Bioinspired design of integral molded Janus silk fibroin-MXene evaporator for efficient solar vapor generation

Solar vapor generation is a promising sustainable technology that uses solar distillation to produce fresh water from seawater and wastewater,helping relieve global water resource shortage.Here,inspired by naturally grown integrally molded mulberry leaves with a Janus hydrophilic and hydrophobic structure,a novel,simple,and efficient integrated molding method is proposed to break through the limitations of the traditional split manufacturing strategy and realizes the integrated formation of Janus evaporator.Based on the spontaneous sedimentation characteristics of MXene in silk fibroin solution and its regulation of mesoscopic structure and hydrophilicity of silk fibroin,layered structures with different compositions and hydrophilicities were obtained in one step.Meanwhile,ethanol and glutaraldehyde were added to construct a physical crystallization-chemical crosslinking dual stabilization structure in silk fibroin.Our evaporator has the evaporation rate of 3.07 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1) and the efficiency of 86.8%under 1 sun and maintains high evaporation performance under various extreme test conditions including vigorous washing,repeated compression,and high-intensity ultraviolet(UV)irradiation.Additionally,the evaporator performs well in practical application scenarios,its evaporation rate in the simulated Dead Sea seawater exceeds 2.13 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1),and more than 99.9%of the salt,heavy metal ions,oil pollution,and dyes are purified.

Fibrous Aerogels with Tunable Superwettability for High-Performance Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an emerging technology for water desalination.Generally,double-layered structure with separate surface wettability properties is usually employed for evaporator construction.However,creating materials with tunable properties is a great challenge because the wettability of existing materials is usually monotonous.Herein,we report vinyltrimethoxysilane as a single molecular unit to hybrid with bacterial cellulose(BC)fibrous network,which can be built into robust aerogel with entirely distinct wettability through controlling assembly pathways.Siloxane groups or carbon atoms are exposed on the surface of BC nanofibers,resulting in either superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic aerogels.With this special property,single component-modified aerogels could be integrated into a double-layered evaporator for water desalination.Under 1 sun,our evaporator achieves high water evaporation rates of 1.91 and 4.20 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)under laboratory and outdoor solar conditions,respectively.Moreover,this aerogel evaporator shows unprecedented lightweight,structural robustness,long-term stability under extreme conditions,and excellent salt-resistance,highlighting the advantages in synthesis of aerogel materials from the single molecular unit.

Polysulfide nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide composite aerogel for efficient solar-driven water purification

Along with the environmental pollution, the scarcity of clean water seriously threatens the sustainable development of human society.Recently, the rapid development of solar evaporators has injected new vitality into the field of water purification. However, the industry faces a considerable challenge of achieving comprehensive purification of ions, especially the efficient removal of mercury ions. In this work, we introduce an ideal mercury-removal platform based on facilely and cost-effectively synthesized polysulfide nanoparticles(PSNs). Further development of PSN-functionalized reduced graphene oxide(PSN-rGO) aerogel evaporator results in achieving a high evaporation rate of 1.55 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)with energy efficiency of 90.8% under 1 sun. With the merits of interconnected porous structure and adsorption ability, the photothermal aerogel presents overall purification of heavy metal ions from wastewater. During solar desalination, salt ions can be rejected with long-term stability. Compared with traditional water purification technologies, this highly efficient solar evaporator provides a new practical method to utilize clean energy for clean water production.

Morphology and efficiency enhancements of PTB7-Th:ITIC nonfullerene organic solar cells processed via solvent vapor annealing

The nanoscale morphology within the photoactive layer of organic solar cells is critical in determining the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we draw attention to the roles of molecular arrangement, and domain size in improving performance, which can be tuned by subjecting the photovoltaic materials to solvent vapor annealing (SVA). In our PTB7-Th:ITIC devices, the PCE can be improved by exposing the device to solvent vapor for 60 s after solution casting. The solvent vapor prolongs reorganizational time and increases molecular ordering and domain size/phase separation, which are sub-optimal in pristine PTB7-Th:ITIC blend films. This improved morphology results in better charge mobility, reduced recombination, and ultimately an improved PCE from 7.1% to 7.9% when using CS2 as the annealing solvent. This simple SVA technique can be applied to a range of OPV systems where the molecular ordering is inferior within the as-cast photoactive layer.

