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  • 1
    Publication Date: 2014-12-15
    Description: The combination of inorganic nanoparticles semiconductor, conjugated polymer, and dye-sensitized in a layer of solar cell is now recognized as potential application in developing flexible, large area, and low cost photovoltaic devices. Several conjugated low bandgap polymers, dyes, and underlayer materials based on the previous studies are quoted in this paper, which can provide guidelines in designing low cost photovoltaic solar cells. All of these materials are designed to help harvest more sunlight in a wider range of the solar spectrum besides enhancing the rate of charge transfer in a device structure. This review focuses on developing solid-state dye-synthesized, polymer, and hybrid solar cells.
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  • 2
    Publication Date: 2014-11-07
    Description: Near infrared radiation (NIR) has been used to enable the sintering of TiO2 films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass in 12.5 s. The 9 µm thick TiO2 films were constructed into working electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) achieving similar photovoltaic performance to TiO2 films prepared by heating for 30 min in a convection oven. The ability of the FTO glass to heat upon 12.5 s exposure of NIR radiation was measured using an IR camera and demonstrated a peak temperature of 680°C; glass without the 600 nm FTO layer reached 350°C under identical conditions. In a typical DSC heating step, a TiO2 based paste is heated until the polymeric binder is removed leaving a mesoporous film. The weight loss associated with this step, as measured using thermogravimetric analysis, has been used to assess the efficacy of the FTO glass to heat sufficiently. Heat induced interparticle connectivity in the TiO2 film has also been assessed using optoelectronic transient measurements that can identify electron lifetime through the TiO2 film. An NIR treated device produced in 12.5 seconds shows comparable binder removal, electron lifetime, and efficiency to a device manufactured over 30 minutes in a conventional oven.
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  • 3
    Publication Date: 2014-11-07
    Description: Band gap engineering provides an opportunity to not only provide higher overall conversion efficiencies of the reference AM1.5 spectra but also customize PV device design for specific geographic locations and microenvironments based on atmospheric conditions characteristic to that particular location. Indium gallium nitride and other PV materials offer the opportunity for limited bandgap engineering to match spectra. The effects of atmospheric conditions such as aerosols, cloud cover, water vapor, and air mass have been shown to cause variations in spectral radiance that alters PV system performance due to both overrating and underrating. Designing PV devices optimized for spectral radiance of a particular region can result in improved PV system performance. This paper presents a new method for designing geographically optimized PV cells with using a numerical model for bandgap optimization. The geographic microclimate spectrally resolved solar flux for twelve representative atmospheric conditions for the incident radiation angle (zenith angle) of 48.1° and fixed array angle of 40° is used to iteratively optimize the band gap for tandem, triple, and quad-layer of InGaN-based multijunction cells. The results of this method are illustrated for the case study of solar farms in the New York region and discussed.
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  • 4
    Publication Date: 2014-12-09
    Description: A number of commercially available art protection products have been compared and assessed for their suitability as UV blocking filters in the application of “visible light” photocatalytic research. Many groups claiming visible light photocatalytic success employ filters to block out stray UV radiation in order to justify that their photocatalysts are indeed visible light photocatalysts and not UV light photocatalysts. These filters come in varying degrees of ability and price and many authors fail to correctly characterise their filters in individual papers. The use of effective filters to prevent both false positive and false negative results is important to maintain scientific rigor and create accurate understanding of the subject. The optimum UV filter would have the highest UV blocking properties (
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  • 5
    Publication Date: 2014-12-01
    Description: Disordered intermolecular interaction carbon nitride precursor prepared by water-assisted grinding of dicyandiamide was used for synthesis of g-C3N4. The final sample possesses much looser structure and provides a broadening optical window for effective light harvesting and charge separation efficiency, which exhibits significantly improved H2 evolution by photocatalytic water splitting. The bottom-up mechanochemistry method opens new vistas towards the potential applications of weak interactions in the photocatalysis field and may also stimulate novel ideas completely different from traditional ones for the design and optimization of photocatalysts.
