Dynamic Properties and Energy Conversion Efficiency of A Floating Multi-Body Wave Energy Converter

The present study proposed a floating multi-body wave energy converter composed of a floating central platform,multiple oscillating bodies and multiple actuating arms. The relative motions between the oscillating bodies and the floating central platform capture multi-point wave energy simultaneously. The converter was simplified as a forced vibration system with three degrees of freedom, namely two heave motions and one rotational motion. The expressions of the amplitude-frequency response and the wave energy capture width were deduced from the motion equations of the converter. Based on the built mathematical model, the effects of the PTO damping coefficient, the PTO elastic coefficient, the connection length between the oscillating body and central platform, and the total number of oscillating bodies on the performance of the wave energy converter were investigated. Numerical results indicate that the dynamical properties and the energy conversion efficiency are related not only to the incident wave circle frequency but also to the converter’s physical parameters and interior PTO coefficients. By adjusting the connection length, higher wave energy absorption efficiencies can be obtained. More oscillating bodies installed result in more stable floating central platform and higher wave energy conversion efficiency.

0.35%THz pulse conversion efficiency achieved by Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser filamentation in argon at 1 kHz repetition rate

In this study,an optical setup for generating terahertz(THz)pulses through a two-color femtosecond laser filament was carefully designed to achieve a precise overlap of two-color laser pulses in space and time.β-barium borate(BBO),α-BBO,and a dual-wavelength plate were used to compensate the phase delay of the two-color lasers.Tilting ofα-BBO could further realize the precise spatial overlap of the two beams by counteracting the walk-off effect.The maximum out-put THz pulse energy reached 21μJ in argon gas when using a commercial Ti:sapphire laser with a pulse energy of 6 mJ at a 1 kHz repetition rate.The corresponding conversion efficiency exceeded 0.35%.

Measurement of conversion efficiency of soft X-ray from 0.35μm laser-irradiated aluminum planar targets

Conversion efficiency of soft X-ray from 0.35μm pulse laser-irradiated aluminium planar target at laser intensities 10^13- 10^15 W/cm^2 on the Xingguang-Ⅱ facility （laser energy 5 - 90 J, focal spot - Φ 200μm full width of half maximun （FWHM） 400 - 800 ps） was measured. A simple model was given to explain soft X-ray conversion efficiency. In this model, because of the heat conduction from the laser-heated spot, the conversion was very small at lower irradiance limit, while at higher limit it was bounded by the energy lost in blow off plasma. Consequently, at the laser intensity around 2×10^14 W/cm^2 , the X-ray conversion efficiency reaches a maximum.

Temperature Effect on Light Concentration Silicon Solar Cell’s Operating Point and Conversion Efficiency

It is well known that temperature acts negatively on practically all the parameters of photovoltaic solar cells. Also, the solar cells which are subjected to particularly very high temperatures are the light concentration solar cells and are used in light concentration photovoltaic systems (CPV). In fact, the significant heating of these solar cells is due to the concentration of the solar flux which arrives on them. Light concentration solar cells appear as solar cells under strong influences of heating and temperature. It is therefore necessary to take into account temperature effect on light concentration solar cells performances in order to obtain realistic results. This one-dimensional study of a crystalline silicon solar cell under light concentration takes into account electrons concentration gradient electric field in the determination of the continuity equation of minority carriers in the base. To determine excess minority carrier’s density, the effects of temperature on the diffusion and mobility of electrons and holes, on the intrinsic concentration of electrons, on carrier’s generation rate as well as on width of band gap have also been taken into account. The results show that an increase of temperature improves diffusion parameters and leads to an increase of the short-circuit photocurrent density. However, an increase of temperature leads to a significant decrease in open-circuit photovoltage, maximum electric power and conversion efficiency. The results also show that the operating point and the maximum power point (MPP) moves to the open circuit when the cell temperature increases.

