Light-Material Interactions Using Laser and Flash Sources for Energy Conversion and Storage Applications

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress in light-material interactions(LMIs),focusing on lasers and flash lights for energy conversion and storage applications.We discuss intricate LMI parameters such as light sources,interaction time,and fluence to elucidate their importance in material processing.In addition,this study covers various light-induced photothermal and photochemical processes ranging from melting,crystallization,and ablation to doping and synthesis,which are essential for developing energy materials and devices.Finally,we present extensive energy conversion and storage applications demonstrated by LMI technologies,including energy harvesters,sensors,capacitors,and batteries.Despite the several challenges associated with LMIs,such as complex mechanisms,and high-degrees of freedom,we believe that substantial contributions and potential for the commercialization of future energy systems can be achieved by advancing optical technologies through comprehensive academic research and multidisciplinary collaborations.

Ultra-flexible graphene/nylon/PDMS coaxial fiber-shaped multifunctional sensor

The development of flexible and wearable devices is mainly required for tactile sensing;as such devices can adapt to complicated nonuniform surfaces,they can be applied to the human body.Nevertheless,it remains necessary to simultaneously achieve small-scale,portable,and stable developments in such devices.Thus,this work aims at fabricating a novel,lightweight,ultra-flexible,and fiber-shaped coaxial structure with a diameter of 0.51 mm using polydimethylsiloxane/graphene/nylon material,based on piezoresistive and triboelectric principles.The piezoresistive-based robotic-hand-controlled sensor thus realized exhibits a response time of 120 ms and a fast recovery time of 55 ms.Further,the piezoresistive-based sensors effectively feature whisker/joystick-guided behaviors and also sense the human finger contact.Owing to the triboelectric-based selfpowered nanogenerator behavior,the resulting sensor can convert mechanical motion into electrical energy,without adversely affecting human organs.Moreover,this triboelectric-based human finger sensor can be operated under different bending modes at specific angles.Notably,this multifunctional sensor is cost-effective and suitable for various applications,including robotichand-controlled operations in medical surgery,whisker/joystick motions in lightweight drone technology,and navigation with highsensitivity components.

Enhanced thermoelectric composite performance from mesoporous carbon additives in a commercial Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3) matrix

Composites were prepared,through hot pressing,using carbon materials with different pore size distributions as additives for commercial Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3) thermoelectric material(BST,p-type).Thermoelectric properties of the composites were measured in a temperature range of 298-473 K.Thermal conductivity of the composites,especially lattice thermal conductivity,was effectively decreased due to the mesoporous properties of the incorporated carbon additives.The electrical conductivity of the composites slightly decreased due to the electron scattering at the interface between the carbon material and the commercial BST matrix.The composite with 0.2 vol.%mesoporous carbon powder(36%mesoporosity)exhibited a figure of merit value approximately 10.7%higher than that of commercial BST without additives.This behavior resulted in 116%improved output power in the composite block-based single element compared with a bare BST thermoelectric block.The enhanced figure of merit was attributed to the effective reduction of lattice thermal conductivity by acoustic phonons scattering at the interface between the BST matrix and the mesoporous carbon as well as at the pore surfaces within the mesoporous carbon.By utilizing mesoporous carbon materials used in this study,the shortcomings and economic difficulties of the composite process with low dimensional carbon additives(carbon nanotubes,graphene,and nanodiamond)can be overcome for extensive practical applications.Mesoporous carbon powder with a tailored porosity distribution revealed the validity of bulk-type carbon additives to enhance the figure of merit of commercial thermoelectric materials.