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  • 6
    Publication Date: 2014-01-13
    Description: Cu2+ ions were successfully loaded into TiO2 nanotubes using wet impregnation technique in 0.6 M Cu(NO3)2·3H2O solution. The effect of reaction temperatures on the nanotube’s morphology, crystal structure, and their photocatalytic reduction of Pb(II) ions were investigated. The high reaction temperature could improve the crystallinity of anatase phase. However, irregular and corrugated nanotubular surface covered with Cu precipitates was observed. In the present study, incorporation of an optimum content of Cu element (1.3 at%) into TiO2 nanotubes at room temperature has an important function in enhancing the photocatalytic reduction of Pb(II) ions in alkaline condition (pH 11) due to the higher synergistic effects of photocatalytic reaction under UV illumination. The optimum concentration of Pb(II) ions for effective Pb(II) ions removal performance was found in between 20 and 60 ppm.
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  • 7
    Publication Date: 2014-01-13
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  • 8
    Publication Date: 2014-01-20
    Description: The photovoltaic energy can become competitive by the conjugate effort of the researchers and manufacturers. Increasing the amount of electricity supplied by photovoltaic panels is a challenge. The paper briefly presents some methods which can lead to achieving this goal. A simple method to increase the quantity of the electrical energy delivered by the photovoltaic panels is also presented in this paper alongside the experimental setup and the software created in LabVIEW for monitoring the output of the panels.
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  • 9
    Publication Date: 2014-01-23
    Description: One of the key issues of thin-film silicon solar cells is their limited optical absorptance due to the thin absorber layer and the low absorption coefficient for near-infrared wavelengths. Texturing of one or more interfaces in the layered structure of these cells is an important technique to scatter light and enhance the optical pathlength. This in turn enhances the optical absorption of the solar radiation in the absorber layer and improves the solar cell efficiency. In this paper we investigate the effects of textured glass superstrate surfaces on the optical absorptance of intrinsic a-Si:H films and a-Si:H p-i-n thin-film solar cell precursors deposited onto them. The silicon-facing surface of the glass sheets was textured with the aluminium-induced glass texturing method (AIT method). Absorption in both intrinsic silicon films and solar cell precursor structures is found to increase strongly due to the textured glass superstrate. The increased absorption due to the AIT glass opens up the possibility to reduce the absorber layer thickness of a-Si:H solar cells.
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  • 10
    Publication Date: 2014-01-24
    Description: We have prepared Ag back electrode by screen printing technique and developed MOCVD ZnO/screen printed Ag back reflector for flexible thin film silicon solar cell application. A discontinuity and poor contact interface between the MOCVD ZnO and screen printed Ag layers caused poor open circuit voltage () and low fill factor (FF); however, an insertion of a thin sputtered ZnO layer at the interface could solve this problem. The n type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film is preferable for the deposition on the surface of MOCVD ZnO film rather than the microcrystalline film due to its less sensitivity to textured surface, and this allowed an improvement in the FF. The n-i-p flexible amorphous silicon solar cell using the MOCVD ZnO/screen printed Ag back reflector showed an initial efficiency of 6.2% with  V,  mA/cm2, and FF = 0.58 (1 cm2). The identical quantum efficiency and comparable performance to the cells using conventional sputtered Ag back electrode have verified the potential of the MOCVD ZnO/screen printed Ag back reflector and possible opportunity to use the screen printed Ag thick film for flexible thin film silicon solar cells.
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  • 11
    Publication Date: 2014-01-24
    Description: The paper illustrates an adaptive approach based on different topologies of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the power energy output forecasting of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The analysis of the PV module’s power output needed detailed local climate data, which was collected by a dedicated weather monitoring system. The Department of Energy, Information Engineering, and Mathematical Models of the University of Palermo (Italy) has built up a weather monitoring system that worked together with a data acquisition system. The power output forecast is obtained using three different types of ANNs: a one hidden layer Multilayer perceptron (MLP), a recursive neural network (RNN), and a gamma memory (GM) trained with the back propagation. In order to investigate the influence of climate variability on the electricity production, the ANNs were trained using weather data (air temperature, solar irradiance, and wind speed) along with historical power output data available for the two test modules. The model validation was performed by comparing model predictions with power output data that were not used for the network's training. The results obtained bear out the suitability of the adopted methodology for the short-term power output forecasting problem and identified the best topology.