In situ determination on food consumption and ecological conversion efficiency of a marine fish species, Hyporhamphus sajori

The food consumption and ecological conversion efficiency of a species marine pelagic andsmall size fish, Hyporhamphus sajori, were determined by using in situ stomach content method presented by Eggers. The results showed that: (1) the fish was taken in food all day, so empty-stomach rate was very low, taking up about 4.5% of the total determined fish number. However, the fish still has significant daily feeding rhythm. A feeding peak was found 0:00 o'clock at night, but feeding level was always high in the daytime; (2) relationship between instantaneous food content in stomach and corresponding time could be described as S_t = a · e (-b·t). There was not significant difference of instantaneous gastric evacuation rate between two determinations, with average value being 0.13 × 10^(-2) g/ (g' h) (wet weight); (3) the daily food consumption tended to change in irregular waving form, with average value being (10.16Xl0^(-2)±1.19xl0(-2) g/ (g·d) (wet weight) or (55.56 × 10(-2) ±6.51 × 10^(-2) kJ/ (g·d). The wave distance is constant and about 14 d, but the wave height changed largely; (4) actual determining value of daily growth rate was 3.24 × 10^(-2)g/ (g·d) (wet weight) or 12.91 × 10^(-2)kJ/ (g·d), from which 31.89% (wet weight) or 23.24% kJ of ecological conversion efficiency could be obtained.

Optimal oxide-aperture for improving the power conversion efficiency of VCSEL arrays

The maximum power conversion efficiencies of the top-emitting,oxide-confined,two-dimensional integrated 2×2 and4×4 vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser（VCSEL） arrays with the oxide-apertures of 6 μm,16 μm,19 μm,26 μm,29 μm,36 μm,39 μm,and 46 urn are fabricated and characterized,respectively.The maximum power conversion efficiencies increase rapidly with the augment of oxide-aperture at the beginning and then decrease slowly.A maximum value of27.91%at an oxide-aperture of 18.6 μm is achieved by simulation.The experimental data are well consistent with the simulation results,which are analyzed by utilizing an empirical model.

InxGa1-xN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Solar Cells with Conversion Efficiency of 3.77%

We report on fabrication and photovoltaic characteristics of InxGa1-xN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells with different indium compositions and barrier thicknesses. The as-grown samples are characterized by high- resolution x-ray diffraction and reciprocal space mapping. The results show that the sample with a thick barrier thickness （lO.Onm） and high indium composition （0.23） has better crystalline quality. In addition, the dark current density-voltage （J-V） measurement of this device shows a significant decrease of leakage current, which leads to high open-circuit voltage Vow. Through the J-V characteristics under an Air Mass 1.5 Global （AM 1.5 G） illumination, this device exhibits a Voc of 1.89 V, a short-circuit current density Ysc of 3.92mA/cm2 and a fill factor of 50.96%. As a result, the conversion efficiency （77） is enhanced to be 3.77% in comparison with other devices.

A Study of Energy Conversion Efficiency Versus Plasma Density by Lower Hybrid Current Drive in HT-7 Tokamak

Ramp-up experiments by means of lower hybrid wave on HT-7 superconducting tokamak have been performed and analyzed. A ramp-up rate of over 300 kA/s is obtained and a conversion efficiency of over 1.0% has been achieved during the ramp-up phase. The study of the dependence of conversion efficiency on plasma density shows that the conversion efficiency is affected by the driven current, which is mainly dominated by the competition of impurity concentration with wave accessibility condition. In addition, the effect of current profile may play an important role in determining the conversion efficiency.

