Electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides as transparent electrode and anti-reflection coating for solar cells

We have studied the electrical and optical properties of Si-doped indium tin oxides (ITSOs) as transparent electrodes and anti-reflection coatings for Si-based solar cells. The ITSO thin films were obtained by co-sputtering of ITO and SiO₂ targets under target power control. The resistivity of the ITSO thin films deposited at 0.625 in terms of power ratio (ITO/SiO₂) were 391 Ωcm. In this condition, the ITSO thin films showed very high resistivity compared to sputted pure ITO thin films (1.08 × 10⁻³ Ωcm). However, refractive index of ITSO thin films deposited at the same condition at 500 nm is somewhat lowered to 1.97 compared to ITO thin films (2.06). The fabricated graded refractive index AR coatings using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ thin films kept over 80% of transmittance regardless of their thickness varing from 97 nm to 1196 nm because of their low extinction coefficient. As the AR coating with graded refractive indices using ITO, ITSO, and SiO₂ layers was applied to general silicon-based solar cell, the current level increased nearly twice more than that of bare silicon solar cell without AR coating.     

Influence of Titanium Dioxide Content on the Crystallization Behavior and Solar Reflectance of Polyethylene/Titanium Dioxide Composites

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) particles were introduced to improve the solar reflectance of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The organic-inorganic hybrids were fabricated by melt blending. A series of characterizations were taken to study the crystallization behavior, morphology, solar reflectance, and real cooling property. TiO₂ particles acted as nucleation agents in the HDPE matrix and made the HDPE form thick lamellar crystals. TiO₂ particles could disperse well into the HDPE matrix under 2.5 wt.% loading but agglomerated with 3 wt.%. Solar reflectance was related to the reflective index of TiO₂ and the microstructure of HDPE. The real cooling property depended on the solar reflectance and the dispersion of the TiO₂ particles in the HDPE matrix.     

Colloidal hybrid heterostructures based on II–VI semiconductor nanocrystals for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Hydrogen generated through the photochemical cleavage of water using renewable solar energy is considered to be an environmentally friendly chemical fuel of the future, which neither results in air pollution nor leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. The photocatalytic materials for water cleavage are required to perform at least two fundamental functions: light harvesting of the maximal possible part of the solar energy spectrum and a catalytic function for efficient water decomposition into oxygen and hydrogen. Photocatalytic systems based on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals offer a number of advantages in comparison with photoelectrochemical cells based on bulk electrodes: (i) a broad range of material types are available; (ii) higher efficiencies are expected due to short distance charge transport; (iii) large surface areas are beneficial for the catalytic processes; (iv) flexibility in fabrication and design which also allows for tuning of the electronic and optical properties by employing quantum confinement effects. The presence of co-catalysts on colloidal semiconductors is an important part of the overall design of the photocatalytic colloidal systems necessary to maximize the water splitting efficiency. This review article discusses the rational choice of colloidal nanoheterostructured materials based on light-harvesting II–VI semiconductor nanocrystals combined with a variety of metal and/or non-metal co-catalysts, with optimized light harvesting, charge separation, and photocatalytic functions.     

基于S-型光催化机制CuInS2内嵌中空凹面氮化碳光催化分解H2O制H2（英文）

光催化解离H2O合成H2是绿色可再生的太阳能光子能量转换策略之一.目前,增强光催化材料对太阳能光子的捕获并将之有效利用仍然是一个具有挑战性的课题.光催化解离H2O反应包括三个过程:太阳能光子能量促使光生电子在半导体材料带隙中的跃迁;光生电子定向传输;光生电子与吸附在半导体材料表面的H2O分子发生反应.第一过程需要强的太阳光子捕获能力以产生足够的光生载流子;第二、三过程在动力学上反映了光生载流子在各个竞争过程中能否有效利用的问题,如光生电子迁移与H2O作用的速度很慢(~μs),而电子与空穴的复合速度快(~ps).目前研究者很难协调半导体材料的电学和光学特性以满足光生载流子在热力学和动力学两方面的要求.g-C3N4是由C、N原子通过sp2杂化组成的二维π共轭体系.当g-C3N4结构偏离二维平面时,共轭体系的π电子由凹面迁移到凸面,促使凹、凸面形成表观电势差,有利于电子的定向传输.本文通过卷曲sp2杂化离域均三嗪体系偏离二维平面,得到空心凹面g-C3N4结构,便捷地优化了半导体的电子结构.将CuInS2嵌入生长于空心g-C3N4的凹面,所构成的半导体光催化材料CuInS2@C3N4展现了增强的光捕获能力,以及电子定向传输转移能力.结合XPS、光电流测试、电化学阻抗谱、稳态及瞬态荧光等表征手段揭示空心g-C3N4凹、凸面表观电势差驱动光生电子以S-型光催化作用机制从CuInS2的Cu 2p向g-C3N4的N 1s的路径转移.因而,所构建的CuInS2@C3N4在可见光激发下产氢效率提高到373μmol·h^?1·g^?1,其产氢效率分别是二维平面g-C3N4负载1 wt%Pt和3 wt%Pd效率的1.57倍和1.35倍,表明空心g-C3N4凹、凸面电势差可以显著地促进光生电子分离和利用率,从而提高光催化解离水制氢效率.本文可增强g-C3N4的可持续太阳能转换性能,也适用于其他半导体材料以替代贵金属光催化体系,降低光催化产氢技术成本,促进光催化技术的应用.     

