Effect of a buffer layer, composition and annealing on the performance of a bulk heterojunction polythiophene/fullerene composite photovoltaic device

Post-annealing of P3HT/C₆₀-based plastic solar cells, composite ratio and, incorporation of a buffer layers at the ITO–polymer/fullerene composite interface and the polymer/fullerene composite–Al interface have shown significant improvement in the performance of the photovoltaic device, both in terms of open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current. The annealing temperature, time duration and P3HT/C₆₀ composite ratios have been optimized for the best performance of typical ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:C₆₀/LiF/Al solar cell. The C₆₀ content is very crucial because it improves the photocurrent in the beginning but after a certain value it leads to decrease in absorption, thereby decreasing the photocurrent.     

Thin film processing using S-layer proteins: biotemplated assembly of colloidal gold etch masks for fabrication of silicon nanopillar arrays

We explored the bionanofabrication of silicon nanopillar structures using ordered gold nanoparticle arrays generated from microbial surface layer (S-layer) protein templates. The S-layer template used for these thin film processing experiments was isolated from the Gram-positive bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. In this preliminary work, S-layers preimmobilized onto chemically modified silicon substrates were initially used to template the fabrication of a nanolithographic hard mask pattern comprised of a hexagonally ordered array of 5-nm gold nanoparticles (lattice constant = 18 nm). Significantly, the use of the biotemplated gold nanoparticle mask patterns in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process successfully yielded silicon nanopillar structures. However, it was found that the resultant nanopillars (8–13 nm wide at the tip, 15–20 nm wide at half-height, 20–30 nm wide at the base, and 60–90 nm tall) appeared to lack any significant degree of translational ordering. The results suggest that further studies are needed in order to elucidate the optimal plasma processing parameters that will lead to the generation of long-range ordered arrays of silicon-based nanostructures using S-layer protein templates.     

Precise measurement of the top quark mass in the dilepton channel at D0

We measure the top quark mass (m(t)) in p ?p collisions at a center of mass energy √s = 1.96 TeV using dilepton t ?t→W(+)bW(-) ?b→?(+)ν(?)b?(-) ?ν(?) ?b events, where ? denotes an electron, a muon, or a tau that decays leptonically. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb(-1) collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We obtain m(t)=174.0±1.8(stat)±2.4(syst) GeV, which is in agreement with the current world average m(t)=173.3±1.1 GeV. This is currently the most precise measurement of m(t) in the dilepton channel.     

Direct calculation of 1-octanol-water partition coefficients from adaptive biasing force molecular dynamics simulations

The 1-octanol-water partition coefficient log K(ow) of a solute is a key parameter used in the prediction of a wide variety of complex phenomena such as drug availability and bioaccumulation potential of trace contaminants. In this work, adaptive biasing force molecular dynamics simulations are used to determine absolute free energies of hydration, solvation, and 1-octanol-water partition coefficients for n-alkanes from methane to octane. Two approaches are evaluated; the direct transfer of the solute from 1-octanol to water phase, and separate transfers of the solute from the water or 1-octanol phase to vacuum, with both methods yielding statistically indistinguishable results. Calculations performed with the TIP4P and SPC∕E water models and the TraPPE united-atom force field for n-alkanes show that the choice of water model has a negligible effect on predicted free energies of transfer and partition coefficients for n-alkanes. A comparison of calculations using wet and dry octanol phases shows that the predictions for log K(ow) using wet octanol are 0.2-0.4 log units lower than for dry octanol, although this is within the statistical uncertainty of the calculation.     

Computational prediction of ionic liquid 1-octanol/water partition coefficients

Wet 1-octanol/water partition coefficients (log?K(ow)) predicted for imidazolium-based ionic liquids using adaptive bias force-molecular dynamics (ABF-MD) simulations lie in excellent agreement with experimental values. These encouraging results suggest prospects for this computational tool in the a priori prediction of log?K(ow) values of ionic liquids broadly with possible screening implications as well (e.g., prediction of CO(2)-philic ionic liquids).     

Effect of Biochemical Stimulants on Biomass Productivity and Metabolite Content of the Microalga, Chlorella sorokiniana

The influence of 12 biochemical stimulants, namely 2-phenylacetic acid (PAA; 30 ppm), indole-3 butyric acid (IBA; 10 ppm), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 2.5, 5 and 10 ppm ), gibberellic acid (GA3, 10 ppm), zeatin (ZT; 0.002 ppm), thidiazuron (0.22 ppm), humic acid (20 ppm), kelp extract (250 ppm), methanol (500 ppm), ferric chloride (3.2 ppm ), putrescine (0.09 ppm), spermidine (1.5 ppm) were prescreened for their impact on growth and chlorophyll for the green alga—Chlorella sorokiniana. C. sorokiniana responded best to phytohormones in the auxin family, particularly NAA. Thereafter, two studies were conducted on combinations of phytohormones to compare blends from within the auxin family as well as against other families. These treatments were NAA_{5 ppm}+PAA_{30 ppm}, NAA_{2.5 ppm}+PAA_15 ppm, NAA_5 ppm+IBA_10 ppm, NAA_5 ppm+GA3_10 ppm, NAA_5 ppm+ZT_1 ppm, and NAA_5 ppm+GA3_10 ppm+ZT_1 ppm. Combinations of NAA with other auxins did not have synergistic or antagonistic effects on the growth. However, combinations of compounds from different phytohormone families, such as NAA_5 ppm+GA3_10 ppm+ZT_1 ppm, dramatically increased the biomass productivity by 170% over the control followed by the treatments: NAA _5 ppm+GA3_10 ppm (138%), NAA _5 ppm+ZT_1 ppm (136%), and NAA _5 ppm ( 133%). The effect of biochemical stimulants were also measured on metabolites such as chlorophyll, protein, and lipids in C. sorokiniana. Renewed interest in microalgae for biotechnology and biofuel applications may warrant the use of biochemical stimulants for cost reduction in large-scale cultivation through increased biomass productivity.     

Search for doubly charged Higgs boson pair production in pp¯ collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

We present a search for pair production of doubly charged Higgs bosons in the processes qqˉ→H(++)H(--) decaying through H(±±)→τ(±)τ(±),μ(±)τ(±),μ(±)μ(±). The search is performed in ppˉ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s = 1.96 TeV using an integrated luminosity of up to 7.0 fb(-1) collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The results are used to set 95% C.L. limits on the pair production cross section of doubly charged Higgs bosons and on their mass for different H(±±) branching fractions. Models predicting different H(±±) decays are investigated. Assuming B(H(±±)→τ(±)τ(±))=1 yields an observed (expected) lower limit on the mass of a left-handed H(L)(±±) boson of 128 (116) GeV and assuming B(H(±±)→μ(±)τ(±))=1 the corresponding limits are 144 (149) GeV. In a model with B(H(±±)→τ(±)τ(±))=B(H(±±)→μ(±)τ(±))=B(H(±±)→μ(±)μ(±))=1/3, we obtain M(H(L)(±±))>130 (138) GeV.