Three-Dimensional Study of the Effect of the Angle of Incidence of a Magnetic Field on the Electrical Power and Conversion Efficiency of a Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cell under Multispectral Illumination

A three-dimensional approach to the effect of magnetic field incidence angle on electrical power and conversion efficiency is performed on a front-illuminated polycrystalline silicon bifacial solar cell. A solution of the continuity equation allowed us to present the equations of photocurrent density, photovoltage and electric power. The influence of the angle of incidence of the magnetic field on the photocurrent density, the photovoltage and the electric power has been studied. The curves of electrical power versus dynamic junction velocity were used to extract the values of maximum electrical power and dynamic junction velocity and to calculate those of conversion efficiency. From this study, it is found that the conversion efficiency values increase with the angle of incidence of the magnetic field.

Improvement of the conversion efficiency of Mg_(3)Sb_(2)thermoelectric devices through optimizing the resistivity of the MgSbNi barrier layer

Mg_(3)Sb_(2)-based thermoelectric materials have been the focus of widespread investigations as promising candidates for the harvesting of waste heat.Interface stability and service performance are key points for the commercial applications of these materials.We utilized Mg_(4.3)Sb_(3)Ni as a barrier layer to improve the thermal stability of Mg 3 Sb 2-based devices.However,its intrinsic high resistivity contributed nega-tively to the desired performance of the device.In this work,we investigated two other Mg-Sb-Ni ternary phases,MgSbNi and MgSbNi_(2),as new barrier layer materials to connect with Mg_(3.2)Sb_(2)Y_(0.05).The results show that the efficiency of the Mg_(1.2)SbNi/Mg_(3.2)Sb_(2)Y_(0.05)/Mg_(1.2)SbNi joint is increased by 33%relative to the higher Mg-content barriers due to lower resistivity.The system exhibited good interfacial compatibility and showed little change with aging at 673 K for 20 days.

P-doped all-small-molecule organic solar cells with power conversion efficiency of 17.73%

All-small organic solar cells(ASM OSCs)inherit the advantages of the distinct merits of small molecules,such as well-defined structures and less batch-to-batch variation.In comparison with the rapid development of polymer-based OSCs,more efforts are needed to devote to improving the performance of ASM OSCs to close the performance gap between ASM and polymer-based OSCs.Herein,a well-known p-dopant named fluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane(FTCNQ)was introduced to a highefficiency system of HD-1:BTP-e C9,and a high power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 17.15%was achieved due to the improved electrical properties as well as better morphology of the active layer,supported by the observed higher fill factor(FF)of 79.45%and suppressed non-radiative recombination loss.Furthermore,combining with the further morphology optimization from solvent additive of 1-iodonaphthalene(IN)in the blend film,the HD-1:BTP-e C9-based device with the synergistic effects of both FTCNQ and IN demonstrates a remarkable PCE of 17.73%(certified as 17.49%),representing the best result of binary ASM OSCs to date.

Enhancing the crystallinity and stability of perovskite solar cells with 4-tert-butylpyridine induction for efficiency exceeding 24%

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology because of their high light absorption coefficient,long carrier diffusion distance,and tunable bandgap.However,PSCs face challenges such as hysteresis effects and stability issues.In this study,we introduced a novel approach to improve film crystallization by leveraging 4-tert-butylpyridine(TBP)molecules,thereby enhancing the performance and stability of PSCs.Our findings demonstrate the effective removal of PbI_(2)from the perovskite surface through strong coordination with TBP molecules.Additionally,by carefully adjusting the concentration of the TBP solution,we achieved enhanced film crystallinity without disrupting the perovskite structure.The TBP-treated perovskite films exhibit a low defect density,improved crystallinity,and improved carrier lifetime.As a result,the PSCs manufactured with TBP treatment achieve power conversion efficiency(PCE)exceeding 24%.Moreover,we obtained the PCE of 21.39%for the 12.25 cm^(2)module.