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  • 12
    Publication Date: 2014-03-13
    Description: The oriented (002) ZnO films were grown on a- and c-face sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the oriented (002) ZnO films were epitaxially grown on the substrate successfully. The sample on a-face sapphire had higher crystal quality. However, the photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B degradation of ZnO film on c-face sapphire was higher than that on a-face sapphire. The Raman spectrum and XPS analysis suggested that the sample on a-face sapphire had higher concentration of defects. The result of the contact angle measurement revealed that the sample on c-face sapphire had higher surface energy. And the investigation of the surface conductance implied that the higher light conductance was helpful for the photocatalytic activity.
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  • 13
    Publication Date: 2014-03-13
    Description: This work is aimed to design and evaluate different achromatic Fresnel lens solutions capable of operating as concentrators aimed at photovoltaic cells systems. Throughout this study, the theoretical parametric design of the achromatic lens will be shown together with a series of simulations to verify the performance of each lens topology. The results will be compared with a standard Fresnel lens to ascertain the validity and effectiveness of the obtained design. Finally, a novel kind of hybrid lens is proposed, which combines the advantages of each type of lens (standard and Fresnel) according to the optimal operating region of each design. Efficiency and concentration ratios of each particular lens are shown, regarding lens dimension, light’s incidence angle, or wavelength. Through this innovative achromatic design concentration ratios above 1000 suns, which hardly reach standard Fresnel lenses. Furthermore chromatic dispersion is minimized and the efficiency rate is over 85% of efficiency for a wide spectral range (from 350 nm to 1100 nm).
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  • 14
    Publication Date: 2014-03-14
    Description: Design and utilization of a Virtual Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory for undergraduate curriculum are introduced in this paper. The laboratory introduced in this study is developed to teach students the basics and design steps of photovoltaic solar energy systems in a virtual environment before entering the field. The users of the proposed virtual lab will be able to determine the sizing by selecting related parameters of the photovoltaic system to meet DC and AC loading conditions. Besides, the user will be able to analyze the effect of changing solar irradiation and temperature levels on the operating characteristics of the photovoltaic systems. Common DC bus concept and AC loading conditions are also included in the system by utilizing a permanent magnet DC motor and an RLC load as DC and AC loading examples, respectively. The proposed Virtual Photovoltaic Systems Laboratory is developed in Matlab/Simulink GUI environment. The proposed virtual lab has been used in Power Systems Lab in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Karadeniz Technical University as a part of undergraduate curriculum. A survey on the students who took the lab has been carried out and responses are included in this paper.
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  • 15
    Publication Date: 2014-05-01
    Description: A new multiphase hybrid boost converter, with wide conversion ratio as a solution for photovoltaic energy system, is presented in this paper. To ensure that all the phases of the converter operate at the same switching frequency we use interleaving topology. The proposed converter can be used as an interface between the PV system and the DC load/inverter. This multiphase converter has the advantage of reduced value and physical size of the input and output capacitor as well as the effort for the inductors. To validate the operation of the converter we provide the analyses and the simulation results of the converter.
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  • 16
    Publication Date: 2014-05-05
    Description: 1.5 wt% zinc fluoride (ZnF2) was mixed with zinc oxide powder to form the F-doped ZnO (FZO) composition. At first, the FZO thin films were deposited at room temperature and Torr in pure Ar under different deposition power. Hall measurements of the as-deposited FZO thin films were investigated, and then the electrical properties were used to find the deposition power causing the FZO thin films with minimum resistance. The FZO thin films with minimum resistance were further treated by H2 plasma and then found their variations in the electrical properties by Hall measurements. Hydrochloric (HCl) acid solutions with different concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) were used to etch the surfaces of the FZO thin films. Finally, the as-deposited, HCl-etched as-deposited, and HCl-etched H2-plasma-treated FZO thin films were used as transparent electrodes to fabricate the p-i-n α-Si:H thin film solar cells and their characteristics were compared in this study. We would show that using H2-plasma-treated and HCl-etched FZO thin films as transparent electrodes would improve the efficiency of the fabricated thin film solar cells.