Effects of cloud,atmospheric water vapor,and dust on photosynthetically active radiation and total solar radiation in a Mongolian grassland

Photosynthetically active radiation （PAR） is an important input parameter for estimating plant produc- tivity due to its key role in the growth and development of plants. However, a worldwide routine network for sys- tematic PAR measurements is not yet established, and PAR is often calculated as a constant fraction of total solar radiation （SR）. Although the ratio of PAR to SR （PAR/SR） has been reported from many places, few studies have been performed for dry regions. The present study was therefore carried out in an arid region of Mongolia to obtain PAP-JSR and examine its dependency on sky clearness （the clearness index）, water vapor in the atmosphere and aeolian dust. Continuous measurements of PAR and SR were taken every one second using quantum and pyranometer sensors, respectively, and the readings were averaged and recorded at intervals of 30 minutes for a period of 12 months. The lowest monthly mean daily PAR/SR occurred in April （0.420）, while the highest ratio was observed in July （0.459）. Mean daily PAR/SR during plant growing season （May-August） was estimated to be 0.442, which could be useful for modeling plant productivity in the study area. The annual mean daily PAR/SR （0.435） was lower than the values reported in many previous studies. This difference could be explained with the regional variation in climate： i.e. drier climatic condition in the study area. PAR/SR was negatively correlated with the clearness index （r= -0.36, P〈0.001）, but positively with atmospheric water vapor pressure （r=0.47, P〈0.001）. The average PAR/SR was significantly lower （P=0.02） on the dusty days compared to the non-dust days. Water vapor in the atmosphere was shown to be the strongest factor in the variation of PAR/SR. This is the first study examining PAR/SR under a semi-arid condition in Mongolia.

GaInP/GaInAs/GaInNAs/Ge Four-Junction Solar Cell Grown by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition with High Efficiency

We directly grow a lattice matched GalnP/GalnAs/GalnNAs/Ge （1.88 eVil .42 eVil .05 eV/0.67eV） four-junction （4J） solar cell on a Ge substrate by the metal organic chemical vapor deposition technology. To solve the current limit of the GalnNAs sub cell, we design three kinds of anti-reflection coatings and adjust the base region thickness of the GalnNAs sub cell. Developed by a series of experiments, the external quantum efficiency of the GalnNAs sub cell exceeds 80%, and its current density reaches 11.24 mA/cm2. Therefore the current limit of the 4J solar cell is significantly improved. Moreover, we discuss the difference of test results between 4J and GalnP/GalnAs/Ge solar cells under the 1 sun AMO spectrum.

Application of Exergy for Research on Increasing the Usefulness of Solar Radiation by Dispersing It into Monochromatic Beams

Energy determines the ability of matter to work. However, in the given environment, the real usefulness to perform work is determined by exergy. This study covers not only solar, but also any monochromatic thermal radiation. The value of such radiation was determined by its exergy and the ratio of its exergy-to-energy. A novelty in this work is to demonstrate by means of exergy that the usefulness of thermal polychromatic radiation can be increased by its dispersion to monochromatic radiation. This effect is the greater, the lower the temperature of the radiation. Analogies of this effect to the exergetic effect of gas separation have been indicated. The effect of the increase in exergy in the process of radiation dispersion was interpreted by means of a cylinder-piston system that explains this effect with the influence of environmental radiation. The concept of quasi-monochromatic and cumulated radiation was introduced into dispersion considerations and the change in the energetic, entropic and environmental components of the exergy of radiation beams was analyzed. Considerations were illustrated with appropriate examples of calculations considering dispersion of high-temperature radiation, such as extraterrestrial solar radiation and dispersion of low-temperature radiation from water vapor.

