Optical losses represent one of the primary obstacles to increasing the efficiency of silicon solar cells. The recommended solution to minimize optical losses is the use of plasmonic metal nanoparticles; however, they act as recombination centers within the solar cell construction, leading to a decrease in performance. The goal of this article is to introduce cobalt/graphene nanoparticles into the solar cell to minimize the optical losses. An ultra-thin film silicon PIN solar cell of dimensions (400 ×400 ×900) nm3 with ring metal contact shape was designed and numerically investigated using COMSOL Multiphysics software version 6.2 by the finite element method (FEM). Core/shell cobalt-graphene (Co/Gr) nanoparticles are periodically introduced into the cell between two layers (electron transport and active) in a ratio of 50:50 with an inter-spacing of a similar diameter. The Co/Gr parameters, number of nanoparticles (2, 4, 6), radius (10, 20, 30) nm, and shell thickness (1, 2, 4) nm were extensively studied. In addition, the arrangement of the core/shell nanoparticle material was considered. The results manifest the best performance of the proposed cell at 4 nanoparticles of 30 nm radius with 2 nm shell thickness for Co/Gr nanoparticles to get a maximum photocurrent of 26.28 mA/cm2. It is concluded that the optical losses of the Co/Gr core/shell nanoparticles embedded in an ultra-thin film silicon solar cell are significantly reduced owing to the increment in the absorption and hence the photocurrent. This enhancement opens a new avenue for further improvements.
Shumblan (SH) is one of the most undesirable aquatic plants widespread in the irrigation channels and water bodies. This work focuses on boosting the biogas potential of shumblan by co-digesting it with other types of wastes without employing any chemical or thermal pretreatments as done in previous studies. A maximum biogas recovery of 378 ml/g VS was reached using shumblan with cow manure as inoculum in a ratio of 1:1. The methane content of the biogas was 55%. Based on volatile solid (VS) and C/N ratios, biogas productions of 518, 434, and 580 ml/g VS were obtained when the shumblan was co-digested with food wastes (SH:F), paper wastes (SH:P), and green wastes (SH:G) respectively. No significant changes of methane contents were observ
... Show MoreAnaerobic digestion is a technology widely used for treatment of organic waste for biogas production as a source for clean energy. In this study, poultry house wastes (PHW) material was examined as a source for biogas production. The effects of inoculum addition, pretreatment of the substrate, and temperature on the biogas production were taken into full consideration. Results revealed that the effect of inoculum addition was more significant than the alkaline pretreatment of raw waste materials. The biogas recovery from inoculated waste materials exceeds its production from wastes without inoculation by approximately 70% at mesophilic conditions. Whereby, the increase of biogas recovery from pretreated wastes was by 20% higher than its
... Show MoreIt was aimed to investigate the compressibility, compactibility, powder flow and tablet disintegration of a new excipient comprising magnesium (Mg) silicate co-processed (5%–85% w/w) onto chitin, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and starch as the hydrophilic polymers of interest. Initially, the mechanism of tablet disintegration was studied by measuring water infiltration rate, moisture sorption, swelling capacity and hydration ability. Moreover, the powders compression behavior was carried out by applying Kawakita model of compression analysis in addition to porosity and radial tensile strength measurements. In vitro drug release of compacts made of 400 mg ibuprofen and 300 mg of the hydrophilic polymers containing 30% w/w Mg silicat
... Show MoreAvascular necrosis have always presented great challenges to orthopedic surgeons and patients, remain in many ways today the unsolved dilemma. Varieties of non-vascularized bone grafting techniques preceded by core decompression have been proposed with varying degrees of success. O bb j ee cc t i vv ee ss : The aim of this study is to review the the value of core decompression and non-vascularized tibial bone strip graft treatment for early stages of non-traumatic osteonecrosis stage II & III according to stein burg staging . M ee t hh oo dd ss : prospectively reviewed 26 patients (32 hips) with osteonecrosis of the femoral head between June 2006 and December 2013 at Imam Ali hospital in Sader city & Al-Wasity teaching hosp
... Show MoreIn this manuscript divide into two parts the first experimental and the second theoretical. The experimental part of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be used with aluminum (30%). Nanomaterials are synthesized by a laser pulse melting solution by ethanol. The effect of laser on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of nanoparticles (PVC) was examined by UV spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy (TEM). The theoretical part of the DFT can be used to approximate the generalized gradient of the Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) / 6-31G (d) groups, which were created using additional Gaussian 09 software through Gaussian 5.08. To build PVC nanocrystal pure which chemical formula [(C2H3Cl)n] and build (
... Show MoreIn this study, (50–110 nm) magnetic iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of iron target in dimethylformamide (DMF) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions. The structural properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–VIS absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of laser fluence on the characteristics of these nanoparticles was studied. Antibacterial activities of iron oxide nanoparticles were tested against Gram-positive; Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative; Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens. The results sh
... Show MoreA critical milestone in nano-biotechnology is establishing reliable and ecological friendly methods for fabricating metal oxide NPs. Because of their great biodegradable, electrical, mechanical, and optical qualities, zirconia NPs (ZrO2NPs) attract much interest among all zirconia NPs (ZrO2NPs). Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) has piqued the interest of researchers throughout the world, particularly since the development of methods for the manufacture of nano-sized particles. An extensive study into the creation of nanoparticles utilizing various synthetic techniques and their potential uses has been stimulated by their high luminous efficiency, wide bandgap, and high exciton binding energy. Zirconium dioxide nano
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