An Electrochemical Cleaning Technique for Removal of Surface Contamination before Texturization of Silicon Solar Cells

In order to decrease the consumption of reagents and silicon during removal of surface contamination before silicon texturing in solar cell manufacturing industry, a new low-cost surface treatment approach of electrochemical cleaning technique(ECT) is reported. In this technique, a powerful oxidizing electrolyte was obtained from the electrochemical reaction on Boron-doped Diamond(BDD) electrodes, and applied during removal of surface contaminations on silicon wafer surfaces. The slightly polished monocrystalline silicon surfaces after cleaning were compared with the ones of primal silicon wafers. The measurement results show that ECT is quite efficient in removing NaCl and organic contaminants. After cleaning, the contrast test was conducted for the textured silicon wafers with/without pre-treatment(polish) separately. The results show that the size of pyramids on the surface without traditional polishing process is homogeneous and smaller than 4μm, and the average surface reflectance is much lower in the wavelength range from 400nm to 800nm. Therefore, the new technique can save silicon material, and effectively avoid optical losses for improving photoconversion effect of solar cells.

The dispersion of surface contaminants by Stokes drift in random waves

Contaminants that are floating on the surface of the ocean are subjected to the action of random waves.In the literature,it has been asserted by researchers that the random wave action will lead to a dispersion mechanism through the induced Stokes drift,and that this dispersion mechanism may have the same order of significance comparable with the others means due to tidal currents and wind.It is investigated whether or not surface floating substances will disperse in the random wave environment due to the induced Stokes drift.An analytical derivation is first performed to obtain the drift velocity under the random waves.From the analysis,it is shown that the drift velocity is a time-independent value that does not possess any fluctuation given a specific wave energy spectrum.Thus,the random wave drift by itself should not have a dispersive effect on the surface floating substances.Experiments were then conducted with small floating objects subjected to P-M spectral waves in a laboratory wave flume,and the experimental results reinforced the conclusion drawn.

Dust Deposition’s Effect on Solar Photovoltaic Module Performance:An Experimental Study in India’s Tropical Region

A solar PV panel works with maximum efficiency only when it is operated around its optimum operating point or maximum power point.Unfortunately,the performance of the solar cell is affected by several factors like sun direction,solar irradiance,dust accumulation,module temperature,as well as the load on the system.Dust deposition is one of the most prominent factors that influence the performance of solar panels.Because the solar panel is exposed to the atmosphere,dust will accumulate on its surface,reducing the quantity of sunlight reaching the solar cell and diminishing output.In the proposed work,a detailed investigation of the performance of solar PV modules is carried out under the tropical climatic condition of Chennai,India,where the presence of dust particles is very high.The data corresponding to four different dust samples of various densities at four solar irradiation levels of 220,525,702,and 905 W/m^(2)are collected,and performance analysis is carried out.Based on the analysis carried out,the maximum power loss is found to be 73.51%,66.29%,65.46%,and 61.42%,for coal,sand,brick powder,and chalk dust respectively.Hence,it can be said that coal dust contributes to the maximum power loss among all four dust samples.Due to heat dissipation produced by dust deposition,the performance of solar PV modules is degraded as the temperature rose.

Genotoxicity of Water Extracts from Sewage Effluents in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Using the Novel <i>umu</i>Tester Strain

The genotoxic activities of effluents from drainage water treatment plants were examined by using the novel umu tester strain NM8001, which lacks MutMst genes. To enhance the sensitivity of the LacZ assay, a BugBuster mix protein extraction reagent and TokyoGreen-β Gal for a fluorescence-galactosidase substrate were applied. Of the 24 sampling locations present in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, water extracts from nine sampling points showed apparent genotoxic activities without metabolic activation. In contrast, water extracts from the upper sites of these water treatment plants did not show any significant genotoxic activities. The selected samples with genotoxic activity did not show significant mutagenicity toward Ames strains TA98 and TA100. Genotoxicity was also well correlated with the activity of a classical umu strain of TA1535/pSK1002;these findings indicate that the genotoxicity induced by oxidative damage was not a significant component of the genotoxicity.

Investigation of natural contamination layer growth on optical substrates

The surface contamination layer on mirrors can cause significant degradation of the optical performance, which is widely observed in applications, particularly in the fabrication of X-ray focusing telescopes. In this paper, we study the natural contamination layer arising from adsorption precipitation of hydrocarbons or other organic and water molecules in the absence of any external factor. Temporal evolution of the layer formed on super-smooth fused silica, borosilicate glass, and silicon substrates is studied by X-ray reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy for a one-year period after surface cleaning. The general characteristics of adhesion layer growth are established and discussed. The reconstructed dielectric constant profiles demonstrate that an increase in the adhesion layer thickness, deposited mass and density over time obeys power laws with extremely small exponents. Therefore, the adhesion layer growth is rapid immediately after surface cleaning, with a - 1 nm thick layer formed within the first day on all three substrates studied, while the layer density is low （- 1 g/cm^3）. The layer growth on the fused silica and silicon substrates became very slow in the succeeding days, with only a 1.4-1.5 nm thick layer and 1.2-1.3 g/cm^3 density after one year of storage in air. At the same time, the adhesion layer growth on the glass substrate showed unexpected acceleration about two months after cleaning, so that the layer thickness reached - 2.2 nm after one year of storage. The reason for this effect, which is connected with leaching of the glass, is discussed briefly.

On the role of surface carbonate species in determining the cycling performance of all-solid-state batteries

This short perspective summarizes recent findings on the role of residual lithium present on the surface of layered Ni-rich oxide cathode materials in liquid-and solid-electrolyte based batteries,with emphasis placed on the carbonate species.Challenges and future research opportunities in the development of carbonate-containing protective nanocoatings for inorganic solid-state battery applications are also discussed.

Modification strategies of Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12) ceramic electrolyte for high-performance solid-state batteries

Enormous research focusing on solid-state electrolyte promotes the development of solid-state batteries.Compared to lithium-ion batteries using liquid electrolyte,the solid-state batteries feature the hi gh energy density and non-flammability,which accelerates the revolution in portable electronics and transportation.Garnet-type Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(LLZO)solid-state electrolyte is considered as the promising solid-state electrolyte due to high ionic conductivity,Li transference number and shear modulus.However,surface contaminant and poor contact with lithium inhibit its practical application in lithium metal batteries.The review provides a brief introduction about structure and properties of LLZO.Then,we conclude the modification strategies for increasing ionic conductivity,enhancing interfacial contact and inhibiting lithium dendrite.At last,the challenge and perspectives are discussed for development of LLZO in solid-state batteries.