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
Tag Archives: Renewable energy
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 […]
Wide-visible-light-responsive photocatalyst boosts solar water splitting
Phys.org January 31, 2022 Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been widely investigated as a photocatalyst or photoanode for solar water splitting, but its activity is hindered by inefficient cocatalysts and limited understanding of the underlying mechanism. An international team of researchers (China, Japan) demonstrated significantly enhanced water oxidation on the particulate BiVO4 photocatalyst via in situ facet-selective photodeposition of dual-cocatalysts that exist separately as metallic Ir nanoparticles and nanocomposite of FeOOH and CoOOH (denoted as FeCoOx), as revealed by advanced techniques. The mechanism of water oxidation promoted by the dual-cocatalysts is experimentally and theoretically unraveled, and mainly ascribed to the synergistic […]
Making clean hydrogen is hard, but researchers just solved a major hurdle
Phys.org July 19, 2021 To create electrically conductive paths through a thick silicon dioxide researchers at UT Austin used a technique first deployed in the manufacturing of semiconductor electronic chips. By coating the silicon dioxide layer with a thin film of aluminum and heating the entire structure, arrays of nanoscale “spikes” of aluminum that completely bridge the silicon dioxide layer were created. These can be replaced by nickel or other materials that help catalyze the water-splitting reactions. When illuminated by sunlight, the devices efficiently oxidized water to form oxygen molecules while also generating hydrogen at a separate electrode and exhibited […]
Scientists home in on recipe for entirely renewable energy
EurekAlert July 7, 2021 Researchers in Ireland have developed a technique that would enable the future production of entirely renewable, clean energy from which water would be the only waste product. They used an automated combinatorial approach and advanced quantum chemical modelling and found nine earth-abundant combinations of metals and ligands as highly promising leads for experimental investigation. They found chromium, manganese, iron to be especially promising. Thousands of catalysts based around these key components can now be placed in a melting pot and assessed for their abilities as the hunt for the magic combination continues. They have screened 444 and […]
Carbon-neutral ‘biofuel’ from lakes
Science Daily March 31, 2021 Although the greenhouse gas methane is less well known and much rarer in the atmosphere, its global warming potential is 80 to 100 times greater per unit. Methane from lakes and water reservoirs makes up about 20% of global natural methane missions. Researchers in Switzerland outline the potential and theoretical possibilities for using methane from lakes and other freshwater bodies for sustainable energy production. The feasibility of up-scaled adsorption-driven technologies to capture and refine aqueous Biogenic CH4 is mostly generated from biomass produced through atmospheric CO2 uptake. Its exploitation in freshwaters can thus secure large […]