Chemical Scissors Tailored Nano‑Tellurium with High‑Entropy Morphology for Efficient Foam‑Hydrogel‑Based Solar Photothermal Evaporators

The development of tellurium(Te)-based semiconductor nanomaterials for efficient light-to-heat conversion may offer an effective means of harvesting sunlight to address global energy concerns.However,the nanosized Te(nano-Te)materials reported to date suffer from a series of drawbacks,including limited light absorption and a lack of surface structures.Herein,we report the preparation of nano-Te by electrochemical exfoliation using an electrolyzable room-temperature ionic liquid.Anions,cations,and their corresponding electrolytic products acting as chemical scissors can precisely intercalate and functionalize bulk Te.The resulting nano-Te has high morphological entropy,rich surface functional groups,and broad light absorption.We also constructed foam hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol)/nano-Te,which achieved an evaporation rate and energy efficiency of 4.11 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)and 128%,respectively,under 1 sun irradiation.Furthermore,the evaporation rate was maintained in the range 2.5-3.0 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)outdoors under 0.5-1.0 sun,providing highly efficient evaporation under low light conditions.

Self-Supporting Nanoporous Copper Film with High Porosity and Broadband Light Absorption for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Solar steam generation(SSG)is a potential technology for freshwater production,which is expected to address the global water shortage problem.Some noble metals with good photothermal conversion performance have received wide concerns in SSG,while high cost limits their practical applications for water purification.Herein,a self-supporting nanoporous copper(NP-Cu)film was fabricated by one-step dealloying of a specially designed Al_(98)Cu_(2)precursor with a dilute solid solution structure.In-situ and ex-situ characterizations were performed to reveal the phase and microstructure evolutions during dealloying.The NP-Cu film shows a unique three-dimensional bicontinuous ligament-channel structure with high porosity(94.8%),multi scale-channels and nanoscale ligaments(24.2±4.4nm),leading to its strong broadband absorption over the 200–2500 nm wavelength More importantly,the NP-Cu film exhibits excellent SSG performance with high evaporation rate,superior efficiency and good stability.The strong desalination ability of NP-Cu also manifests its potential applications in seawater desalination.The related mechanism has been rationalized based upon the nanoporous network,localized surface plasmon resonance effect and hydrophilicity.

Effects of Co_(2)O_(3)Addition on Microstructure and Properties of SiC Composite Ceramics for Solar Absorber and Storage

SiC composite ceramics for solar absorber and storage integration are new concentrating solar power materials.SiC composite ceramics for solar absorber and storage integration were fabricated using SiC,black corundum and kaolin as the raw materials,Co_(2)O_(3)as the additive via pressureless graphite-buried sintering method in this study.Influences of Co_(2)O_(3)on the microstructure and properties of SiC composite ceramics for solar absorber and storage integration were studied.The results indicate that sample D2(5wt%Co_(2)O_(3))sintered at 1480℃exhibits optimal performances for 119.91 MPa bending strength,93%solar absorption,981.5 kJ/kg(25-800℃)thermal storage density.The weight gain ratio is 12.58 mg/cm2after 100 h oxidation at 1000℃.The Co_(2)O_(3)can decrease the liquid phase formation temperature and reduce the viscosity of liquid phase during sintering.The liquid with low viscosity not only promotes the elimination of pores to achieve densification,but also increases bending strength,solar absorption,thermal storage density and oxidation resistance.A dense SiO_(2) layer was formed on the surface of SiC after 100 h oxidation at 1000℃,which protects the sample from further oxidation.However,excessive Co_(2)O_(3)will make the microstructure loose,which is disadvantageous to the performances of samples.

Modulation of the cutoff wavelength in the spectra for solar selective absorbing coating based on high-entropy films

This paper demonstrates an intrinsic modulation of the cutoff wavelength in the spectra for solar selective absorbing coating based on high-entropy films.The(NiCuCrFeSi)N((NCCFS)N)films were deposited by a magnetron sputtering system.Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis confirms the uniform composition and good homogeneity of these high-entropy films.The real and imaginary parts of the permittivity for the(NCCFS)N material are calculated on the basis of the reflectance spectral fitting results.A redshift cutoff wavelength of the reflectance spectrum with increasing nitrogen gas flow rate exists because of the different levels of dispersion when changing nitrogen content.To realize significant solar absorption,the film surface was reconstituted to match its impedance with air by designing a pyramid nanostructure metasurface.Compared with the absorptance of the as-deposited films,the designed metasurface obtains a significant improvement in solar absorption with the absorptance increasing from 0.74 to 0.99.The metasurfaces also show low mid-infrared emissions with thermal emittance that can be as low as 0.06.These results demonstrate a new idea in the design of solar selective absorbing surface with controllable absorptance and low infrared emission for high-efficiency photo-thermal conversion.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiC Composite Ceramics for Solar Heat Absorber

