Influence of Yb-Doped Nanoporous TiO2 Films on Photovoltaic Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Yb-doped TiO2 pastes with different Yb/TiO2 weight ratios are prepared in the sol-gel process to obtain dyesensitized solar cells （DSCs）. The nanocrystalline size of Yb-TiO2 becomes smaller and the lattice parameters change. Lattice distortion is observed and dark current is detected. It is found that a part of Yb existing as insulating oxide Yb2O3 state acts as barrier layers at the electrode-electrolyte interface to suppress charge recombination. A Yb-doped TiO2 electrode applied in DSCs leads to a higher open-circuit voltage and a higher fill factor. How the Yb-doped TiO2 films affect the photovoltaic response of DSCs is discussed.     

DIFFUSION OF LONG CHAINS THROUGH A POROUS THIN GEL NETWORK

Using a core(142 nm)made of linear polystyrene(PS)chains as a seed,we further polymerized a thin layer of cross-linked PS shell(7 nm)on it in water to form a core-shell particle.Such a particle swells in toluene,which enables linear PS chains inside the core to gradually diffuse out through the porous shell.Using a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering,we examined the chain diffusion process by following the change of the scattering intensity(i.e.the average molar mass of the particles).For the first time,we have revealed that the diffusion exhibits three stages.In the first stage,the chain diffusion through the shell is even faster than their translational diffusion in a dilute solution.The three stages respectively correspond to the change of the solution in the core from concentrated to semidilute and then from semidilute to dilute.     

INFLUENCES OF ACID POST-TREATMENT ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF SOAPFREE P（MMA-EA-MAA） PARTICLES PREPARED BY SEEDED EMULSION POLYMERIZATION

Soap-free poly（methyl methacrylate-ethyl acrylate-methacrylic acid） latex particles with narrow size distribution were synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization, and the porous particles were created by a stepwise alkali/acid treatment method. Effects of acid treatment conditions on the particle morphology were investigated. Results show that one to three pores were formed inside most of particles after post-treatment. At pH 7.0, when the treatment temperature was lower than 70℃, the size of particles and the volume of pores remained almost unchanged, and these two values increased significantly when the temperature was higher than 70℃. Both the particle size and the pore volume decreased with the increase of initial pH value and treatment time in the acid treatment. As the pH was below 4.0 and the treatment time was longer than 180 min, the particles shrunk in size.     

RECENT ADVANCES OF UPSCALING METHODS FOR THE SIMULATION OF FLOW TRANSPORT THROUGH HETEROGENEOUS POROUS MEDIA

We review some of our recent efforts in developing upscaling methods for simulatingthe flow transport through heterogeneous porous media. In particular, the steady flowtransport through highly heterogeneous porous media driven by extraction wells and theflow transport through unsaturated porous media will be considered.     

Numerical Simulation of Shear-Horizontal-Wave-Induced Electromagnetic Field in Borehole Surrounded by Porous Formation

Seismoelectric fieM excited by purely torsional loading applied directly to the borehole wall is considered. A brief formulation and some computed waveforms show the advantage of using shear-horizontal （SH） transverseelectric （TE） seismoelectric waves logging to measure shear velocity in a fluid-saturated porous formation. By assuming that the acoustic field is not influenced by its induced electromagnetic field due to seismoeleetric effect, the coupling governing equations for electromagnetic field are reduced to Maxwell equations with a propagation current source. It is shown that this simplification is valid and the borehole seismoelectric conversion efficient is mainly dependent on the electrokinetic coupling coefficient. The receivers to detect the conversion electromagnetic field and to obtain shear velocity can be set in the borehole fluid in the SH-TE seismoelectric wave log.     

Velocity overshoot of start-up flow for a Maxwellfluid in a porous half-space

Stokes' first problem has been investigated for a Maxwell fluid in a porous half-space for gaining insight into the effect of viscoelasticity on the start-up flow in a porous medium. An exact solution was obtained by using the Fourier sine transform. It was found that at large values of the relaxation time the velocity overshoot occurs obviously and the system exhibits viscoelastic behaviours. On the other hand, for short relaxation time the velocity overshoot disappears and the system exhibits viscous behaviours. A critical value of the relaxation time was obtained for the emergence of the velocity overshoot. Furthermore, it was found that the velocity overshoot is caused by both the viscoelasticity of the Maxwell fluid and the Darcy resistance resulting from the structure of the micropore in the porous medium.     

