17.13% Efficiency and Superior Thermal Stability of Organic Solar Cells Based on a Comb-Shape Active Blend

With rapid progress,organic solar cells(OSCs)are getting closer to the target of real application.However,the stability issue is still one of the biggest challenges that have to be resolved.Especially,the thermal stability of OSCs is far from meeting the requirements of the application.Here,based on the layer-by-layer(LBL)process and by utilizing the dissolubility nature of solvent and materials,binary inverted OSCs(ITO/AZO/PM6/BTP-eC9/MoO3/Ag)with comb shape active morphology are fabricated.High efficiency of 17.13%and simultaneous superior thermal stability(with 93%of initial efficiency retained in~9:00 h under 85℃in N_(2))are demonstrated,showing superior stability to reference cells.The enhancements are attributed to the formed optimal comb shape of the active layer,which could provide a larger D/A interface,thus more charge carriers,render the active blend a more stable morphology,and protect the electrode by impeding ion's migration and corrosion.To the best of our knowledge,this is the best thermal stability of binary OSCs reported in the literature,especially when considering the high efficiency of over 17%.

Efficiency of Photovoltaic Modules Using Different Cooling Methods: A Comparative Study

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the efficiency of a photovoltaic module using different cooling methods. The performance of the PV panels under different cooling techniques for the same operational conditions is explained. A special test rig was designed and installed in the Faculty of Engineering Technology, East Amman. All operating key variables such as solar radiation intensity, ambient and module temperatures using calibrated devices were measured and recorded as well as the electrical output. The present experiments results showed that the electrical efficiency of the tested PV panels is improved significantly when it was cooled. However, the best improvement obtained when a nanofluid (0.04% wt TiO2/water) is used as a cooling medium, while the PV panel cooled by using Aluminum rectangular fins showed the lowest efficiency improvement. Such results including the comparative analysis (under local operating conditions prevailing in Jordan) are in agreement with literature and could be useful for researchers and developers of solar power generation.

Spectrum-Splitting Diffractive Optical Element of High Concentration Factor and High Optical Efficiency for Three-Junction Photovoltaics

A spectrum-splitting and beam-concentrating （SSBC） diffractive optical element （DOE） for three-junction pho- tovoltaics （PV） system is designed and fabricated by five-circ/e micro-fabrication. The incident solar light is efficiently split into three sub-spectrum ranges and strongly concentrated on the focal plane, which can be di- rectly utilized by suitable spectrum-matching solar cells. The system concentration factor reaches 12x. Moreover, the designed wavelengths （450nm, 550nm and 65Onto） are spatially distributed on the focal plane, in good agree- ment with the theoretical results. The average optical effic/ency of all the cells over the three designed wavelengths is 60.07%. The SSBC DOE with a high concentration factor and a high optical efficiency provides a cost-effective approach to achieve higher PV conversion efficieneies.

Novel Switch Adaptive Control to Improve the Efficiency of Boost Converter in Photovoltaic Systems

The efficiency of photovoltaic power generation is affected by the changeable weather conditions. This paper improves the efficiency of a standalone PV system over a wider range of operating conditions by employing novel switch adaptive control to an interleaved boost converter. With various loads, simulation and experimental results show that the interleaved boost converter with novel switch adaptive control offers better performance and higher conversion efficiency under changeable weather conditions.

Manipulating Film Formation Kinetics Enables Organic Photovoltaic Cells with 19.5%Efficiency

Organic photovoltaic(OPV)cells have demonstrated remarkable performance in small,spin-coated areas.Nevertheless significant challenges persist in the form of large efficiency losses due to the fact that the ideal morphology cannot be preserved in the transition of small-area cells to large-scale panels.Herein,the ternary strategy of incorporating the third component FTCC-Br into the active layer of PB2:BTP-eC9 is employed to improve absorption response,optimize morphology,and reduce charge recombination,leading to a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 19.5%(certified as 19.1%by the National Institute of Metrology,China).Moreover,the addition of FTCC-Br can control the aggregation kinetics of the active layer during the film formation process,transferring the optimal morphology to the blade-coated large-area films.Based on the highly efficient ternary bulk heterojunction,the 50 cm^(2) OPVmodules exhibited a PCE of 15.2%with respect to the active area.Importantly,the ternary OPV cells retain 80%of its initial PCE after 4000 h under continuous illumination.Our work demonstrates that the addition of a third component has the potential to improve the efficiency and stability of large-area organic solar cells.