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  • 17
    Publication Date: 2014-05-06
    Description: This paper addresses recent developments in the design, evaluation, and characterization of flexible, uniform polyethylene-TiO2 (PE-TiO2), TiO2-In2O3, and TiO2-polyester able to inactivate bacteria under band gap irradiation and in the dark. The preparation of these bactericide films by sol-gel or by sputtering techniques is reported. The E. coli loss of viability kinetics under low intensity and actinic light is evaluated. Evidence for kinetics of the major steps leading to bacterial disinfection in the dark is presented by electron microscopy (TEM). The film surface properties were characterized by surface techniques like EM, DRS, XPS, ATR-IR, CA, AFM, XRD, and XRF. The surface characterization allows the correlation of the film surface morphology with the self-disinfection performance. The events taking place at the cell wall leading to bacterial inactivation when in contact with the TiO2 films are presented and the steps related to the bond stretching preceding bond scission identified by ATR-IR.
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  • 18
    Publication Date: 2014-05-06
    Description: A number of important but little-investigated problems connected with III-V/Ge heterostructure in the GaInP/GaInAs/Ge multijunction solar cells grown by MOVPE are considered in the paper. The opportunity for successfully applying the combination of reflectance and reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy in situ methods for investigating III-V structure growth on a Ge substrate has been demonstrated. Photovoltaic properties of the III-V/Ge narrow-band subcell of the triple-junction solar cells have been investigated. It has been shown that there are excess currents in the Ge photovoltaic p-n junctions, and they have the tunneling or thermotunneling character. The values of the diode parameters for these current flow mechanisms have been determined. The potential barrier at the III-V/Ge interface was determined and the origin of this barrier formation during MOVPE heterogrowth was suggested.
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  • 19
    Publication Date: 2014-05-07
    Description: Zinc aluminum alloy nanowire was fabricated by the vacuum die casting. Zinc aluminum alloy was melted, injected into nanomold under a hydraulic pressure, and solidified as nanowire shape. Nanomold was prepared by etching aluminum sheet with a purity of 99.7 wt.% in oxalic acid solution. A nanochannel within nanomold had a pore diameter of 80 nm and a thickness of 40 μm. Microstructure and characteristic analysis of the alumina nanomold and zinc-aluminum nanowire were performed by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Zinc aluminum oxide nanowire array was produced using the thermal oxidation method and designed for the photoelectrode application.
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  • 20
    Publication Date: 2014-05-07
    Description: Structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 and TiO2:Nd nanopowders and thin films composed of those materials have been compared. Titania nanoparticles with 1, 3, and 6 at. % of Nd-dopant were synthesized by sol-gel method. Additionally, thin films with the same material composition were prepared with the aid of spin-coating method. The analysis of structural investigations revealed that all as-prepared nanopowders were nanocrystalline and had TiO2-anatase structure. The average size of crystallites was ca. 4-5 nm and the correlation between the amount of neodymium and the size of TiO2 crystallites was observed. It was shown that the dopant content influenced the agglomeration of the nanoparticles. The results of photocatalytic decomposition of MO showed that doping with Nd (especially in the amount of 3 at. %) increased self-cleaning activity of the prepared titania nanopowder. Similar effect was received in case of the thin films, but the decomposition rate was lower due to their smaller active surface area. However, the as-prepared TiO2:Nd photocatalyst in the form of thin films or nanopowders seems to be a very attractive material for various applications.
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  • 21
    Publication Date: 2014-05-06
    Description: Te and Se layers were deposited on 〈glass/FTO/flat-TiO2〉 by electrochemical deposition. The Te-Se-stacked layer was annealed at 200°C, and then, the migration of Te into the Se layer by annealing was confirmed using auger electron spectroscopy (AES), which was performed by Te doping on the Se layer. Au back contact was coated by vacuum deposition on the Te-doped Se layer, resulting in superstrate-structured solar cells of 〈glass/FTO/flat-TiO2/Se-doped Te/Au〉 with a 0.50 V open-circuit voltage, 6.4 mA/cm2 photocurrent density, 0.36 fill factor, and 1.17% conversion efficiency.