三维整体式碳基光热转换材料在太阳能界面水蒸发中的应用研究进展

光热驱动的海水淡化技术被认为是最具潜力的解决全球淡水资源短缺难题的方法之一。其中,太阳能界面水蒸发(SVG)是海水淡化效率的核心过程,是保证光热海水淡化技术具有能量转换效率高、设备简单、成本效益高的关键。在所有高效SVG候选材料中,三维整体式碳基光热转换材料具有成本低、吸光效率高、结构可调性好、水蒸发速率高、无二次污染等优点。本综述首先简述了SVG的基本原理,以此为依据介绍了高效SVG材料的工作机制和设计原则,最后系统归纳和概述了4种不同类型的三维整体式碳基光热转换材料的研究进展。本综述为未来三维整体式碳基光热转换材料的构建及其在SVG领域的应用研究提供理论基础和研究指导。

水蒸气对碘化铅薄膜作用的实验研究

PSC(钙钛矿太阳能电池)被认为是具有潜力的第三代光伏电池,并具备取代硅电池的可能。然而,钙钛矿薄膜制备时难以控制的结晶过程阻碍着它的大规模生产和商业化进程。因此,提出两步法分步沉积碘化铅和甲基碘化铵薄膜,该方法的成膜质量很大程度上取决于第一步沉积的碘化铅层薄膜形貌。为了研究高质量的碘化铅薄膜制备方法,观察高湿度环境下碘化铅薄膜的形貌变化,对比实验前后的碘化铅薄膜的晶体质量,发现水蒸气对碘化铅薄膜形貌具有调控作用。实验结果表明,水蒸气与碘化铅晶体之间存在某种化学作用,从而导致碘化铅的重结晶。在高湿度环境下,合适的作用时间可以改善碘化铅薄膜,为提升钙钛矿薄膜的质量提供思路。

n-Ga_(2)O_(3)/p-GaAs异质结日盲紫外探测器制备

采用金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)工艺在p-GaAs(100)衬底上外延了Ga_(2)O_(3)薄膜并制备了n-Ga_(2)O_(3)/p-GaAs异质结日盲紫外探测器。通过X射线衍射仪、原子力显微镜、场发射扫描电子显微镜等方法对Ga_(2)O_(3)薄膜表面形貌、晶体质量进行了测试与分析。结果表明,Ga_(2)O_(3)薄膜呈单一晶向,薄膜表面平整且为Volmer-Weber模式外延。测试表明,n-Ga_(2)O_(3)/p-GaAs异质结探测器具有明显的整流特性。器件在5 V反向偏压和紫外光(254 nm)照射下实现了超过3.0×10^(4)的光暗电流比、7.0 A/W的响应度、3412%的外量子效率、4.6×10^(13)Jones的探测率。我们利用TCAD软件对器件结构进行仿真,得到了器件内的电场分布和能带结构,并分析了器件的工作原理。该异质结探测器性能较好,制造工艺简单,为Ga_(2)O_(3)超灵敏日盲紫外探测器的研制提供了新途径。

硅基SiC薄膜制备与应用研究进展

碳化硅(SiC)材料具有极为优良的物理、化学及电学性能,可满足在高温、高腐蚀等极端条件下的应用,碳化硅还是极端工作条件下微机电系统(MEMS)的主要候选材料,成为国际上新材料、微电子和光电子领域研究的热点。同时,碳化硅有与硅同属立方晶系的同质异形体,可与硅工艺技术相结合制备出适应大规模集成电路需要的硅基器件,因此用硅晶片作为衬底制备碳化硅薄膜的工作受到研究人员的特别重视。本文综述了近年来国内外硅基碳化硅薄膜的研究现状,就其制备方法进行了系统的介绍,主要包括各种化学气相沉积(Chemical vapor deposition,CVD)法和物理气相沉积(Physical vapor deposition,PVD)法,并归纳了对硅基碳化硅薄膜性能的研究,包括杨氏模量、硬度、薄膜反射率、透射率、发光性能、电阻、压阻、电阻率和电导率等,以及其在微机电系统传感器、生物传感器和太阳能电池等领域的应用,最后对硅基碳化硅薄膜未来的发展进行了展望。