Al_(2)O_(3)/SiC composite ceramics were prepared fromα-Al_(2)O_(3) and SiC by a pressureless sinter method in this study.The effect of SiC contents on the mechanic properties,phase compositions and microstructure is studied.Experimental results show that the vickers hardness,wear resistance and thermal conductivity of the samples increase with the increase in the SiC content,and the hardness of the sample reaches 16.22 GPa,and thermal conductivity of the sample reaches 25.41 W/(m.K)at room temperature when the SiC content is 20 wt%(B5)and the sintering temperature is at 1640℃.Higher hardness means higher scour resistance,and it indicates that the B5 material is expected to be used for the solar heat absorber of third generation solar thermal generation.The results indicate the mechanism of improving mechanical properties of Al_(2)O_(3)/SiC composite ceramics:SiC plays a role in grain refinement that the grain of SiC inhibits the grain growth of Al_(2)O_(3),while the addition of SiC changes the fracture mode from the intergranular to the intergranular-transgranular.

Highly efficient energy harvest via external rotating magnetic field for oil based nanofluid direct absorption solar collector

Nanofluids based direct absorption solar collectors(DASCs) are considered as the important alternative for further improve the utilization of solar energy. However the low-quality energy and aggregation of nanoparticles obstructs their large-scale application. In this work, a new method of using magnetic nanofluids in DASCs is proposed. By this method, not only high-quality energy is got as well as the problems of blockage and corrosion in heat exchanger are well avoided. The result shows that the maximum temperature can reach 98℃ under 3 solar irradiations and the photothermal conversion efficiency can be further increased by 12.8% when the concentration is 500 ppm after adding an external rotating magnetic field. The highest viscosity of working fluid reduced by 21% when the concentration is 500 ppm at 95℃ after separating the Fe_(3)O_(4)@C nanoparticles from the nanofluids via magnetic separation technology. Meanwhile, the obtained pure base liquids with high temperature flow to heat exchanger, which also reduces the flow resistance in pipeline and avoids the problems such as blockage and corrosion in heat exchanger. This research promotes a new way for the efficient utilization of solar energy.

Effect of Optical Microcavity on Absorption Behavior of Homo-Tandem Organic Solar Cells

The optical microcavity effect of the homo-tandem solar cells is explored utilizing the transfer matrix method. Ultrathin silver can reduce the deadzone effect compared with graphene and PH1000, and leads to a factor of 1.07 enhancement for an electrical field in a metal microcavity. The enhancement is considered to be the fact that strong exciton-photon coupling occurs in the microcavity due to ultrathin Ag. On the basis of the optical enhancement effect, optical behaviors are manipulated by varying the microcavity length. It is confirmed that ultrathin silver can serve as an ideal interconnection layer as the active layer is ～ 150nm thick and the thickness ratio between front and rear active layers lies between 1：1 and 1：2.

The Real Origin of Climate Change and the Feasibilities of Its Mitigation

The actual treatise represents a synopsis of six important previous contributions of the author, concerning atmospheric physics and climate change. Since this issue is influenced by politics like no other, and since the greenhouse-doctrine with CO2 as the culprit in climate change is predominant, the respective theory has to be outlined, revealing its flaws and inconsistencies. But beyond that, the author’s own contributions are focused and deeply discussed. The most eminent one concerns the discovery of the absorption of thermal radiation by gases, leading to warming-up, and implying a thermal radiation of gases which depends on their pressure. This delivers the final evidence that trace gases such as CO2 don’t have any influence on the behaviour of the atmosphere, and thus on climate. But the most useful contribution concerns the method which enables to determine the solar absorption coefficient βs of coloured opaque plates. It delivers the foundations for modifying materials with respect to their capability of climate mitigation. Thereby, the main influence is due to the colouring, in particular of roofs which should be painted, preferably light-brown (not white, from aesthetic reasons). It must be clear that such a drive for brightening-up the World would be the only chance of mitigating the climate, whereas the greenhouse doctrine, related to CO2, has to be abandoned. However, a global climate model with forecasts cannot be aspired to since this problem is too complex, and since several climate zones exist.

Ground-based remote sensing of atmospheric total column CO_2 and CH_4 by direct sunlight in Hefei

Fourier transform spectrometry has played an important role in the three-dimensional greenhouse gas monitoring as the focus of attention on global warming in the past few years. In this paper, a ground-based low-resolution remote sensing system measuring the total columns of CO2 and CH4 is developed, which tracks the sun automatically and records the spectra in real-time and has the advantages of portability and low cost. A spectral inversion algorithm based on nonlinear least squares spectral fitting procedure for determining the column concentrations of these species is described. Atmospheric transmittance spectra are computed line-by-line in the forward model and observed on-line by direct solar radiation. Also, the wavelength shifts are introduced and the influence of spectral resolution is discussed. Based on this system and algorithm, the vertical columns of O2, CO2, and CH4 are calculated from total atmospheric observation transmittance spectra in Hefei, and the results show that the column averaged dry-air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4 are measured with accuracies of 3.7% and 5%, respectively. Finally, the H2O columns are compared with the results observed by solar radiometer at the same site and the calculated correlation coefficient is 0.92, which proves that this system is suitable for field campaigns and used to monitor the local greenhouse gas sources under the condition of higher accuracy, indirectly.