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  • 22
    Publication Date: 2014-04-30
    Description: Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were deposited on top of Molybdenum (Mo) coated soda lime glass (SLG) substrates using a single target rf magnetron sputtering technique. The sputtering parameters such as base pressure, working pressure, rf power, argon (Ar) gas flow rate, and deposition time were kept consistent throughout the experiment. The effect of different substrate temperatures, for example, room temperature (RT), 300°C, 350°C, 370°C, 400°C, and 450°C, was analyzed by studying their structural, electrical, and optical properties. As-sputtered films were then annealed at 460°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement revealed the structure to be kesterite with peak of (112) plane in both annealed and as-sputtered CZTS thin films. The crystallinity of the films improved with the increasing substrate temperature until 370°C. Secondary phases of MoS2, , , , and Cu6MoSnS8 (hemusite) were also observed in the annealed CZTS films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows crystallite size of deposited CZTS thin film to be proportionally related to deposition temperature. The highest surface roughness of 67.318 nm is observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The conductivity type of the films was found to be p-type by Hall effect measurement system.
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  • 23
    Publication Date: 2014-04-30
    Description: Mainly because of the movement in the age pyramid, one can assume that the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in general will increase in the coming decades. This paper employs a database analysis to examine the profile of publication activity related to this topic. Two databases were searched: PubMed and Cochrane Library. About 600 papers related to the research area “dementia and laser” and about 450 papers related to the search terms “Alzheimer and laser” were found in these two most commonly used databases. Ten plus one papers are described in detail and are discussed in the context of the laser research performed at the Medical University of Graz. First results concerning the measurement of the transmission factor (TF) through the human skull of a new LED- (light emitting diode-) based system are presented (TF = 0.0434 ± 0.0104 (SD)). The measurements show that this LED system (using the QIT (quantum optical induced transparency) effect) might be used in the treatment of dementia.
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  • 24
    Publication Date: 2014-05-01
    Description: Alkali digestion of titanium nanoparticles leads, after neutralization, to the formation of titanate nanotubes with long aspect ratio. One salient change in the formation of titanate nanotubes is the observation of an extended visible absorption band up to 550 nm, responsible for their brown colour. Combination of titanate nanotubes with commercial titanium dioxide nanoparticles, either Evonik P25 or Millennium PC500, results in an enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation from water-methanol mixtures. This synergy between the two titanium semiconductors has an optimum for a certain proportion of the two components and is observed in both the absence and the presence of platinum or gold nanoparticles. The best efficiency under simulated sunlight irradiation was for a combination of 12 wt.% titanate nanotubes containing 0.32 wt.% platinum in 88 wt.% Millennium PC500, where a two-time increase in the hydrogen generation is observed versus the activity of Millennium PC500 containing platinum. This synergy is proposed to derive from the interfacial electron transfer from titanate nanotubes undergoing photoexcitation at wavelengths in which Millennium PC500 does not absorb this form of titania nanoparticles. Our results illustrate how the combination of several titanium semiconductors can result in an enhancement efficiency with respect to their individual components.
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  • 25
    Publication Date: 2014-04-30
    Description: Nanostructured porous TiO2 paste was deposited on the FTO conductive glass using squeeze printing technique in order to obtain a TiO2 thin film with a thickness of 10 μm and an area of 4 cm2. Gardenia blue (GB) extracted from Gardenia jasminode Ellis was employed as the natural dye for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Adsorption studies indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity of GB on the surface of TiO2 thin film was approximately 417 mg GB/g TiO2 photoelectrode. The commercial and natural dyes, N-719 and GB, respectively, were employed to measure the adsorption kinetic data, which were analyzed by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The energy conversion efficiency of the TiO2 electrode with successive adsorptions of GB dye was about 0.2%.
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  • 26
    Publication Date: 2014-04-30
    Description: This study aims to develop professional competency indices and their subindices as needed by the solar energy industry, to establish a basis for development of the engineering education curriculum. The methodologies adopted by the study are literature analysis, expert advisories, and focus groups. The study focuses on the establishment of competency indices by experts at stock market-listed companies and then confirms these competencies with focus groups. The study found that the competencies required by the solar industry consist of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the areas of materials development and applications, photovoltaic technology, cell manufacturing technology, biotechnology, chemical technology, power generation and electricity, process development and improvement, data collection and analysis, industry regulation, green energy beliefs, and working attitudes and values. The results of this study can be used as the basis for the cultivation, selection, and employment of industry professionals.