MoO_(3)界面修饰提升刮涂钙钛矿太阳电池性能

在空穴传输层Spiro-OMeTAD和Ag电极之间引入三氧化钼(MoO_(3))空穴修饰层,并研究其对空气中刮涂的钙钛矿太阳电池光伏性能的影响,结合导电性测试、稳态光致发光光谱和水接触角测试等探究其影响机制。实验和测试结果表明MoO_(3)可提升空穴传输能力和减小界面电阻,同时对下方的Spiro-OMeTAD及钙钛矿起到保护作用,可减缓空气中水氧侵蚀。基于MoO_(3)界面修饰层的在空气中刮涂制备的钙钛矿太阳电池光电转换效率由15.14%提升至18.30%,尤其是填充因子的平均值由60%提升至76%,电池稳定性得到改善,未封装电池在400 h后仍保持初始效率的90%。

TOPCon太阳电池单面沉积Poly-Si的工艺研究

目前隧穿氧化层钝化接触(TOPCon)电池制造技术越来越成熟,所耗成本不断降低。行业内普遍采用低压化学气相沉积(LPCVD)方式进行双面沉积或单面沉积。单面沉积存在Poly-Si绕镀问题,严重影响电池片转化效率和外观质量,同时正面绕镀层去除难度较大,在用碱溶液去除绕镀层的同时,存在绕镀层去除不彻底或者非绕镀区域P^(+)层被腐蚀的风险,导致P^(+)发射极受损,严重影响电池片外观质量与性能。双面沉积可避免上述问题,但产能减少一半,制造成本增加。本文对单面沉积Poly-Si工艺及绕镀层去除工艺进行研究,在TOPCon电池正面及背面制作了一层合适厚度的氧化层掩膜,搭配合适的清洗工艺、去绕镀清洗工艺,既可有效地去除P^(+)层绕镀的Poly-Si,也可很好地保护正面P^(+)层及背面掺杂Poly-Si层不受破坏,同时可大幅提升产能。

Photoinduced degradation of organic solar cells with different microstructures

An in situ measurement setup is established to investigate the photoinduced degradation effects in a controllable inert gas ambient environment for the two different microstructures of poly（3-hexylthiophene） （P3HT） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61- butyricacid methyl ester （PCBM） bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells. The two devices are fabricated with the solvent vapor drying process followed by a thermal annealing （vapor drying device） and only a normal thermal annealing process （control device）, respectively. Their power conversion efficiencies （PCEs） and aging features are compared. Their different degradation behaviors in light absorption are confirmed. In addition, irradiation-induced changes in both nanostructure and surface morphology of the P3HT：PCBM blend films treated with two different fabrication processes are observed through scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Aggregated bulbs are observed at the surfaces for control devices after light irradiation for 50 h, while the vapor drying devices exhibit smooth film surfaces, and the corresponding device features are not easy to degrade under the aging measurement. Thus the devices having solvent vapor drying and thermal annealing show better device stabilities than those having only the thermal annealing process.

Enhanced performance of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells with double indium content

The performance of a multiple quantum well （MQW） InGaN solar cell with double indium content is investigated. It is found that the adoption of a double indium structure can effectively broaden the spectral response of the external quantum efficiencies and optimize the overall performance of the solar cell. Under AM1.5G illumination, the short-circuit current density （Jsc） and conversion efficiency of the solar cell are enhanced by 65% and 13% compared with those of a normal single-indium-content MQW solar cell. These improvements are mainly attributed to the expansion of the absorption spectrum and better extraction efficiency of the photon-generated carriers induced by higher polarization.