Efficient conversion of acoustic vortex using extremely anisotropic metasurface

Vortex wave and plane wave,as two most fundamental forms of wave propagation,are widely applied in various research fields.However,there is currently a lack of basic mechanism to enable arbitrary conversion between them.In this paper,we propose a new paradigm of extremely anisotropic acoustic metasurface(AM)to achieve the efficient conversion from 2D vortex waves with arbitrary orbital angular momentum(OAM)to plane waves.The underlying physics of this conversion process is ensured by the symmetry shift of AM medium parameters and the directional compensation of phase.Moreover,this novel phenomenon is further verified by analytical calculations,numerical demonstrations,and acoustic experiments,and the deflection angle and direction of the converted plane waves are qualitatively and quantitatively confirmed by a simple formula.Our work provides new possibilities for arbitrary manipulation of acoustic vortex,and holds potential applications in acoustic communication and OAM-based devices.

Ternary organic solar cells offer 14% power conversion efficiency

Organic solar cells(OSCs)have advantages like light-weight,flexibility,colorfulness and solution processability[1].The active layer of OSCs generally contains two organic semiconductors:an electron donor and an electron acceptor.The donor and acceptor make nanoscale phase separation to allow efficient exciton dissociation and also form a three-dimensional(3D)passage to

Thermally confined shell coating amplifies the photoacoustic conversion efficiency of nanoprobes

Efficient probes/contrast agents are highly desirable for good-performance photoacoustic （PA） imaging, where the PA signal amplitude of a probe is dominated by both its optical absorption and the conversion efficiency from absorbed laser energy to acoustic waves. Nanoprobes have a unique micro- mechanism of PA energy conversion due to the size effect, which, however, has not been quantitatively demonstrated and effectively utilized. Here, we present quantitative simulations of the PA signal production process for plasmon- mediated nanoprobes based on the finite element analysis method, which were performed to provide a deep understanding of their PA conversion micromechanism. Moreover, we propose a method to amplify the PA conversion efficiency of nanoprobes through the use of thermally confined shell coating, which allows the active control of the conversion efficiency beyond that of conventional probes. Additionally, we deduced the dependence of the conversion efficiency on the shell properties. Gold-nanoparticles/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites were experimentally synthesized in the form of gel and microfilms to verify our idea and the simulation results agreed with the experiments. Our work paves the way for the rational design and optimization of nanoprobes with improved conversion efficiency.

Numerical study of hydrodynamic behavior and conversion efficiency of a two-buoy wave energy converter

In this paper we propose a two-buoy wave energy converter composed of a heaving semi-submerged cylindrical buoy, a fixed submerged cylindrical buoy and a power take-off（PTO） system, and investigate the effect of the fixed submerged buoy on the hydrodynamics of the heaving semi-submerged buoy based on the three-dimensional potential theory. And the dynamic response of the semi-submerged buoy and the wave energy conversion efficiency of the converter are analyzed. The difference of the hydrodynamics and the wave energy conversion efficiency of a semi-submerged buoy converter with and without a fixed submerged buoy is discussed. It is revealed that the influence of the fixed submerged buoy on the exciting wave force, the added mass, the radiation damping coefficient and the wave energy conversion efficiency can be significant with a considerable variation, depending on the vertical distance between the heaving semi-submerged buoy and the fixed submerged buoy, the diameter ratio of the fixed submerged buoy to the heaving semi-submerged buoy and the water depth.

Energy Conversion Efficiency of Rainbow Shape Piezoelectric Transducer

With the aim to enhance the energy conversion efficiency of the rainbow shape piezoelectric transducer, an analysis model of energy conversion efficiency is established based on the elastic mechanics theory and piezoelectricity theory. It can be found that the energy conversion efficiency of the rainbow shape piezoelectric transducer mainly depends on its shape parameters and ma- terial properties from the analysis model. Simulation results show that there is an optimal length ratio to generate maximum en- ergy conversion efficiency and the optimal length ratios and energy conversion efficiencies of beryllium bronze substrate trans- ducer and steel substrate transducer are （0.65, 2.21%） and （0.65, 1.64%） respectively. The optimal thickness ratios and energy conversion efficieneies of beryllium bronze substrate transducer and steel substrate transducer are （1.16, 2.56%） and （1.49, 1.57%） respectively. With the increase of width ratio and initial curvature radius, both the energy conversion efficiencies de- crease. Moreover, beryllium bronze flexible substrate transducer is superior to the steel flexible substrate transducer.

