Enhancing I^(0)/I^(-)Conversion Efficiency by Starch Confinement in Zinc-lodine Battery

The redox couple of I^(0)/I^(-)in aqueous rechargeable iodine–zinc(I^(2)-Zn)batteries is a promising energy storage resource since it is safe and cost-effective,and provides steady output voltage.However,the cycle life and efficiency of these batteries remain unsatisfactory due to the uncontrolled shuttling of polyiodide(I_(3)^(-)and I_(5)^(-))and side reactions on the Zn anode.Starch is a very low-cost and widely sourced food used daily around the world.“Starch turns blue when it encounters iodine”is a classic chemical reaction,which results from the unique structure of the helix starch molecule–iodine complex.Inspired by this,we employ starch to confine the shuttling of polyiodide,and thus,the I^(0)/I^(-)conversion efficiency of an I^(2)-Zn battery is clearly enhanced.According to the detailed characterizations and theoretical DFT calculation results,the enhancement of I^(0)/I^(-)conversion efficiency is mainly originated from the strong bonding between the charged products of I_(3)^(-)and I_(5)^(-)and the rich hydroxyl groups in starch.This work provides inspiration for the rational design of high-performance and low-cost I^(2)-Zn in AZIBs.

Optimizing the power conversion processes in diluted donor/acceptor heterojunctions towards 19.4%efficiency all-polymer solar cells

All polymer solar cells(all-PSCs)promise mechanically-flexible and morphologically-stable organic photovoltaics and have aroused increased interests very recently.However,due to their disorderly conformation structures within the photoactive film,inefficient charge generation and carrier transport are observed which lead to inferior photovoltaic performance compared to smaller molecular acceptor-based photovoltaics.Here,by diluting PM6 with a cutting-edge polymeric acceptor PY-IT and diluting PY-IT with PM6 or D18,donor-dominating or acceptor-dominating heterojunctions were prepared.Synchrotron X-ray and multiple spectrometer techniques reveal that the diluted heterojunctions receive increased structural order,translating to enhanced carrier mobility,improved exciton diffusion length,and suppressed non-radiative recombination loss during the power conversion.As the results,the corresponding PM6+1%PY-IT/PY-IT+1%D18 and PM6+1%PY-IT/PY-IT+1%PM6 devices fabricated by layer-by-layer deposition received superior power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 19.4%and 18.8%respectively,along with enhanced operational lifetimes in air,outperforming the PCE of 17.5%in the PM6/PY-IT reference device.

Meta-analysis of CO_(2) conversion,energy efficiency,and other performance data of plasma-catalysis reactors with the open access PIONEER database

This paper brings the comparison of performances of CO_(2)conversion by plasma and plasma-assisted catalysis based on the data collected from literature in this field,organised in an open access online database.This tool is open to all users to carry out their own analyses,but also to contributors who wish to add their data to the database in order to improve the relevance of the comparisons made,and ultimately to improve the efficiency of CO_(2)conversion by plasma-catalysis.The creation of this database and database user interface is motivated by the fact that plasma-catalysis is a fast-growing field for all CO_(2)conversion processes,be it methanation,dry reforming of methane,methanolisation,or others.As a result of this rapid increase,there is a need for a set of standard procedures to rigorously compare performances of different systems.However,this is currently not possible because the fundamental mechanisms of plasma-catalysis are still too poorly understood to define these standard procedures.Fortunately however,the accumulated data within the CO_(2)plasma-catalysis community has become large enough to warrant so-called“big data”studies more familiar in the fields of medicine and the social sciences.To enable comparisons between multiple data sets and make future research more effective,this work proposes the first database on CO_(2)conversion performances by plasma-catalysis open to the whole community.This database has been initiated in the framework of a H_(2)0_(2)0 European project and is called the“PIONEER Data Base”.The database gathers a large amount of CO_(2)conversion performance data such as conversion rate,energy efficiency,and selectivity for numerous plasma sources coupled with or without a catalyst.Each data set is associated with metadata describing the gas mixture,the plasma source,the nature of the catalyst,and the form of coupling with the plasma.Beyond the database itself,a data extraction tool with direct visualisation features or advanced filtering functionalities has been developed and is available online to the public.The simple and fast visualisation of the state of the art puts new results into context,identifies literal gaps in data,and consequently points towards promising research routes.More advanced data extraction illustrates the impact that the database can have in the understanding of plasma-catalyst coupling.Lessons learned from the review of a large amount of literature during the setup of the database lead to best practice advice to increase comparability between future CO_(2)plasma-catalytic studies.Finally,the community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the database not only to increase the visibility of their data but also the relevance of the comparisons allowed by this tool.

