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.
Liquid-crystalline organic semiconductors exhibit unique properties that make them highly interesting for organic optoelectronic applications. Their optical and electrical anisotropies and the possibility to control the alignment of the liquid-crystalline semiconductor allow not only to optimize charge carrier transport, but to tune the optical property of organic thin-film devices as well. In this study, the molecular orientation in a liquid-crystalline semiconductor film is tuned by a novel blading process as well as by different annealing protocols. The altered alignment is verified by cross-polarized optical microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. It is shown that a change in alignment of the
In this paper, simulation study of the frequency shift of photonic bandgaps due to refractive index scaling using liquids filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers is presented. Different liquids (distilled water, n-hexane, methanol, ethanol and acetone) are used to fill the cladding of 2 types of hollow core photonic crystal fibers (HC19-1060, HC7-1060). These liquids are used to change the effective index scaling and index contrast of the cladding. The effect of increasing temperature of the liquid (20-100 0C for water and 20-70 0C for other liquids ) infiltrated hollow core fiber on the bandgap width and transmission properties has been computed. The maximum photonic bandgap width at 0.0243 has appeared with filling HC7-1060 PCF with
... Show MoreDye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) create imitation photosynthesis by using chemical reactions to produce electricity from sunlight. DSSC has been pursued in numerous studies due to its capability to achieve efficiencies of up to 15% with artificial photosensitizer in diffuse light. However, artificial photosensitizers present a limitation because of the complex processing of metal compound. Therefore, various types of sensitizers were developed and synthesized to surpass the artificial sensitizer performances such as natural sensitizers from bio-based materials including plants, due to simple processing techniques and low environmental impact. Thus, this study examines the potential and properties of natural sensitizers from the was
... Show MoreIn this research, we studied the effect of concentration carriers on the efficiency of the N749-TiO2 heterogeneous solar cell based on quantum electron transfer theory using a donor-acceptor scenario. The photoelectric properties of the N749-TiO2 interfaces in dye sensitized solar cells DSSCs are calculated using the J-V curves. For the (CH3)3COH solvent, the N749-TiO2 heterogeneous solar cell shows that the concentration carrier together with the strength coupling are the main factors affecting the current density, fill factor and efficiency. The current density and current increase as the concentration increases and the
Hartha Formation is an overburdened horizon in the X-oilfield which generates a lot of Non-Productive Time (NPT) associated with drilling mud losses. This study has been conducted to investigate the loss events in this formation as well as to provide geological interpretations based on datasets from nine wells in this field of interest. The interpretation was based on different analyses including wireline logs, cuttings descriptions, image logs, and analog data. Seismic and coherency data were also used to formulate the geological interpretations and calibrate that with the loss events of the Hartha Fm.
The results revealed that the upper part of the Hartha Fm. was identified as an interval capable of creating potentia
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Background: Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the most ‎commonly used mâ€aterial in denture construction. This material is ‎far from ideal in fulfilling the‎ mechanical requirements, like low impact and transverse strength and poor thermal conductivity are present in this material. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of addition a composite which include 1%wt silanized silicone dioxide nano fillers (SiO2) and 1wt% oxygen plasma treated polypropylene fiber (PP) on some properties of heat cured acrylic resin denture base material (PMMA). Materials and methods: One hundâ€red (100) prepared specimens were divided into five groups according to the tests, each group consisted of 20 specimens and t