Non-Fullerene-Based Inverted Organic Photovoltaic Device with Long-Term Stability

In this work,we developed the PM6:Y6-based inverted structure organic photovoltaic(i-OPV)with improved power conversion efficiency(PCE)and long-term stability by resolving the origins of the performance deterioration.The deep defects between the metal oxide-based electron transport layer and bulk-heterojunction photoactive layer interface were responsible for suboptimal PCE and facilitated degradation of devices.While the density of deep traps is increased during the storage of i-OPV,the penetrative oxygen-containing defects additionally generated shallow traps below the band-edge of Y6,causing an additional loss in the open-circuit voltage.The suppression of interfacial defects by chemical modification effectively improved the PCE and long-term stability of i-OPV.The modified i-OPV(mi-OPV)achieved a PCE of 17.42%,which is the highest value among the reported PM6:Y6-based i-OPV devices.Moreover,long-term stability was significantly improved:~90%and~80%retention of its initial PCE after 1200 h of air storage and illumination,respectively.

Efficiency and Effectiveness Thermal Analysis of the Shell and Helical Coil Tube Heat Exchanger Used in an Aqueous Solution of Ammonium Nitrate Solubility (<i>ANSOL</i>) with 20% H₂O and 80% <i>AN</i>

The case study is about obtaining the flow rate and saturation temperature of steam that makes it possible to heat a solution of water and ammonia nitrate (ANSOL) in a shell and helical coil tube heat exchanger, within a time interval, without that the crystallization of the ANSOL solution occurs. The desired production per batch of the solution is 5750 kg in 80 minutes. The analysis uses the concepts of efficiency and effectiveness to determine the heat transfer rate and temperature profiles that satisfy the imposed condition within a certain degree of safety and with the lowest possible cost in steam generation. Intermediate quantities necessary to reach the objective are the Reynolds number, Nusselt number, and global heat transfer coefficient for the shell and helical coil tube heat exchanger. Initially, the water is heated for a specified period and, subsequently, the ammonium nitrate is added to a given flow in a fixed mass flow rate.

Thermally Evaporated ZnSe for Efficient and Stable Regular/Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells by Enhanced Electron Extraction

Electron transport layers(ETLs)are crucial for achieving efficient and stable planar perovskite solar cells(PSCs).Reports on versatile inorganic ETLs using a simple film fabrication method and applicability for both low-cost planar regular and inverted PSCs with excellent efficiencies(>22%)and high stability are very limited.Herein,we employ a novel inorganic ZnSe as ETL for both regular and inverted PSCs to improve the efficiency and stability using a simple thermal evaporation method.The TiO_(2)-ZnSe-FAPbl_(3)heterojunction could be formed,resulting in an improved charge collection and a decreased carrier recombination further proved through theoretical calculations.The optimized regular PSCs based on TiO_(2)/ZnSe have achieved 23.25%efficiency with negligible hysteresis.In addition,the ZnSe ETL can also effectively replace the unstable bathocuproine(BCP)in inverted PSCs.Consequently,the ZnSe-based inverted device realizes a champion efficiency of 22.54%.Moreover,the regular device comprising the TiO_(2)/ZnSe layers retains 92%of its initial PCE after 10:00 h under 1 Sun continuous illumination and the inverted device comprising the C_(60)/ZnSe layers maintains over 85%of its initial PCE at 85℃for 10:00 h.This highlights one of the best results among universal ETLs in both regular and inverted perovskite photovoltaics.

