structural parameters of a series of tris-(p-X-aryl)selenophosphates is reported in this article. Similarly to O-aryl phosphates and O-aryl thiophosphates, EW groups attached to aromatic rings induce a shielding effect on the ³¹P NMR signal. After a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis, we confirmed that the selenium atom is the main part responsible for the charge density transfer toward phosphorus through a back-bonding effect. The obtained ¹J_P-Se values for the complete series agree with this observation.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

钴掺杂Sr1.5La0.5MnO4的合成及高温电化学性能研究

采用EDTA-柠檬酸法合成了中温固体氧化物燃料电池阴极材料Sr_1.5La_0.5Mn_1-xCo_xO₄（SLMCO_x）,并利用粉末X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）以及电化学交流阻抗谱（EIS）进行表征。结果表明,该材料与Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95（CGO）在1 200℃烧结12 h不发生化学反应。随着Co掺入量的增加,氧化物中Mn³⁺和Co²⁺含量增多,晶格氧含量降低,晶格畸变率增大。交流阻抗谱（EIS）测试结果显示,钴的掺杂明显降低电极的极化电阻,其中Sr_1.5La_0.5Mn_0.7Co_0.3O₄阴极在700℃空气中的极化电阻为0.62 Ω·cm²,明显小于Sr_1.5La_0.5MnO₄阴极在750℃的极化电阻（1.5 Ω·cm²）,表明钴掺杂的Sr_1.5La_0.5Mn_1-xCo_xO₄是一种潜在的IT-SOFC阴极材料。     

中温固体氧化物燃料电池阴极材料LaBiMn2O6的制备与性能研究

采用固相法合成了中温固体氧化物燃料电池(IT-SOFCs)阴极材料LaBiMn₂O₆,并利用X射线衍射(XRD)和电化学阻抗谱(EIS)进行表征.结果表明该材料与电解质Ce_0.7Bi_0.3O_1.85(CBO)在1 000 ℃烧结12 h不发生反应.交流阻抗和直流极化测试结果发现,阴极极化电阻随测试温度的增加而逐渐减小,700 ℃空气中的极化电阻为0.71 Ω·cm²;氧分压测试结果显示,在600~700 ℃范围内,电极反应的速率控制步骤为电极上发生的电荷转移反应.电极过电位为85 mV时,700 ℃的阴极电流密度达到 216 mA·cm^-2 ,表明LaBiMn₂O₆是一种潜在的中温固体氧化物燃料电池(IT-SOFCs)阴极材料.     

Self‐Assembled Monolayers of Cucurbit[6]uril on a Gold Electrode for 4,4′‐Oxydianiline Determination. Analytical Application

Self‐assembled monolayers of cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) on a gold electrode have been used for 4,4′‐oxydialine (ODA) analysis. The formation of the supramolecular complex between ODA and CB[6] was used for the molecular selection and the electroanalytical determination of this analyte. In addition to this, all the parameters affecting the modification of the gold electrode and the determination of 4,4′‐oxydianiline were optimized by square wave voltammetry. Upon the electrode modification, pentanethiol was employed to fill up the exposed surface between CB[6] molecules. The calculated detection and determination limits were 0.06 µg mL^?1 and 0.19 µg mL^?1, respectively, with good accuracy and precision as shown by the calculated values for the relative error and relative standard deviation (E_r=0.1 % and RDS=2.9 %; n=10 ). Moreover, the developed methodology was successfully applied to the 4,4′‐oxydialine determination in real wastewaters and shoe‐dyeing samples.     

Electrochemical Characterization of Egyptian Blue Pigment in Wall Paintings Using the Voltammetry of Microparticles Methodology

The solid state voltammetric response of Egypt blue, Han blue and ploss blue pigments upon attachment to graphite electrodes in contact with aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 is studied by voltammetry of microparticles and scanning electrochemical microscopy. Such voltammetric responses, combined with those for synthetic specimens consisting of binary mixtures of the pigment and SiO₂ or CaCO₃ as well as ternary ones of CaCO₃ and SiO₂ mixtures allow for the identification of the pigment and the support in samples from wall paintings using different electrochemical parameters, in particular upon performing the Tafel and modified Tafel analysis of voltammetric peaks. Identification of Egypt blue in microsamples of murals from a Roman archaeological site in Castulo (Jaén, Spain) is discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of octadecyl acrylate monoliths for capillary electrochromatography by photochemical,thermal, and chemical initiation†