Novel advances in metal-based solar absorber for photothermal vapor generation

Access to safe drinking water has become an extremely urgent research topic worldwide. In recent years, the technology of solar vapor generation has been extensively explored as a potential and effective strategy of transforming elements content in seawater. In this review, the basic concepts and theories of metal-based photothermal vapor generation device (PVGD) with excellent optical and thermal regulatory are introduced. In the view of optical regulation, how to achieve high-efficiency localized evaporation in different evaporation system (i.e., volumetric solar heating and interface solar heating) is discussed; from the aspect of thermal regulation, the importance of selective absorption surface for interfacial PVGD is analyzed. Based on the above discussion and analysis, we summarize the challenges of metal-based desalination device.     

Bounds on the magnetic moment of the τ-neutrino via the process e~ e-→νγ

Using Breit-Wigner resonance relation, bounds on the magnetic moment of the tau-neutrino are calculated through the reaction e e-→νγ at the neutral boson pole in the framework of a superstring-inspired E6 model which has one extra low-energy neutral gauge boson and a LRSM.     

Highly efficient perovskite solar cells by tuning electronic structures of thienothiophene-based as hole transport materials

The atomic substitutions were used to study the hole transport materials (HTM) properties of six thiophenothiophene molecules (HTM1-HTM6) to reveal the relationship between their core structures and photoelectric properties. To better investigate the difference between experimentally original and designed molecules, we calculated the hole mobility and some parameters (such as energy levels, stability, and optical properties, etc). The results showed that the molecular orbital levels of the original and designed molecules have well matched with perovskite and Ag electrode to ensure hole transport and inhibit the electron reflux. Among the designed HTMs, HTM5 has the smallest energy gap that results in the red-shifted absorption spectra. Furthermore, there is an obviously increased charge transfer integral V due to the introduction of the Si atom, which greatly improved the hole mobility. Therefore, atom substitution by introducing Si atoms (HTM5) will improve the energy levels and charge transport ability, and molecular design by means of atom substitution can be a potential way to tunable HTM performance in solar cells.     

Dark energy versus modified gravity: Impacts on measuring neutrino mass

In this paper,we make a comparison for the impacts of smooth dynamical dark energy,modified gravity,and interacting dark energy on the cosmological constraints on the total mass of active neutrinos.For definiteness,we consider theΛCDM model,the w CDM model,the f(R)model,and two typical interacting vacuum energy models,i.e.,the IΛCDM1 model with Q=βHρc and the IΛCDM2 model with Q=βHρΛ.In the cosmological fits,we use the Planck 2015 temperature and polarization data,in combination with other low-redshift observations including the baryon acoustic oscillations,the type Ia supernovae,the Hubble constant measurement,and the large-scale structure observations,such as the weak lensing as well as the redshift-space distortions.Besides,the Planck lensing measurement is also employed in this work.We find that,the w CDM model favors a higher upper limit on the neutrino mass compared to theΛCDM model,while the upper limit in the f(R)model is similar with that in theΛCDM model.For the interacting vacuum energy models,the IΛCDM1 model favors a higher upper limit on neutrino mass,while the IΛCDM2 model favors an identical neutrino mass with the case ofΛCDM.     

Towards the meV limit of the effective neutrino mass in neutrinoless double-beta decays

We emphasize that it is extremely important for future neutrinoless double-beta(0νββ)decay experiments to reach the sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass|mββ|≈1 meV.With such a sensitivity,it is highly possible to discover the signals of 0νββ decays.If no signal is observed at this sensitivity level,then either neutrinos are Dirac particles or stringent constraints can be placed on their Majorana masses.In this paper,assuming the sensitivity of|mββ|≈1 meV for future 0νββ decay experiments and the precisions on neutrion oscillation parameters after the JUNO experiment,we fully explore the constrained regions of the lightest neutrino mass m1 and two Majorana-type CP-violating phases{ρ,σ}.Several important conclusions in the case of normal neutrino mass ordering can be made.First,the lightest neutrino mass is severely constrained to a narrow range m1∈[0.7,8]meV,which together with the precision measurements of neutrino mass-squared differences from oscillation experiments completely determines the neutrino mass spectrum m2∈[8.6,11.7]meV ing phases is limited to ρ∈[130°,230°],which cannot be obtained from any other realistic experiments.Third,the sum of three neutrino masses is found to beΣ≡m1+m2+m3∈[59.2,72.6]meV,while the effective neutrino mass for beta decays turns out to be mβ≡(|Ue1|2m1^2+|Ue2|2m2^2+|Ue3|2m3^2)1/2∈[8.9,12.6]meV.These observations clearly set up the roadmap for future non-oscillation neutrino experiments aiming to solve the fundamental problems in neutrino physics.     

Unusual Surface Latent Heat Flux Variations and Their Critical Dynamics Revealed before Strong Earthquakes

We focus on the possible thermal channel of the well-known Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) mechanism to identify the behavior of thermal anomalies during and prior to strong seismic events. For this, we investigate the variation of Surface Latent Heat Flux (SLHF) as resulting from satellite observables. We demonstrate a spatio-temporal variation in the SLHF before and after a set of strong seismic events occurred in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Kumamoto, Japan, having magnitudes of 7.8, 7.3, and 7.0, respectively. Before the studied earthquake cases, significant enhancements in the SLHF were identified near the epicenters. Additionally, in order to check whether critical dynamics, as the signature of a complex phenomenon such as earthquake preparation, are reflected in the SLHF data, we performed a criticality analysis using the natural time analysis method. The approach to criticality was detected within one week before each mainshock.