High Efficiency Formamidinium-Cesium Perovskite-Based Radio-Photovoltaic Cells

Radio-photovoltaic cell is a micro nuclear battery for devices operating in extreme environments,which converts the decay energy of a radioisotope into electric energy by using a phosphor and a photovoltaic converter.Many phosphors with high light yield and good environmental stability have been developed,but the performance of radio-photovoltaic cells remains far behind expectations in terms of power density and power conversion efficiency,because of the poor photoelectric conversion efficiency of traditional photovoltaic converters under low-light conditions.This paper reports an radio-photovoltaic cell based on an intrinsically stable formamidinium-cesium perovskite photovoltaic converter exhibiting a wide light wavelength response from 300 to 800 nm,high open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)),and remarkable efficiency at low-light intensity.When a He ions accelerator is adopted as a mimickedαradioisotope source with an equivalent activity of 0.83 mCi cm^(-2),the formamidinium-cesium perovskite radio-photovoltaic cell achieves a V_(oc)of 0.498 V,a short-circuit current(J_(sc))of 423.94 nA cm^(-2),and a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 0.886%,which is 6.6 times that of the Si reference radio-photovoltaic cell,as well as the highest among all radio-photovoltaic cells reported so far.This work provides a theoretical basis for enhancing the performance of radio-photovoltaic cells.

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.

Improved efficiency and stability of inverse perovskite solar cells via passivation cleaning

Amidst the global energy and environmental crisis,the quest for efficient solar energy utilization intensifies.Perovskite solar cells,with efficiencies over 26%and cost-effective production,are at the forefront of research.Yet,their stability remains a barrier to industrial application.This study introduces innovative strategies to enhance the stability of inverted perovskite solar cells.By bulk and surface passivation,defect density is reduced,followed by a"passivation cleaning"using Apacl amino acid salt and isopropyl alcohol to refine film surface quality.Employing X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and atomic force microscopy(AFM),we confirmed that this process effectively neutralizes surface defects and curbs non-radiative recombination,achieving 22.6%efficiency for perovskite solar cells with the composition Cs_(0.15)FA_(0.85)PbI_(3).Crucially,the stability of treated cells in long-term tests has been markedly enhanced,laying groundwork for industrial viability.

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.

An investigation of the L-shell x-ray conversion efficiency for laser-irradiated tin foils

We have used the ShenguangⅡlaser in third harmonic(351 nm)to investigate the emission of L-shell radiation in the 3.3–4.4 ke V range generated using thin foils of Sn coated onto a parylene substrate with irradiation of order 1015 W cm-2 and nanosecond pulse duration.In our experiment,we have concentrated on assessing the emission on the non-laser irradiated side as this allows an experimental geometry relevant to experiments on photo-ionised plasmas where a secondary target must be placed close to the source,to achieve x-ray fluxes appropriate to astrophysical objects.Overall L-shell conversion efficiencies are estimated to be of order 1%,with little dependence on Sn thickness between 400 and 800 nm.

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.

Applied bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency of ZnO enhanced by hybridization with reduced graphene oxide

The role of reduced graphene oxide（rGO） in the enhancement of photo-conversion efficiency of ZnO films for photoelectrochemical（PEC） water-splitting applications was analyzed. ZnO and rGO-hybridized ZnO（rGO/ZnO） films were prepared via a two-step electrochemical deposition method followed by annealing at 300 °C under argon gas flow. The physical, optical and electrochemical properties of the films were characterized to identify the effect of rGO-hybridization on the applied bias photon-to-current efficiency（ABPE） of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicated the formation of verticallyaligned, wurtzite-phase ZnO nanorods. Diffuse-reflectance UV–visible spectroscopy indicated that rGO-hybridization was able to increase the light absorption range of the rGO/ZnO film. UPS analysis showed that hybridization with rGO increased the band gap of ZnO（3.56 eV） to 3.63 eV for rGO/ZnO sample,which may be attributed to the Burstein–Moss effect. Photoluminescence（PL） spectra disclosed that rGOhybridization suppressed electron-hole recombination due to crystal defects. Linear sweep voltammetry of the prepared thin films showed photocurrent density of 1.0 and 1.8 m A/cm;for ZnO and rGO/ZnO at+0.7 V, which corresponded to an ABPE of 0.55% and 0.95%, respectively. Thus, this report highlighted the multi-faceted role of rGO-hybridization in the enhancement of ZnO photo-conversion efficiency.