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  • 27
    Publication Date: 2014-04-30
    Description: We had successfully fabricated ZnO-based nanowires by vapor transport method in the furnace tube. ZnO nanowire arrays grown in 600°C for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, and 120 minutes had applied to the dye-sensitized solar cells. The dye loading is proportional to the total equivalent surface area of ZnO nanowire arrays in the cells and plays an important role in improving power conversion efficiency. The highest efficiency was observed in DSSC sample with ZnO nanowires grown for 90 minutes, which had the largest equivalent surface area and also the highest dye loading. According to our experimental results, the enhancement in power conversion efficiency is attributed to the higher light harvesting and reduction of carrier recombination. In addition, ZnO nanowires also contribute to the photocurrent in the UV region.
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  • 28
    Publication Date: 2014-03-20
    Description: The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye was successfully carried out under UV irradiation over porous TiO2-SnO2 nanocomposites with various molar ratios of Ti/Sn (4–12) synthesized by hydrothermal method using polystyrene microspheres as template. The combination of TiO2 with SnO2 can obtain high quantum yield of TiO2, and then achieve the high photocatalytic activity. And its porous structure can provide large surface area, leading to more adsorption and fast transfer of dye pollutant. Structural and textural features of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2 sorption techniques. Both adsorption and UV irradiation contribute to decolorization of about 100% of Rhodamine B dye over the sample TiSn10 after 30 min of the photocatalytic reaction, while the decomposition of Rhodamine B dye is only 62% over pure titania (Degussa P25).
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  • 29
    Publication Date: 2014-03-03
    Description: A three-port converter suitable for standalone applications is proposed in this paper. Each port is used for specific input or output, and its functions depend on the port; they are the renewable source, the battery set, and the output port. This proposed converter is considered for standalone operation, but it is not limited to it. Not only the system is able to deliver energy independently from each input source or in a mixed way for the output, but also the battery system may be charged from the renewable source just in case it is required. The battery port is only used when it is required; this allows increasing battery lifetime. Another important feature is that, in case of a renewable source failure, the energy is automatically demanded from the battery set, like an uninterruptible power supply. The system is able to track the maximum power of the renewable source when it is required. Operation, analysis, simulation, and experimental results are described in detail.
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  • 30
    Publication Date: 2014-04-28
    Description: First principles calculations were used to evaluate the electronic structure and optical properties of N/Si-monodoped and N/Si-codoped TiO2 to further understand their photocatalytic mechanisms. In accordance with the atomic distance between N and Si dopants, this study considered three N/Si codoping configurations, in which the N dopant had a tendency to bond with the Si dopant. The calculations showed that the bandgaps of the N/Si codoping models were narrow, in the range 3.01–3.05 eV, redshifting the intrinsic absorption edge. The Si 3p orbital of N/Si-codoped TiO2 plays a key role in widening the valence band (VB), thereby increasing carrier mobility. In addition, the N-induced impurity energy level in the forbidden band appears in all three N/Si codoping models, strengthening absorption in the visible region. The bandgap narrowing, VB widening, and impurity energy levels in the forbidden band are beneficial for improving the photocatalytic activity of N/Si-codoped TiO2.
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  • 31
    Publication Date: 2014-04-28
    Description: Mesoporous nanocrystalline anatase was prepared via EISA employing CTAB as structure directing agent. The drying rate was used as a key synthesis parameter to increase the average pore diameter. The resultant mesoporous crystalline phases exhibited specific surface areas between 55 and 150 m2 g−1, average unimodal pore sizes of about 3.4 to 5.6 nm, and average crystallite size of around 7 to 13 nm. These mesophases were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4CP) with UV light. Under the studied conditions, the mesoporous anatase degraded 100% 4CP. This was twice faster than Degussa P-25. 57% reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) value was achieved.
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  • 32
    Publication Date: 2014-04-28
    Description: We demonstrated a fabrication technique to reduce the driving voltage, increase the current efficiency, and extend the operating lifetime of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by simply controlling the deposition rate of bis(10-hydroxybenzo[h]qinolinato) beryllium (Bebq2) used as the emitting layer and the electron-transport layer. In our optimized device, 55 nm of Bebq2 was first deposited at a faster deposition rate of 1.3 nm/s, followed by the deposition of a thin Bebq2 (5 nm) layer at a slower rate of 0.03 nm/s. The Bebq2 layer with the faster deposition rate exhibited higher photoluminescence efficiency and was suitable for use in light emission. The thin Bebq2 layer with the slower deposition rate was used to modify the interface between the Bebq2 and cathode and hence improve the injection efficiency and lower the driving voltage. The operating lifetime of such a two-step deposition OLED was 1.92 and 4.6 times longer than that of devices with a single deposition rate, that is, 1.3 and 0.03 nm/s cases, respectively.