Application of Renewable Energy Options—The Role of Solar Adsorption Cooling Technology

High energy requirement of vapor compression cooling systems in addition to harmful refrigerants further necessitates the increasing need for more reliable, flexible, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient cooling systems options. Adsorption cooling technology could be a better option in terms of huge energy saving potential, Carbon emission reduction, flexibility, and waste heat utilization. There are, however, some setbacks that hindered adsorption cooling technology from real mass production and commercialization. This work seeks to study, evaluate and compare the energy requirement and coefficient of performance of solar-powered adsorption cooling system (as an application of renewable energy) in relation to vapor compression system. Adsorbate/adsorbent equilibrium test (using a test rig) was used to predict the performance of thermal driven adsorption cooling system using methanol/activated carbon (as adsorbate/adsorbent pair) in relation to similar data obtained from laboratory vapor compression refrigeration test rig (same mass of refrigerant). For the adsorption cooling system and vapor compression system, the energy requirements were found to be 1913.57 kJ and 8932.02 kJ while the coefficient of performance (COP)s were found to be 0.39 and 1.2 respectively. Presumably, the adsorption cooling system has an energy requirement that could be powered by direct solar thermal heating using a flat plate collector, however, the COP is relatively lower indicating lower cooling capacity, and hence takes a longer period of time to overcome the same cooling load as vapor compression system. It is recommended among other things that research should focus on developing better adsorbate/adsorbent pairs for an increased adsorption/desorption time.

Structural and optical properties of tellurium films obtained by chemical vapor deposition(CVD)

Tellurium thin films were prepared by the chemical vapor deposition method. The structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the Te thin films were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, FTIR transmission, UV/VIS/NIR transmission and reflectance. The results show that the films structural and optical properties are influenced by many factors such as film thickness, crystallite size and substrate temperature. The films as thick as 111?133 nm have high IR transmission across the full 8?13 μm band and highly blocking in the solar spectral region elsewhere, which indicates that Te films thickness in this region can be used as good solar radiation shields in radiative cooling devices.

Effect of emitter layer doping concentration on the performance of a silicon thin film heterojunction solar cell

A novel type of n/i/i/p heterojunction solar cell with a-Si：H（15 nm）/a-Si：H（10 nm）/epitaxial c-Si（47 p.m）/epitaxial c-Si（3 um） structure is fabricated by using the layer transfer technique, and the emitter layer is deposited by hot wire chemical vapour deposition. The effect of the doping concentration of the emitter layer Sd （Sd=PH3/（PH3 ＋SiH4＋H2）） on the performance of the solar cell is studied by means of current density-voltage and external quantum efficiency. The results show that the conversion efficiency of the solar cell first increases to a maximum value and then decreases with Sd increasing from 0.1% to 0.4%. The best performance of the solar cell is obtained at Sd = 0.2% with an open circuit voltage of 534 mV, a short circuit current density of 23.35 mA/cm2, a fill factor of 63.3%, and a conversion efficiency of 7.9%.

Effect of dual annealing upon photovoltaic properties of polymer solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)

A dual annealing method comprised of toluene vapor treatment and post thermal annealing was employed to fabricate polymer solar cells （PSCs） based on poly（3-hexylthiophene） （P3HT） and [ 6,6 J-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） film. It is found that the P3HT crystallinity and chain ordering can be dramatically enhanced by this annealing process as compared with the films treated merely with solvent vapor annealing, which is verified by a higher X-ray diffraction intensity peak and clearly visible fibrillar crystalline domains of P3HT. The result suggests that a favorable e- quilibrium condition was established by dual annealing in the morphology reorganization. Due to the morphological improvement of active layer, the dually annealed PSCs show better overall perform- ances, with a mean power conversion efficiency of 4. 06% and an increase in each electrical parame- ter, than any solely annealed ones.