Characteristics and application of road absorbing solar energy

If the heat of road surface can be stored in summer, the road surface temperature will be decreased to prevent permanent deformation of pavement. Besides, if the heat stored is released, it can supply heat for buildings or raise the road surface temperature for snow melting in winter. A road-solar energy system was built in this study, and the heat transfer mechanism and effect of the system were analyzed according to the monitored solar radiant heat, the solar energy absorbed by road and the heat stored by soil. The results showed that the road surface temperature was mainly affected by solar radiation, but the effect is hysteretic in nature. The temperature of the solar road surface was 3~C-6~C lower than that of the ordinary road surface. The temperature of the solar road along the vertical direction was 2~C-5~C lower than that of the ordinary road. The temperature difference increased as the distance to the heat transfer tubes decreased. The average solar collector efficiency of the system was 14.4%, and the average solar absorptivity of road surface was 36%.

Granular porous calcium carbonate particles for scalable and high-performance solar-driven thermochemical heat storage

Calcium carbonate is promising thermochemical heat storage material for next-generation solar power systems due to its high energy storage density,low cost,and high operation temperature.Researchers have tried to improve energy storage performances of calcium carbonate recently,but most researches focus on powders,which are not suitable for scalable applications.Here,novel granular porous calcium carbonate particles with very high solar absorptance,energy storage density,abrasive resistances,and energy storage rate are proposed for direct solar thermochemical heat storage.The average solar absorptance is improved by 234%compared with ordinary particles.Both cycle stability and abrasive resistances are excellent with almost no decay of energy storage density over 25 cycles nor apparent particle weight loss over 24 h of continuous operation insides a planetary ball mill.In addition,the decomposition temperature is reduced by 2.8%–5.6%while the reaction rate of heat storage is enhanced by 80%–205%depending on the CO_(2) partial pressure.The decomposition process of doped granular porous CaCO_(3) particles is found to involve three overlapping processes.This work provides new routes to achieve scalable direct solar thermochemical heat storage for next-generation high-temperature solar power systems.

Multi-objective evolutionary optimization and thermodynamics performance assessment of a novel time-dependent solar Li-Br absorption refrigeration cycle

This research paper aims to perform dynamics analysis,3E assessment including energy,exergy,exergoeconomic,and the multiobjective evolutionary optimization on a novel solar Li-Br absorption refrigeration cycle.The research is time-dependent,owing to solar radiation variability during different timelines.Theoretically,all the necessary thermodynamic,energy,and exergy equations are applied initially.This is followed by the thermoeconomic analysis,which takes place after defining the designing variables during the thermoeconomic optimization process and is presented together with the economic relations of the system and its thermoeconomic characteristics.Furthermore,the sensitivity analysis is undertaken,the source of system inefficiency is determined,the multi-objective evolutionary optimization of the whole system is carried out,and the optimal values are compared with the primary stage.Engineering Equation Solver(EES)software has been used to accomplish comprehensive analyses.As part of the validation process,the results of the research are compared with those published previously and are found to be relatively consistent.

Novel advances in metal-based solar absorber for photothermal vapor generation

Access to safe drinking water has become an extremely urgent research topic wo rldwide.In recent years,the technology of solar vapor generation has been extensively explored as a potential and effective strategy of transforming elements content in seawater.In this review,the basic concepts and theories of metal-based photothermal vapor generation device(PVGD) with excellent optical and thermal regulatory are introduced.In the view of optical regulation,how to achieve high-efficiency localized evaporation in different evaporation system(i.e.,volumetric solar heating and interface solar heating) is discussed;from the aspect of thermal regulation,the importance of selective absorption surface for interfacial PVGD is analyzed.Based on the above discussion and analysis,we summarize the challenges of metal-based desalination device.