Vacuum Correlations, Detector Efficiency Fluctuations and Classical Dynamic Violations of CH-Inequality

We study in this paper the possible influence of vacuum fluctuations on photo detection and its background noise in Bell tests. We analyze its consequences on the standard statistical analysis of data showing that it is not fulfilled anymore the conventional hypothesis of a Poisson like probability density distribution of single photodetection events. We assume that vacuum fluctuations are due to real and measurable fluctuating fields, as recently confirmed experimentally, and that their non null correlations outside the light cone contribute to photon coincidence rates making them time dependent. We introduce a generalized Bell like correlation function which contains a new term due to supposed vacuum induced photon counting events. We deduce then a generalization of CH-inequality which takes in account the effect of these vacuum electric fields on detector efficiency. We predict an apparatus temperature fluctuations during photon detection which we suggest could be observed by looking for colored noise thermal emission of the photodetectors, generalizing the standard white noise prediction of C.S.L. models on wave function collapse postulate. We discuss an experimental test of this prediction, based on the idea of inducing a thermal wave on the whole quantum detectors, aimed to observe time dependent deviations from standard stationary statistical predictions of Quantum Mechanics.

Efficiency-determined method for thermal neutron detection with inorganic scintillator

Because of 3He shortage,sintillator is a promising alternative choice for neutron detection in the field of thermal neutron scattering and imaging.Also,the neutron detection efficiency is difficult to be determined.In this paper,the efficiency for thermal neutron detection is presented by inorganic scintillator using probability principles,supposed that the material of scintillator is uniform in element distribution,and that attenuation length of scintillation light is longer than that of its thickness in the scintillator.The efficiencies for two pieces of lithium glass are determined by this method,indicating the method is useful for determining efficiency of thermal neutron detections.

Investigation of the Behavior of a Photovoltaic Cell under Concentration as a Function of the Temperature of the Base and a Variable External Magnetic Field in 3D Approximation

The photovoltaic (PV) cell performances are connected to the base photogenerated carriers charge. Some studies showed that the quantity of the photogenerated carriers charge increases with the increase of the solar illumination. This situation explains the choice of concentration PV cell (C = 50 suns) in this study. However, the strong photogeneration of the carriers charge causes a high heat production by thermalization, collision and carriers charge braking due to the electric field induced by concentration gradient. This heat brings the heating of the PV cell base. That imposes the taking into account of the temperature influence in the concentrator PV cell operation. Moreover, with the proliferation of the magnetic field sources in the life space, it is important to consider its effect on the PV cell performances. Thus, when magnetic field and base temperature increase simultaneously, we observe a deterioration of the photovoltage, the electric power, the space charge region capacity, the fill factor and the conversion efficiency. However the photocurrent increases when the base temperature increases and the magnetic field strength decreases. It appears an inversion phenomenon in the evolution of the electrical parameters as a function of magnetic field for the values of magnetic field B> 4×10-4 T.

A Study on the Efficiency Gain of CsSnGeI3 Solar Cells with Graphene Doping

This paper presents a newly designed ultra-thin, lead-free, and all-inorganic solar cell structure. The structure was optimized using the SCAPS-1D simulator, incorporating solid-state layers arranged as n-graphene/CsSnGeI3/p-graphene. The objective was to investigate the potential of utilizing n-graphene as the electron transport layer and p-graphene as the hole transport layer to achieve maximum power conversion efficiency. Various materials for the electron transport layer were evaluated. The optimized cell structure achieved a maximum power conversion efficiency of 20.97%. The proposed solar cell structure demonstrates promising potential as an efficient, inorganic photovoltaic device. These findings provide important insights for developing and optimizing inorganic photovoltaic cells based on CsSnGeI3, with n-graphene electron transport layers and p-graphene hole transport layers.

Characteristics and Thermal Efficiency of a Non-transferred DC Plasma Spraying Torch Under Low Pressure

Current-voltage （I-V） characteristics of a non-transferred DC arc plasma spray torch operated in argon at vacuum are reported. The arc voltage is of negative characteristics for a current below 200 A, fiat for a current between 200 A to 250 A and positive for a current beyond 250 A. The voltage increases slowly with the increase in carrier gas of arc. The rate of change in voltage with currents is about 3-4 V/100 A at a gas flow rate of about 1-1.5 V/10 standard liter per minute （slpm）. The I-V characteristics of the DC plasma torch are of a shape of hyperbola. Arc power increases with the argon flow rate. and the thermal efficiency of the torch acts in a similar way. The thermal efficiency of the non-transferred DC plasmatron is about 65-78%.