Structure Characterization of HSQ Films for Low Dielectrics Using D5 as Sacrificial Porous Materials

Low-density materials, commercially available hydrogensilsesquioxane （HSQ） offer a low dielectric constant. HSQ films can be obtained by spin on deposition （SOD）. In this work, low-dielectric-constant HSQ films are prepared by using D5 （decamethylcyclopentasiloxane） as sacrificiaJ porous materials. The dielectric constant of silica films significantly changes from 3.0 to 2.4. We report the structural aspects of the films in relation to their composition after annealed at 300℃, 400℃, and 500℃ for 1.5h in nitrogen ambient and annealed at 400℃ for 1.5h in vacuum. Si-OH appears after annealed at 400℃ for 1.5h in vacuum. The results indicate that the proper condition is in nitrogen ambient. Intensity of the Sill peak increases with the increasing temperature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to identify the network structure and cage structure of Si-O-Si bonds and other possible bonds. Dielectric constant k is significantly lowered by annealing at 350℃ for 1.5h in nitrogen ambient. The I-V and C-V measurements are used to determine the dielectric constant, the electric resistivity and the breakdown electric field.     

MULTISCALE OPTIMIZATION OF FLOW DISTRIBUTION BY CONSTRUCTAL APPROACH

Constructal approach is a recent concept allowing to generate and optimize multi-scale structures, in particular, branching structures, connecting a microscopic world to a macroscopic one, from an engineer＇s point of view. Branching morphologies are found in many types of natural phenomena, and may be associated to some kind of optimization, expressing the evolutionary adaptation of natural systems to their environment, In a sense, the constructal approach tries to imitate this morphogenesis while short-cutting the trial-and-error of nature. The basic ideas underlying the constructal concept and methodology are illustrated here by the examples of fluid distribution to a multi-channel reactor, and of the design of a porous material and system for gas adsorption and storage. In usual constructal theory, a tree branching is postulated for the channels or flow-paths or conductors, usually a dichotomic tree （every branch is divided into two ＂daughters＂）. The objective function of the optimization is built from the resistances to mass or heat transport, expressed here as ＂characteristic transport times＂, and the geometric result is expressed as a shape factor of a domain. The optimized shape expresses the compromise between the mass or heat transport characteristics at adjacent scales. Under suitable assumptions, simple analytical scaling laws are found, which relate the geometric and transport properties of different scales. Some challenging geometric problems may arise when applying the constructal approach to practical situations where strong geometric constraints exist. The search for analytical solutions imposes simplifying assumptions which may be at fault, calling for less constraining approaches, for example making only weak assumptions on the branching structure. Some of these challenges are brought forward along this text.     

Fundamental Solution of the Anisotropic Porous Medium Equation

We establish the existence of fundamental solutions for the anisotropic porous medium equation, ut = ∑n i=1（u^mi）xixi in R^n × （O,∞）, where m1,m2,..., and mn, are positive constants satisfying min1≤i≤n{mi}≤ 1, ∑i^n=1 mi 〉 n - 2, and max1≤i≤n{mi} ≤1/n（2 ＋ ∑i^n=1 mi）.     

Selective catalytic oxidation of NO over iron and manganese oxides supported on mesoporous silica

The selective catalytic oxidation （SCO） of NO was studied on a catalyst consisting of iron-manganese oxide supported on mesoporous silica （MPS） with different Mn/Fe ratios. Effects of the amount of manganese and iron, oxygen, and calcination temperature on NO conversion were also investigated. It was found that the Mn-Fe/MPS catalyst with a Mn/Fe molar ratio of 1 showed the highest activity at the calcination temperature of 400 °C. The results showed that over this catalyst, NO conversion reached 70% under the condition of 280 °C and a space velocity of 5000 h-1. SO2 and H2O had no adverse impact on the reaction activity when the SCO reaction temperature was above 240 °C. In addition, the SCO activity was suppressed gradually in the presence of SO2 and H2O below 240 °C, and such an effect was reversible after heating treatment.