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  • 33
    Publication Date: 2014-04-29
    Description: In optogenetics, targeted illumination is used to control the functions of cells expressing exogenous light-activated proteins. Adoption of the optogenetic methods has expanded rapidly in recent years. In this review, we describe the photosensitive channel proteins involved in these methods, describe techniques for their targeting to neurons and other cell types both within and outside the nervous system, and discuss their applications in the field of neuroscience and beyond. We focus especially on the channelrhodopsin protein ChR2, the photosensitive protein most commonly employed in optogenetics. ChR2 has been used by many groups to control neuronal activity, both in vitro and in vivo, on short time scales and with exquisite anatomical precision. In addition, we describe more recently developed tools such as opsin/G protein-coupled receptor chimeric molecules and a light-activated transgene system. In addition, we discuss the potential significance of optogenetics in the development of clinical therapeutics. Although less than a decade old, optogenetics is already responsible for enormous progress in disparate fields, and its future is unquestionably bright.
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  • 34
    Publication Date: 2014-03-03
    Description: Nowadays a hot topic among the research community is the harnessing energy from the free sunlight which is abundant and pollution-free. The availability of cheap solar photovoltaic (PV) modules has to harvest solar energy with better efficiency. The nature of solar modules is nonlinear and therefore the proper impedance matching is essential. The proper impedance matching ensures the extraction of the maximum power from solar PV module. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is acting as a significant part in solar power generating system because it varies in the output power from a PV generating set for various climatic conditions. This paper suggested a new improved work for MPPT of PV energy system by using the optimized novel improved fractional order variable step size (FOVSS) incremental conductance (Inc-Cond) algorithm. The new proposed controller combines the merits of both improved fractional order (FO) and variable step size (VSS) Inc-Cond which is well suitable for design control and execution. The suggested controller results in attaining the desired transient reaction under changing operating points. MATLAB simulation effort shows MPPT controller and a DC to DC Luo converter feeding a battery load is achieved. The laboratory experimental results demonstrate that the new proposed MPPT controller in the photovoltaic generating system is valid.
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  • 35
    Publication Date: 2014-03-03
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  • 36
    Publication Date: 2014-03-03
    Description: Copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) thin films were fabricated using precursor nanoparticle ink and sintering technology. The precursor was a Cu-poor quaternary compound with constituent ratios of , , and . Cu-poor CIGS nanoparticles of chalcopyrite for solar cells were successfully synthesized using a relatively simple and convenient elemental solvothermal route. After a fixed reaction time of 36 h at 180°C, CIGS nanocrystals with diameters in the range of 20–70 nm were observed. The nanoparticle ink was fabricated by mixing CIGS nanoparticles, a solvent, and an organic polymer. Analytical results reveal that the Cu-poor CIGS absorption layer prepared from a nanoparticle-ink polymer by sintering has a chalcopyrite structure and a favorable composition. For this kind of sample, its mole ratio of Cu : In : Ga : Se is equal to 0.617 : 0.410 : 0.510 : 2.464 and related ratios of and are 0.554 and 0.671, respectively. Under the condition of standard air mass 1.5 global illumination, the conversion efficiency of the solar cell fabricated by this kind of sample is 4.05%.
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  • 37
    Publication Date: 2014-03-03
    Description: Sn- or Ge-doped hematite thin films were fabricated by annealing alloyed films for the purpose of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The alloyed films were deposited on FTO glass by magnetron sputtering and their compositions were controlled by the target. The morphology, crystalline structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic activities have been investigated. The SEM observation showed that uniform, large area arrays of nanoflakes formed after thermal oxidation. The incorporation of doping elements into the hematite structure was confirmed by XRD. The photocurrent density-voltage characterization illustrated that the nanoflake films of Sn-doped hematite exhibited high PEC performance and the Sn concentration was optimized about 5%. The doped ions were proposed to occupy the empty octahedral holes and their effect on PEC performance of hematite is smaller than that of tin ions.