Efficiency of Removing Sulfur Dioxide in the Air by Non-Thermal Plasma Along with the Application of the Magnetic Field

The non-thermal plasma created by high voltage pulsed power supply can be used to remove sulfur dioxide in the air, but how to increase the removing efficiency is not clear. It is novel to apply the magnetic field in removing SO2 as discussed in this paper. The mechanisms of removing sulfur dioxide by non-thermal plasma along with the application of the magnetic field are analyzed, and the related factors affecting the removal efficiency, such as the magnitude of pulsed voltage, the polarity of the pulse, the layout of the discharge electrode, especially the magnetic field are experimentally investigated. It can be concluded that the purification efficiency is improved significantly by applying the magnetic field.

Water-repellent efficiency of thermally modified wood as affected by its permeability

This study shows how the air permeability of thermally modified wood contributes to its water-repellent efficiency. For this purpose, freshly cut boards of hornbeam(Carpinus betulus), poplar(Populus nigra), and heartwood of oak(Quercus castanifolia) were modified at a steam temperature of 180 °C for 3 h inside a Thermo Wood kiln.The porous structure, permeability, and water uptake of wood were affected differently by thermal modification,depending on the wood species. The creation of microcracks in the cell walls, due to collapsing of fiber cells,resulted in a noticeable increase in the permeability of hornbeam. Despite checking in the poplar wood structure,its permeability was negatively affected by thermal modification. In contrast to oak and poplar, a negative waterrepellent efficiency was observed for the modified hornbeam, caused by an increase in the permeability.

Low-Cost Insulation for Energy Efficient Buildings in Terai Region of Nepal

There is a huge amount of energy savings potential in public building sector that has yet to be realized.By prioritizing energy efficiency in its own buildings and thus promoting the development of required knowledge in terms of new technology and construction methods,the public sector will lead the way in efforts to increase the rate of renovations.The low-cost insulation strategies and a comparison of cost with existing insulation materials has been described in this study.We have repeatedly faced energy crises and will continue to do so in the future if appropriate action is not taken in a timely manner.Properly implementing energy-saving initiatives in for achieving thermal comfort in buildings as well as reducing the energy costs would undoubtedly inspire the residential sector,resulting in significant reductions in energy usage.Simulations were carried out to study insulation layers on various building components like exterior walls,floor and roofs,generating different scenarios for a building as a base model,which were then compared and analysed to verify the literature used to develop the cases.The proposed recommendations,which have been validated,are certain to increase building energy efficiency,achieve thermal comfort in low cost than what is currently being used.

Improving thermal efficiency and stability of laser welding process for magnesium alloy by combining power modulation and subatmospheric pressure environment

The laser welding(LW)process of highly reflective materials presents low thermal efficiency and poor stability.To solve the problem,the effects of subatmospheric environment on LW process,technological parameters in subatmospheric environment on weld formation and welding with sinusoidal modulation of laser power on the stability of LW process in subatmospheric environment were explored.The AZ31magnesium(Mg)alloy was used as the test materials.The test result revealed that the weld penetration in subatmospheric environment can increase by more than ten times compared with that under normal pressure.After the keyhole depth greatly rises,significantly periodic local bulge is observed on the backwall surface of the keyhole and the position of the bulge shifts along the direction of the keyhole depth.Eventually,the hump-shaped surface morphology of the welded seam is formed;moreover,the weld width in local zones in the lower part of the welded seam remarkably grows.During LW in subatmospheric environment,the weld penetration can be further greatly increased through power modulation.Besides,power modulation can inhibit the occurrence of bulges in local zones on the backwall of the keyhole during LW in subatmospheric environment,thus further curbing the significant growth of the weld widths of hump-shaped welding beads and local zones in the lower part of welded seams.Finally,the mechanism of synchronously improving the thermal efficiency and stability of LW process of highly reflective materials through power modulation in subatmospheric environment was illustrated.This was conducted according to theoretical analysis of recoil pressure and observation results of dynamic behaviors of laser induced plasma clouds and keyholes in the molten pool through high speed photography.

