Silicon nitride/silicon oxide interlayers for solar cell passivating contacts based on PECVD amorphous silicon

This Letter demonstrates improved passivating contacts for silicon solar cells consisting of doped silicon films together with tunnelling dielectric layers. An improvement is demonstrated by replacing the commonly used silicon oxide interfacial layer with a silicon nitride/silicon oxide double interfacial layer. The paper describes the optimization of such contacts, including doping of a PECVD intrinsic a‐Si:H film by means of a thermal POCl₃ diffusion process and an exploration of the effect of the refractive index of the SiN_x. The n⁺ silicon passivating contact with SiN_x /SiO_x double layer achieves a better result than a single SiN_x or SiO_x layer, giving a recombination current parameter of ～7 fA/cm² and a contact resistivity of ～0.005 Ω cm², respectively. These self‐passivating electron‐selective contacts open the way to high efficiency silicon solar cells. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On a Multivalued Version of the Sharkovskii Theorem and its Application to Differential Inclusions

Motivated by the applications to differential equations without uniqueness conditions, we separately prove multivalued versions of the celebrated Sharkovskii and Li–Yorke theorems. These are then applied, via multivalued Poincaré operators, to Carathéodory differential inclusions. Thus, besides another, infinitely many subharmonics of all integer orders can be obtained. Unlike in the single-valued case, for example, period three brings serious obstructions. Three counter-examples, related to these complications, are therefore presented as well. In a multivalued setting, new phenomena are so exhibited.     

Classroom Innovation: Games to Make Chemistry More Interesting and Fun

Many students of agronomy engineering, who are required to take organic chemistry, find the class unpleasant and uninteresting because they feel forced to learn concepts that they regard as irrelevant to their career plans. When this lack of motivation is combined with limited self-discipline, students dont study and, thus, fail to learn the subject. This paper presents a method of adapting the course materials and methodology to the students needs by the inclusion of appropriate games. These games help to create a less formal atmosphere and add variety to the class, and they can even be used as methods of evaluation. Students exposed to this method are more apt to experiment and participate freely in class.     

Zur Chemie von Polyhalocyclopentadienen, 22. Mitt.: Über die Herstellung von 1,4,5,6,7,7-Hexachlorbicyclo[2.2.1]hepten-(5)-bishydroxymethylen-(2,3)

Zusammenfassung 1,4,5,6,7,7-Hexachlor-bicyclo[2.2.1]hepten-(5)-bis-hydroxymethylen-(2,3) (I) läßt sich sowohl durch direkte Umsetzung von Hexachlorcyclopentadien (II) und Buten-(2)-diol-(1,4) (III) wie auch durch LiAlH₄-Reduktion von 1,4,5,6,7,7-Hexachlor-bicyclo[2.2.1]hepten-(5)-dicarbonsäure-(2,3) (IV), IV-Anhydrid oder IV-Estern in guter Ausbeute gewinnen.Auf Wunsch der Autoren erscheint diese Abhandlung erst im Herbst 1961.21. Mitt., Dtsch. Bund. Pat. 1 081 886 vom 2. 5. 1958.     

Plexin B3 promotes neurite outgrowth,interacts homophilically,and interacts with Rin

Background  

Plexins, known to date as receptors of semaphorins, are implicated in semaphorin-mediated axon repulsion and growth cone collapse. However, subtype-specific functions of the majority of the nine members of the mammalian plexin family are largely unknown. In order to investigate functional properties of B-plexins, we analyzed the expression of human and murine plexin B3 and expressed full-length human plexins B2 (B2) and B3 (B3) in NIH-3T3 cells.