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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) have niche prospects for electricity-generating windows that could equip buildings for energy-sustainable future cities.
Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} film electrodes have been successfully sensitized with CdS QDs. • DSSC based on CdS QDs-sensitized TiO{sub 2} film with 4 min has the highest efficiency. • CdS QDs can improve the electron transport and reduce the electron recombination. • Our work open up a new avenue for the development of DSSCs. - Abstract: The TiO{sub 2} film electrodes sensitized with CdS quantum dots (QDs) via chemical bath deposition method were successfully prepared as the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Microstructural characterizations by XRD, SEM, TEM and EDX show that the CdS nanocrystals with the cubic structure have intimate contact to the TiO{sub 2} films. The amount of CdS QDs can be controlled by varying the dipping time. The experiment results demonstrate that the CdS QDs-sensitized solar cells show a wider absorption in the solar spectrum and an enhanced surface photovoltage response. The maximal photoelectric conversion efficiency of 5.57% was achieved by the DSSC based on CdS QDs-sensitized TiO{sub 2} film with 4 min. The performance improvement is ascribed to the enhancement of electron transport, the reduction of electron recombination and the long electron lifetime.
This study demonstrates a measurement system for a non-degenerate two-photon absorption (NDTPA) spectrum. The NDTPA light sources are a white light super continuum beam (WLSC, 500 ∼ 720 nm) and a fundamental beam (798 nm) from a Ti:Sapphire laser. A reliable broadband NDTPA spectrum is acquired in a single-shot detection procedure using a 128-channel lock-in amplifier. The NDTPA spectra for several common laser dyes are measured. Two photon absorption cross section enhancements are found in the experiment and validated by theoretical calculation for all of the chromophores.
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A rapid solvothermal approach was used to synthesize aligned 1D single-crystal rutile TiO2 nanowire (NW) arrays on transparent conducting substrates as electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells. The NW arrays showed a more than 200 times faster charge transport (see picture) and a factor four lower defect state density than conventional rutile nanoparticle films.
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Nanosecond laser flash photolysis and photocurrent measurements have been used to investigate use of [(Ru(bpy)2(4,4'-(PO3H2)2bpy)]2+ attached to TiO2 nanoparticle films, TiO2-RuII, in a dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell (DSPEC) configuration for H2 production. In these experiments, laser flash excitation of TiO2-RuII and rapid injection lead to TiO2(e-)-RuIII with subsequent TiO2(e-)-RuIII → TiO2-RuII back electron transfer monitored on the nsec time scale with and without added triethanolamine (TEOA) and deprotonated ethylenediaminetetraacetic tetra-anion (EDTA4-) as irreversible electron transfer donors. With added TEOA or EDTA4-, a competition exists between back electron transfer and scavenger oxidation with the latter leading to H2 production in the photoelectrosynthesis cell. Reduction of TiO2(e-)-RuIII by both TEOA and EDTA4- occurs with kD ~ 106 M-1 s-1. EDTA4- is a more efficient scavenger by a factor of ~3 because of a more favorable partition equilibrium between the film and the external solution. Its increased scavenger efficiency appears in incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) measurements, in electron collection efficiencies (ηcoll), and in photocurrent measurements with H2 production. Evaluation of electron collection efficiencies by transient current measurements gave ηcoll ~ 24% for TEOA and ~ 70% for EDTA4-. The dynamics of back electron transfer are minimized, and collection efficiencies, photocurrents, and hydrogen production are maximized by application of a positive applied bias consistent with the results of I-V measurements. A pH dependent plateau is reached at ~0 V at pH = 4.5 (EDTA4-) and at ~ -0.4 V at pH 6.7 (TEOA). The difference is qualitatively consistent with the influence of pH on electron population in trap states below the conduction band and the role they play in back electron transfer. The excitation dependence of IPCE measurements matches the spectrum of TiO2-RuII with IPCE values ~3 times higher for EDTA4- than for TEOA as noted above. Absorbed photon-to-current efficiency (APCE) values are light-intensity dependent because of the effect of multiple injection events and the influence of increasing trap site electron densities on back electron transfer. The key to efficient H2 production is minimizing back electron transfer. Application of a sufficiently positive potential relative to ECB for TiO2 accelerates loss of electrons from the film in competition with back electron transfer allowing for H2 production with efficiencies approaching 14.7% under steady-state irradiation.
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are coated with subnanometer oxide coatings to prevent device degradation in ambient humidity and high temperatures.
The simultaneous, concerted transfer of electrons and protons—electron-proton transfer (EPT)—is an important mechanism utilized in chemistry and biology to avoid high energy intermediates. There are many examples of thermally activated EPT in ground-state reactions and in excited states following photoexcitation and thermal relaxation. Here we report application of ultrafast excitation with absorption and Raman monitoring to detect a photochemically driven EPT process (photo-EPT). In this process, both electrons and protons are transferred during the absorption of a photon. Photo-EPT is induced by intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) excitation of hydrogen-bonded-base adducts with either a coumarin dye or 4-nitro-4'-biphenylphenol. Femtosecond transient absorption spectral measurements following ICT excitation reveal the appearance of two spectroscopically distinct states having different dynamical signatures. One of these states corresponds to a conventional ICT excited state in which the transferring H⁺ is initially associated with the proton donor. Proton transfer to the base (B) then occurs on the picosecond time scale. The other state is an ICT-EPT photoproduct. Upon excitation it forms initially in the nuclear configuration of the ground state by application of the Franck–Condon principle. However, due to the change in electronic configuration induced by the transition, excitation is accompanied by proton transfer with the protonated base formed with a highly elongated ⁺H–B bond. Coherent Raman spectroscopy confirms the presence of a vibrational mode corresponding to the protonated base in the optically prepared state.
Electrospun copper based composite nanofibers were synthesized using the copper acetate/polyvinyl alcohol/water solution as starting material. Synthesized composite nanofibers were sintered at 500 Degree-Sign C to obtain CuO nanofibers. XRD, FTIR and XPS techniques were used to confirm the presence of pure CuO nanostructures. The effect of annealing cycle on the crystalline structure of the CuO nanofibers was analyzed and observed that the decrease in crystallite size with an increase in the dwelling time improved the orientation of the CuO crystallite. The blue-shift in the band-gap energies of CuO nanofibers was observed as a result of quantum confinement from bulk CuO (1.2 eV) to one dimensional (1D) nanostructures ({approx}1.746 eV). The catalytic activity of the CuO fibers for the degradation of methyl orange was carried out and as a blocking layer in ZnO based DSSC was fabricated and observed a {approx}25% increase in the current density. - Graphical abstract: The study on the suitability of highly crystalline CuO nanofibers as the blocking layer in ZnO based DSSC was demonstrated and fabricated with possible energy applications. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CuO nanofibers were successfully synthesized by using electrospinning technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effect of the dwelling time of the annealing cycle for the formation of the crystallite CuO nanofibers was analyzed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A 25% increase in the current density was observed with the application of CuO as blocking layer.
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Film star: Preformed self-assembled 3D photonic crystals (see picture) can be infilled with a polycarbonate matrix for mechanical stability and transferred onto rough and porous optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Here, this technique allows the incorporation of photonic crystals onto independently processed devices, in which the transferred films have high optical quality.
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