Energy and Life Cycle Assessment of Zinc/Water Nanofluid Based Photovoltaic Thermal System

Cooling the PV surface in a Photovoltaic Thermal system is a pivotal operational aspect to be taken into account to achieve optimized values of performance parameters in a Photovoltaic Thermal System.The experimental design used in this study facilitates the flow of varying concentrations of Zn-water nanofluid in serpentine copper tubing installed at the rear of the PV panel thereby preventing the PV surface temperature from increasing beyond the threshold value at which a decrease in electrical efficiency starts to occur.This fusion of solar thermal with PV devices leads to better electrical and thermal efficiency values resulting in decreased cell degradation over time and maximization of the lifespan of the PV module and the energy output from the PV system.Due to the superior thermal heat properties of nanofluids,their usage in such systems has become increasingly widespread.Life cycle metrics which include Energy Payback period,Energy Production Factor and life cycle conversion efficiency were evaluated for the PVT system by exhaustively chalking fundamental parameters such as embodied energy of the PVT setup and the total energy output from the PVT system.This research aims to be a major milestone in the evolutionary journey of Photovoltaic Thermal modules by guiding the engineers working on the theory,design and implementation of PVT systems towards its economic feasibility,environmental impact and energy sustainability.

High Efficiency and Stable Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter

High efficiency, stable organic light-emitting diodes （OLEDs） based on 2-pheyl-4＇-carbazole-9-H-Thioxanthen-9- one-10, 10-dioxide （TXO-PhCz） with different doping concentration are constructed. The stability of the encap- sulated devices are investigated in detail. The devices with the 10 wt% doped TXO-PhCz emitter layer （EML） show the best performance with a current efficiency of 52.1 cd/A, a power efficiency of 32.71re^W, and an external quantum efficiency （EQE） of 17.7%. The devices based on the lOwt%-doped TXO-PhCz EML show the best operational stability with a half-life time （LTSO） of 8Oh, which is 8 h longer than that of the reference devices based on fac-tris（2-phenylpyridinato）iridium（ Ⅲ） （Ir（ppy）a）. These indicate excellent stability of TXO-PhCz for redox and oxidation processes under electrical excitation and TXO-PhCz can be potentially used as the emitters for OLEDs with high efficiency and excellent stability. The high-performance device based on TXO-PhCz with high stability can be further improved by the optimization of the encapsulation technology and the development of a new host for TXO-PhCz.

Assessment of High Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector in Hot Climate

This work investigates the performance of combined hybrid high concentrated photovoltaic/thermal collector (HCPV/T) in Kuwait harsh climate. The proposed system consists of triple junction solar cells (InGaP/InGaAs/Ge) attached to heat source to discharge thermal energy to cooling media. Published HCPV/T models do not consider the effect of shunt resistance which greatly affects the system performance. So, a single diode model employing five parameters including the effect of shunt resistance is adapted to analyze the proposed system. To analyze the thermal performance of the proposed system, a two-dimensional thermal model based on the technique of finite difference is introduced to determine the efficiency of the hybrid HCPV/T system. The present developed subroutines are integrated with other involved codes in TRNSYS software to calculate HCPV/T system efficiency. Electrical and thermal as well as the whole system efficiency at different weather circumstances are evaluated and assessed. The effect of different weather conditions, cell temperature, concentration ratio and the temperatures of the coolant fluid on system performance are studied. Current results indicate that the model of single diode is a reliable one rather than using the two-diode complex model. Compared to measurements provided by high concentrated PV manufacturer, the current results revealed a total root mean square error of approximately 1.94%. Present predictions show that PV cell temperature has logarithmic increase with the rise in concentration ratio but with low values till concentration ratio of 400 suns after that the rise is faster at higher concentration values up to 1500 suns. Results also revealed that hybrid HCPV/T system works effectively specially in severe hot climate where thermal efficiency increases with high surrounding temperature for higher values of concentration ratio. In addition, an increase of approximately 15% in thermal efficiency and 10% in total efficiency can be achieved by utilizing active cooling device in HCPV/T system.