Increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of silicon solar cells by improving their junction properties or minimizing light reflection losses remains a major challenge. Extensive studies were carried out in order to develop an effective antireflection coating for monocrystalline solar cells. Here we report on the preparation of a nanostructured cerium oxide thin film by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as an antireflection coating for silicon solar cell. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of a cerium oxide nanostructure film are investigated as a function of the number of laser pulses. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that the deposited cerium oxide films are crystalline in nature and have a cubic fluorite. The field emission scanning electron microscope investigations show an increase in the film grain size with increasing the number of laser pulses. The carrier concentration of the film decreases and the mobility increases as the number of laser pulses increases. The cerium oxide film deposited on silicon at 900 laser pulses exhibits a minimum optical reflection. The maximum PCE was 19.27% and fill factor of 87% was obtained after the deposition of silicon solar cell with cerium oxide nanostructured film deposited at 1000 laser pulses.
The low-pressure sprinklers have been widely used to replace the high-pressure impact sprinklers in the lateral move sprinkler irrigation system due to its low operating cost and high efficiency. However, runoff losses under the low-pressure sprinkler irrigation machine can be significant. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the variable pulsed irrigation algorithm (VPIA) in reducing the runoff losses under low-pressure lateral move sprinkler irrigation machine for three different soil types. The VPIA uses the ON-OFF pulsing technique to reduce the runoff losses by controlling the number and width of the pulses considering the soil and the irrigation machine properties. Als
In this work copper nanopowder was created at different liquid
medias like DDDW, ethylene glycol and Polyvinylpyrrolidone
(PVP). Copper nanopowder prepared using explosion wire process
and investigated the effects of the exploding energy, wire diameter,
the type of liquid on the particle size, and the particles size
distribution. The nanoparticles are characterized by x-ray diffraction,
UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron
microscopy (TEM). The x-ray diffraction results reveal that the
nanoparticles continue to routine lattice periodicity at reduced
particle size. The UV-Visible absorption spectrum of liquid solution
for copper nanoparticles shows sharp and single surface Plasmon
r
Well-dispersed Cu2FeSnSe4 (CFTSe) nanoparticles were first synthesized using the hot-injection method. The structure and phase purity of as-synthesized CFTSe nanoparticles were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Their morphological properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average particle sizes of the nanoparticles were about 7-10 nm. The band gap of the as-synthesized CFTS nanoparticles was determined to be about 1.15 eV by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. Photoelectrochemical characteristics of CFTSe nanoparticles were also studied, which indicated their potential application in solar energy water splitting.
Construction and operation of (2 m) parabolic solar dish for hot water application were illustrated. The heater was designed to supply hot water up to 100 oC using the clean solar thermal energy. The system includes the design and construction of solar tracking unit in order to increase system performance. Experimental test results, which obtained from clear and sunny day, refer to highly energy-conversion efficiency and promising a well-performed water heating system.
Artificial roughness applied to a Solar Air Heater (SAH) absorber plate is a popular technique for increasing its total thermal efficiency (ηt−th). In this paper, the influence of geometrical parameters of V-down ribs attached below the corrugated absorbing plate of a SAH on the ηt−th was examined. The impacts of key roughness parameters, including relative pitch p/e (6–12), relative height e/D (0.019–0.043), angles of attack α (30–75°), and Re (1000–20,000), were examined under real weather conditions. The SAH ηt−th roughened by V-down ribs was predicted using an in-house developed conjugate heat-transfer numerical model. The maximum SAH ηt−th was shown to be 78.8% as predicted under the steady-state condition
... Show MoreIn the present work, polymeric composites were prepared for coating floors and swimming pools in dark colors. This was achieved through the use of a polymer coating solution added to fine cement with weight percentage (wt%) values of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 to obtain dark-colored (gray) composites. Mortar samples were prepared using the adhesion test. The contact angle and adhesion strength were studied for the prepared samples concerning the effect of changing the weight ratio of additive cement on water absorption. Also, the antibacterial activity was tested for the prepared coatings. The results showed that the contact angle increases with increasing the weight ratios of additive cement, which indicates that the
... Show MoreIn this work gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), were prepared. Chemical method (Seed-Growth) was used to prepare it, then doping AuNPs with porous silicon (PS), used silicon wafer p-type to produce (PS) the processes doping achieved by electrochemical etching, the solution etching consist of HF, ethanol and AuNPs suspension, the result UV-visible absorption for AuNPs suspension showed the single peak located at ~(530 – 521) nm that related to SPR, the single peak is confirmed that the NPs present in the suspension is spherical shape and non-aggregated. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated growth AuNPs with PS. compare the PS layer without AuNPs and with AuNPs doped for electrical properties and sensitivity properties we found AuNPs:PS is more
... Show MoreIn this paper the manufacture of an alkaline fuel cell electrodes made upfrom a Nano mesh (Pt:NiO) catalyst has been studying , made from a Nano mesh (Pt:NiO ) catalyst. The general morphology of the samples is were imaged by using with the an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to determine the roughness of the prepared surface, it constructed from nanostructure with dimensions in order of 35 nm. The Structural characteristics were studied through the analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the prepared nanomaterial for determining the yielding phase;1. 72 volt was also obtained at 0.02 A/cm2 current density for an alkaline fuel cell.