Science Daily March 21, 2023 Parallel sunlight-driven catalytic conversion of CO2 and protons to syngas is a key step toward a sustainable energy cycle. State-of-the-art catalytic systems and materials often fall short as application-oriented concurrent CO and H2 evolution requires challenging reaction conditions which can hamper stability, selectivity, and efficiency. Researchers in Germany engineered a light-harvesting metal-organic framework hosting two molecular catalysts to yield colloidal, water-stable, versatile nanoreactors for photocatalytic syngas generation with highly controllable product ratios. In-depth fluorescence, X-ray, and microscopic studies paired with kinetic analysis show that the host delivers energy efficiently to active sites, conceptually yielding nanozymes. […]
Tag Archives: Renewable energy
Team develops strategy to regulate light absorption behaviors of titanium oxo clusters
Phys.org January 23, 2023 Researchers in China constructed two heterometallic clusters to improve the solar absorption and performance of titanium oxo clusters. Their studies indicated that these structures exhibited enhanced visible-light absorption and significantly reduced optical band gaps which could be mainly attributed to the introduction of electron-rich molybdenum (Mo) pairs as heterometals. They found that the electron-rich Mo–Mo pairs could be introduced to titanium oxo clusters to enhance visible-light absorption. They attributed the reduction in the band gaps to the introduction of electron-rich Mo-Mo pairs as heterometals. They also found that the bands shift effectively toward the visible-light region. […]
Self-repairing healing solar cells recovering in the dark of the night
Nanowerk January 4, 2023 Perovskite solar cells degrade when exposed to sunlight, which results in decreasing performance over time. An international team of researchers (Sweden, Israel) demonstrated that metal halide perovskite solar cells, which degrade in sunlight, can rebuild their efficiency at night, when it’s dark. They exposed single crystals of lead-based metal halide perovskites to powerful lasers, which made them lose their ability to glow. However, they found that the material regained its photoluminescence following some recuperation time in darkness. They observed this in a solar cell’s thin, multicrystalline layer and the other one in single crystals. It is […]
Paper-thin solar cell can turn any surface into a power source (w/video)
Nanowerk December 10, 2022 To date, demonstrations of ultra-thin photovoltaics have been limited to small-scale devices, often prepared on glass carrier substrates with only a few layers solution-processed. Researchers at MIT have demonstrated large-area, ultra-thin organic photovoltaic (PV) modules produced with scalable solution-based printing processes for all layers. They were transferred onto lightweight and high-strength composite fabrics, resulting in durable fabric-PV systems ∼50 microns thin, weighing under 1 gram over the module are, and having a specific power of 370 W kg−1. Integration of the ultra-thin modules onto composite fabrics lends mechanical resilience to allow the fabric-PV systems to maintain […]
Nanoparticles increase light scattering, boost solar cell performance
Phys.org August 3, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – Pennsylvania State University, Australia, Italy) has demonstrated that adding any nanomaterial to solar material boosts its efficiency because of the enhanced light scattering as confirmed by theoretical calculations. Adding the nanoparticles boosted the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by 1% in the study. Redistribution of the optical field and consequently a homogenization of the optical field can lead to a reduced photocarrier loss and provide a noticeable photocurrent enhancement (ca. 7%), which explains the general photocurrent improvement in solar cells with nanomaterials…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Photovoltaics: Fully scalable all-perovskite tandem solar modules
Science Daily July 14, 2022 Researchers in Germany have developed a prototype for fully scalable all-perovskite tandem solar modules which have an efficiency of up to 19.1 percent with an aperture area of 12.25 square centimeters. The improved efficiency was realized with optimized light paths, high-throughput laser scribing, and the use of established industrial coating methods. Perovskite solar cells with a tunable band gap are ideal tandem partners for solar cells made of other materials and for all-perovskite tandem solar cells. They were able to scale up individual perovskite cells with an efficiency of up to 23.5 percent .They feature […]
Power up: New polymer property could boost accessible solar power
Science Daily June 6, 2022 The function of many biomolecules is directly linked to their chirality. Chiral molecules assemble into chiral structures (like nucleic acids forming DNA), and achiral molecules assemble into achiral structures. Researchers at the University of Illinois have observed structural chirality emerging in achiral conjugated polymers. They combined achiral conjugated polymers with a solvent then added the solution, drop by drop, to a microscope slide. As the solvent molecules evaporated, leaving the polymers behind, the solution became more and more concentrated. Soon, the compressed achiral polymers began self-assembling to form structures. They can be used to design […]
Scientists Have Powered a Basic Computer With Just Algae For Over 6 Months
Science Alert May 13, 2022 An international team of researchers (UK, Italy, Norway New Zealand) has developed a bio-photovoltaic energy harvester system using photosynthetic microorganisms on an aluminium anode that can power a microprocessor widely used in Internet of Things applications. The proposed energy harvester has operated the microprocessor for over six months in a domestic environment under ambient light. It is comparable in size to an AA battery, and is built using common, durable, inexpensive, and largely recyclable materials… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
UCLA materials scientists lead global team in finding solutions to biggest hurdle for solar cell technology
EurekAlert March 15, 2022 Optoelectronic devices consist of heterointerfaces formed between dissimilar semiconducting materials. The relative energy level alignment between contacting semiconductors determinately affects the heterointerface charge injection and extraction dynamics. For perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the heterointerface between the top perovskite surface and a charge-transporting material (CTM) is often treated for defect passivation to improve PSC stability and performance. However, such surface treatments could also affect the heterointerface energetics. An international team of researchers (USA – UCLA, UC Irvine, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan) has shown that surface treatments may induce a negative work function shift (i.e., more n-type), which […]
Spinning electricity under the sky
Nanowerk March 8, 2022 In thermoelectric materials the hot side can be easily obtained by excess heat. Since thermoelectric voltage is proportional to the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides, efficient passive cooling to increase the temperature gradient is of critical importance. Researchers in Japan have designed a magnetic hybrid system where radiative cooling occurs at the top, as heat is lost from a material in the form of infrared radiation, while solar radiation is absorbed at the bottom. They demonstrated this concept by using the spin Seebeck effect. The device shows the highest thermoelectric voltage when both […]