Influence of structural and chemical properties on electron transport in mesoporous ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cell

Ionics - Two chemical bath deposition (CBD) solutions were prepared at two different temperatures of 60 and 80 °C for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application. The deposition time...     

The effect of anti-reflection coating of porous silicon on solar cells efficiency

Anti-reflection coatings of solar cells have been fabricated using different techniques. The techniques used include SiO₂ thermal oxidation, ZnO/TiO₂ sputtering deposition and porous silicon prepared by electrochemical etching. Surface morphology and structural properties of solar cells were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy and atomic forces microscopy. Optical reflectance was obtained by using optical reflectometer. I-V characterizations were studied under 80 mW/cm² illumination conditions. Porous silicon was found to be an excellent anti-reflection coating against incident light when it is compared with another anti-reflection coating and exhibited good light-trapping of a wide wavelength spectrum which produced high efficiency solar cells.     

Rapid initiation of reactions in Al/Ni multilayers with nanoscale layering

Research into nanoenergetic materials is enabling new capabilities for controlling exothermic reaction rates and energy output, as well as new methods for integrating these materials with conventional electronics fabrication techniques. Many reactions produce primarily heat, and in some cases it is desirable to increase the rate of heat release beyond what is typically observed. Here we investigate the Al-Ni intermetallic reaction, which normally propagates across films or foils at rates lower than 10 m/s. However, models and experiments indicate that local heating rates can be very high (10⁷ K/s), and uniform heating of such a multilayer film can lead to a rapid, thermally explosive type of reaction. With the hopes of using a device to transduce electrical energy to kinetic energy of a flyer plate in the timescale of 100's of nanoseconds, we have incorporated a Ni/Al nanolayer film that locally heats upon application of a large electrical current. We observed flyer plate velocities in the 2-6 km/s range, corresponding to 4-36 kJ/g in terms of specific kinetic energy. Several samples containing Ni/Al films with different bilayer thicknesses were tested, and many produced additional kinetic energy in the 1.1-2.3 kJ/g range, as would be expected from the Ni-Al intermetallic reaction. These results provide evidence that nanoscale Ni/Al layers reacted in the timescale necessary to contribute to device output.     

Synthesis of chirped apodized fiber Bragg grating parameters using Direct Tabu Search algorithm: Application to the determination of thermo-optic and thermal expansion coefficients

In this paper, Direct Tabu Search (DTS) is proposed to synthesize the physical parameters of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) numerically from its reflection response. A reflected spectrum is being calculated by using the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM). Direct search based strategies are used to direct a tabu search. These strategies are based on a new pattern search procedure called Adaptive Pattern Search (APS). In addition, the well-known Nelder-Mead (NME) algorithm is used as a local search method at the final stage of the optimization process. Direct Tabu Search (DTS) is applied for reconstruction of a raised cosine chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) and a Gaussian multi channel fiber grating. The method is then used to synthesize a CFBG from its reflectivity taken at different temperatures. It gives a good estimate of the thermal expansion coefficient and the thermo-optic coefficient of the fiber.     

The preparation of bis- and tris-(trimethylsilyl)acetic acid

Contrary to an earlier report, lithiation of tris(trimethylsilyl)methane followed by carbonation does not yield the acid (Me₃Si)₃CCO₂H, (I), if an alkali extraction step is included in the work up; the product is actually the acid (Me₃Si)₂CHCO₂H, (II). The acid (I) can be obtained if the alkali extraction is omitted. Separate experiments have confirmed that (I) is rapidly converted into (II) by aqueous or methanolic base.