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.

Electroreduction of air‐level CO_(2) with high conversion efficiency

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))has been attracting increasingly research interest in the past decade,with the ultimate goal of utilizing electricity from renewable energy to realize carbon neutrality,as well as economic and energy benefits.Nonetheless,the capture and concentrating of CO_(2) cost a substantial portion of energy,while almost all the reported researches showed CO_(2) electroreduction under high concentrations of(typically pure)CO_(2) reactants,and only very few recent studies have investigated the capability of applying low CO_(2) concentrations(such as~10%in flue gases).In this work,we first demonstrated the electroreduction of 0.03%CO_(2)(in helium)in a homemade gas‐phase electrochemical electrolyzer,using a low‐cost copper(Cu)or nanoscale copper(nano‐Cu)catalyst.Mixed with steam,the gas‐phase CO_(2) was directly delivered onto the gas‐solid interface with the Cu catalyst and reduced to CO,without the need/constraint of being adsorbed by aqueous solution or alkaline electrolytes.By tuning the catalyst and experi‐mental parameters,the conversion efficiency of CO_(2) reached as high as~95%.Furthermore,we demonstrated the direct electroreduction of 0.04%CO_(2) from real air sample with an optimized conversion efficiency of~79%,suggesting a promising perspective of the electroreduction ap‐proach toward direct CO_(2) conversion.

Studies on the Effects of Crystallite Sizes and Scattering Layers on the Conversion Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

We have carried out the characterization of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using various techniques including current-voltage characteristic measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-visible spectrophotometry, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), etc. The result we obtained from our work has clearly shown that dye adsorption capability of the DSSC is affected by the film thickness. The EDX spectroscopy verified that our samples are generally of good quality without significant inclusion of foreign elements. The XRD pattern demonstrated that all the TiO2 active layers are consisting of anatase phase. Our results also showed that smaller crystallite sizes of the TiO2 and inclusion of a scattering layer produce better efficiency for the DSSC.

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.

Optimum Efficiency of Photogalvanic Cell for Solar Energy Conversion: Lissamine Green B-Ascorbic Acid-NaLS System

Photogalvanic cells are photoelectrochemical cells chargeable in light for solar energy conversion and storage. They may be energy source for the future, if their electrical performance is increased. In this study, a photosensitizer Lissamine green B, a reductant Ascorbic acid and a surfactant NaLS have been used in the photogalvanic cell. The generated photopotential and photocurrent are 850.0 mV and 375.0 μA respectively. The conversion efficiency of the cell, fill factor and the cell performance were observed 1.0257%, 0.2598% and 170.0 minutes in dark respectively. The effects of different parameters on the electrical output of the photogalvanic cell were observed. A mechanism was proposed for the photogeneration of electrical energy.

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.

Light Soaking Induced Increase in Conversion Efficiency in Solar Cells Based on In(OH)_xS_y/Pb(OH)_xS_y

Light soaking characterization on complete SnO2:F/TiO2/In(OH)xSy/Pb(OH)xSy/PEDOT:PSS/Au, eta solar cell structure as well as on devices which do not include one or both TiO2 and/or PEDOT:PSS layers has been conducted. Additionally, studies of SnO2:F/In(OH)xSy/Pb(OH)xSy/PEDOT:PSS/Au solar cell have been performed. The power conversion efficiency and the short circuit current density have been found to increase with light soaking duration by a factor of about 1.6 - 2.7 and 2.1 - 3, respectively. The increase in these two parameters has been attributed to the filling up of trap states and/or charge-discharge of deep levels found in In(OH)xSy. These effects take place at almost fill factor and open circuit voltage being unaffected by the light soaking effects.