Effect of light scattering on the performance of a direct absorption solar collector

Recently, a solar thermal collector often employs nanoparticle suspension to absorb the solar radiation directly by a working fluid as well as to enhance its thermal performance. The collector efficiency of a direct absorption solar collector （DASC） is very sensitive to optical properties of the working fluid, such as absorption and scattering coefficients. Most of the existing studies have neglected particle scattering by assuming that the size of nanoparticle suspension is much smaller than the wavelength of solar radiation （i.e., Rayleigh scattering is applicable）. If the nanoparticle suspension is made of metal, however, the scattering cross-section of metallic nanoparticles could be comparable to their absorption cross-section depending on the particle size, especially when the localized surface plasmon （LSP） is excited. Therefore, for the DASC utilizing a plasmonic nanofluid supporting the LSP, light scattering from metallic particle suspension must be taken into account in the thermal analysis. The present study investigates the scattering effect on the thermal performance of the DASC employing plasmonic nanofluid as a working fluid. In the analysis, the Monte Carlo method is employed to numerically solve the radiative transfer equation considering the volume scatter- ing inside the nanofluid. It is found that the light scattering can improve the collector performance if the scattering coefficient of nanofluid is carefully engineered depending on its value of the absorption coefficient.

Enhanced spectral splitting in a novel solar spectrum optical splitter based on one dimensional photonic crystal heterostructure

Controlling the distribution of solar spectrum in different bands would boost the energy harvesting efficiency and optimize the energy dispatchability.1D photonic crystal with intrinsic optical band gap can be used to split the solar spectrum for hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar applications.Here,we designed an efficient solar spectrum optical filter based on a cermet layer,Si/SiO_(2)1D photonic crystal,and top heterostructure layer.Compared with 1D photonic crystal structure,the 1D photonic crystal heterostructure with top YSZ layer can realize the reflectance of greater than 92%in PV band and the low average reflectance in two thermal bands by tuning the effective impedance of multilayer films.The enhanced reflectance in PV band results from the huge mismatching of impedance between free space and the heterostructure structure.The top dielectric layer can also be extended to other oxides.

THE ABSORPTION OF SOLAR RADIATION BY AEROSOL ATMOSPHERE

The two-stream approximation is applied to solve the multiple scattered radiation transfer equations for an inhomogeneous aerosol atmosphere.The accurate absorption of water vapor,ozone,carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen is calculated.Calculations have been carried out band by band for the beating rate of atmosphere.The results show that the effect of aerosols on solar heating of the atmosphere is significant.

Enhancement of solar cells parameters by periodic nanocylinders

Optical absorption in thin-film solar cells can be improved by using surface plasmons for guiding and confining the light on the nanoscale.We report theoretical and simulation studies of a-Si thin-film solar cells with silver nanocylinders on the surface.We found that surface plasmons increased the cells＇ spectral response over almost the entire studied solar spectrum.In the ultraviolet range and at wavelengths close to the Si band gap we observed a significant enhancement of the absorption for both thin-film and wafer-based structures.We also performed optimization studies of particle size,inter-particle distance,and dielectric environment,for obtaining maximal absorption within the substrate.A blue-shift of the resonance wavelength with increasing inter-particle distance was observed in the visible range.Cell performance improved at optimal spacing,which strongly depended on the nanoparticle size.Increasing the nanocylinder size was accompanied by the widening of the plasmon resonance band and a red-shift of the plasmon resonance peaks.A weak red-shift and plasmon peak enhancement were observed in the reflectance curve with increasing refractive index of the dielectric spacer.

Flat Absorber Phosphorous Black Nickel Coatings for Space Applications

A new process of flat absorber black nickel alloy coating tion from a bath containing nickel, zinc and ammonium was developed on stainless steel by electrodeposi- sulphates; thiocyanate and sodium hypophosphite for space applications. Coating process was optimized by investigating the effects of plating parameters, viz concentration of bath constituents, current density, temperature, pH and plating time on the optical properties of the black deposits. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed the inclusion of about 6% phosphorous in the coating. The scanning electron microscopy studies revealed the amorphous nature of the coating. The corrosion resistance of the coatings was evaluated by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） and linear polarization （LP） techniques. The results revealed that, phosphorous addition confers better corro- sion resistance in comparison to conventional black nickel coatings. The black nickel coating obtained from hypophosphite bath provides high solar absorptance （αs） and infrared emittance （εIR） of the order of 0.93. Environmental stability to space applications was established by the humidity and thermal cycling tests.

Recent advances on perfect light absorbers and their promise for high-performance opto-electronic devices[Invited]

Perfect absorbers(PAs)are devices that can efficiently absorb electromagnetic waves.Great attention has been attracted since metamaterial PAs(MPAs)were first proposed in 2008.In recent years,with the development of nanophotonics and the improvement of nanomanufacturing technology,considerable progresses have been achieved in designing MPAs using new materials and new structures.In this review,we summarized first the latest developments of PAs from five directions:dualband,multi-band,wideband,narrow-band,and tunable light absorption.The shortcomings of the previous PAs and the latest improvements were introduced as well.Then,the application of perfect absorption in solar cells,sensors,switches,and structural colors was discussed.Finally,we presented the main challenges and prospects in these fields.Novel PAs for applications in a wide field of opto-electronic devices will continuously progress with breakthrough advances in absorbers related technology and science.