New insight into photoacoustic conversion efficiency by plasmon-mediated nanocavitation： Implications for precision theranostics

The probe-assisted integration of imaging and therapy into a single modality offers significant advantages in bio-applications. As a newly developed photoacoustic （PA） mechanism, plasmon-mediated nanocavitation, whereby photons are effectively converted into PA shockwaves, has excellent advantages for image-guided therapy. In this study, by simulating the laser absorption, temperature field, and nanobubble dynamics using both finite-element analysis and computational fluid dynamics, we quantified the cavitation-induced PA conversion efficiency of a water-immersed gold nanosphere, revealing new insights. Interestingly, sequential multi-bubble emission accompanied by high PA signal production occur under a single high-dose pulse of laser irradiation, enabling a cavitation-induced PA conversion efficiency up to 2%, which is -50 times higher than that due to thermal expansion. The cavitation-induced PA signal has unique frequency characteristics, which may be useful for a new approach for in vivo nanoparticle tracking. Our work offers theoretical guidance for accurate diagnosis and controllable therapy based on plasmon-mediated nanocavitation.

Vacancy-defect-dipole amplifies the thermoacoustic conversion efficiency of carbon nanoprobes

The immense potential of carbon nanoprobes(CNPs)for using as contrast agents has propelled much recent research and development in the field of thermoacoustic(TA)molecular imaging,while the proper engineering and design of such materials with required high TA conversion efficiency is still a highly challenging task.In this work,we proposed a controllable strategy to amplify the TA conversion efficiency of the CNPs by constructing vacancy defect(VD)dipoles,and systematically demonstrated the amplification mechanism through theoretical and experimental investigations.First-principles calculation results indicate that,when a carbon atom is removed from the CNPs by chemical approach,owing to local electron density redistribution,the VDs are formed at the positions of the original carbon atoms and act as the structural origin of permanent electric dipoles with the dipole moment several orders higher than that of non-defect sites.Under pulsed microwave irradiation,the VD dipoles are polarized repeatedly and significantly contribute to the conversion efficiency from absorbed electromagnetic waves to ultrasound through enhanced dielectric relaxation losses.We experimentally synthesized graphene samples with different VD densities and VD types to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy,and results coincide well with the theoretical proposition.This work offers feasible guidance to the systematic development and rational design of new high-conversion-efficiency TA CNPs via VD engineering.

A thermoelectric generator and water-cooling assisted high conversion efficiency polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic system

Solar energy has been increasing its share in the global energy structure. However, the thermal radiation brought by sunlight will attenuate the efficiency of solar cells. To reduce the temperature of the photovoltaic (PV) cell and improve the utilization efficiency of solar energy, a hybrid system composed of the PV cell, a thermoelectric generator (TEG), and a water-cooled plate (WCP) was manufactured. The WCP cannot only cool the PV cell, but also effectively generate additional electric energy with the TEG using the waste heat of the PV cell. The changes in the efficiency and power density of the hybrid system were obtained by real time monitoring. The thermal and electrical tests were performed at different irradiations and the same experiment temperature of 22°C. At a light intensity of 1000 W/m2, the steady-state temperature of the PV cell decreases from 86.8°C to 54.1°C, and the overall efficiency increases from 15.6% to 21.1%. At a light intensity of 800 W/m2, the steady-state temperature of the PV cell decreases from 70°C to 45.8°C, and the overall efficiency increases from 9.28% to 12.59%. At a light intensity of 400 W/m2, the steady-state temperature of the PV cell decreases from 38.5°C to 31.5°C, and the overall efficiency is approximately 3.8%, basically remain unchanged.