Monolithic stationary phases based on octadecyl acrylate for CEC using different initiating systems (UV irradiation, thermal, and chemical initiation) in the presence of lauroyl peroxide as initiator were synthesized. For each initiation mode, the influence of the porogenic solvent composition on both the morphological and electrochromatographic properties of the resulting monoliths was investigated. Under optimal conditions, excellent efficiencies for the photochemically and chemically polymerized monoliths (minimum plate heights of 6.9–10.7 and 6.5–12.6 μm, respectively) were achieved. Thermally initiated columns gave lower efficiency values, permeabilities, and longer analysis times compared to these initiating systems. The produced monolithic stationary phases were evaluated in terms of reproducibility and gave RSD values below 9.2, 10.6, and 9.8% for UV, thermally, and chemically initiated columns, respectively.     

Synergic effect in electrical conductivity using a combination of two fillers in PVDF hybrids composites

The objective of this work was to prepare novel conductive blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with polypyrrole (PPy) and to compare their performance with PVDF/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites and novel PVDF/PPy/MWCNT hybrid systems. All the compositions were prepared by melt mixing using a miniature mixer. The mixtures were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM, respectively) and volume electrical resistivity. For the binary PVDF/PPy and PVDF/MWCNT systems, percolation thresholds of 10 and 0.3 wt%, respectively, were found. In the hybrid systems, however, the percolation threshold for each filler was lower than in the binary systems, but the electrical conductivities were always much higher at all concentrations than the conductivities of the binary systems. Therefore, the addition of both fillers had a synergistic effect on the hybrid system conductivity, which was attributed to its morphology: the PPy increased the homogeneity of the MWCNT distribution and decreased the available free volume for the MWCNT; as a result the MWCNT rolled around the PPy particles bridging them through the PVDF matrix, increasing the quantum tunneling effect and thus, the electrical conductivity of the system.     

Cloud point extraction for the determination of cadmium and lead employing sequential multi-element flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A cloud point extraction procedure for pre-concentration and determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water using sequential multi-element flame atomic absorption spectrometry is described. 4-(2-thiazolylazo)-orcinol (TAO) has been used as complexing agent and the micellar phase was obtained using the non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) and centrifugation. The conditions for reaction and extraction (surfactant concentration, reagent concentration, effect of incubation time, etc) were studied and the analytical characteristics of the method were determined. The method allows the determination of cadmium and lead with quantification limits of 0.30?µg?L^?1 and 2.6?µg?L^?1, respectively. A precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD, n?=?10) of 2.3% and 2.6% has been obtained for cadmium concentrations of 10?µg?L^?1 and 30?µg?L^?1, respectively, and RSD of 1.3% and 1.7% for lead concentrations of 10?µg?L^?1 and 30?µg?L^?1, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed by analysis of a natural water certified reference material. The method has been applied for the determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water samples collected in the cities of Ilhéus and Itabuna, Brazil. Recovery tests have also been performed for some samples, and results varied from 96 to 105% for cadmium and 97 to 106% for lead. The cadmium and lead concentrations found in these samples were always lower than the permissible maximum levels stipulated by World Health Organization and the Brazilian Government.     

Multiresidue method for the fast determination of pesticides in nutraceutical products (Camellia sinensis) by GC coupled to triple quadrupole MS

A method based on QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) has been developed and validated for the determination and quantification of more than 140 pesticides in nutraceutical products obtained from green tea (Camellia sinensis). Extraction was performed with acidified acetonitrile (acetic acid 1%, v/v) and a clean‐up step using primary secondary amine (50 mg), graphitized black carbon (100 mg) and magnesium sulfate (200 mg) was needed. Pesticide determination was achieved utilizing GC coupled to triple quadrupole MS/MS using the selective‐reaction monitoring mode. The total run time was 23 min. Pesticides were quantified using matrix‐matched calibration. Recoveries ranged from 70 to 120% and relative SD was lower than 25% at 10, 50, and 100 μg/kg. LOQs were lower than 10 μg/kg. 148 pesticides were validated. The validated method was applied to commercial nutraceutical products, detecting 4,4‐dichlorobenzophenone (28 μg/kg), o,p′‐dicofol (38 μg/kg) and p,p‐dicofol (44 μg/kg) in a few samples.