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  • 38
    Publication Date: 2014-01-30
    Description: Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) structure based active layers of PCDTBT/PC71BM were prepared by using different organic solvents for fabrication of organic solar cell (OSC) devices. Mixture of precursor solutions of PCDTBT/PC71BM in three different organic solvents was prepared to fabricate composite active layers by spin-coating process: chloroform; chlorobenzene; o-dichlorobenzene. Four different blend ratios (1 : 3–1 : 6) of PCDTBT: PC71BM were adopted for each organic solvent to clarify the effect on the resulting OSC device characteristics. Surface morphology of the active layers was distinctively affected by the blend ratio of PCDTBT/PC71BM in organic solvents. Influence of the blend ratio of PCDTBT/PC71BM on the OSC device parameters was discussed. Performance parameters of the resulting OSC devices with different composite active layers were comparatively investigated. Appropriate blend ratio and organic solvent to achieve better OSC device performance were proposed. Furthermore, from the UV-Vis spectrum of each active layer prepared using the PCDTBT/PC71BM mixed solution dissolved with different organic solvents, a possibility that the nanophase separation structure inside their active layer could appear was suggested.
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  • 39
    Publication Date: 2014-02-28
    Description: A mathematical simulation method was developed for visualization of the diffuse reflected light on a surface of 3-layered models of urinary bladder wall. Five states, from normal to precancerous, of the urinary bladder epithelium were simulated. With the use of solutions of classical electrodynamics equations, scattering coefficients and asymmetry parameters of the bladder epithelium were found in order to perform Monte Carlo calculations. The results, compared with the experimental studies, has revealed the influence of the changes in absorption and scattering properties on diffuse-reflectance signal distributions on the surfaces of the modelled media.
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  • 40
    Publication Date: 2014-02-10
    Description: Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted numerous research, especially in the context of enhancing their efficiency and durability, due to the low-cost and environmentally friendly nature of photovoltaic (PV) technology. The materials in DSSCs are vital towards the realization of these goals, since many of the important components are influenced by their respective preparation and deposition methods. This review aims to detail the research and development aspects of the different physical methods with the purpose of evaluating their prospects and corresponding limitations. The diversity of consideration and criteria includes thin film applications, material characteristics, and process technology that need to be taken into account when selecting a specific deposition method. Choosing a deposition method is not as simple as it seems and is rendered quite complicated due to various factors. Usually, a researcher will evaluate techniques based on factors such as the different preparations and deposition technology with materials’ and substrates’ type, specified applications, costs, and efficiencies.
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  • 41
    Publication Date: 2014-02-14
    Description: The photosensitizing ability of C60/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD) nanoparticles under visible light irradiation was studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) and phototoxicity on cancer cells. In addition, the photoinduced antitumor effect to the tumor-bearing mice was evaluated. C60 nanoparticles were prepared by grinding a mixture of HP-β-CyD. The resulting C60/HP-β-CyD nanoparticles were highly-sensitive to visible light and generated higher levels of 1O2 than protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). C60/HP-β-CyD reduced the viability of cancer cells (HeLa cells and A549 cells) in response to irradiation by visible light in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 values of the C60/HP-β-CyD nanoparticles was 10 μM for HeLa cells and 60 μM for A549 cells at an irradiation level of 35 mW/cm2. The photodynamic effect of C60/HP-β-CyD nanoparticles on the in vivo growth of mouse sarcoma S-180 cells was evaluated after intratumor injection. The outcome of PDT by C60/HP-β-CyD was directly dependent on the dose of irradiated light. Treatment with C60/HP-β-CyD nanoparticles at a C60 dose of 2.0 mg/kg under visible light irradiation at 350 mW/cm2 (63 J/cm2) markedly suppressed tumor growth, whereas that at 30 J/cm2 was less effective. These findings suggest that C60/HP-β-CyD nanoparticles represent a promising candidate for use in cancer treatment by PDT.
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  • 42
    Publication Date: 2014-02-26
    Description: In this paper, nitrogen-doped TiO2 thin films were deposited by DC reactive sputtering at different doping levels for the development of dye-sensitized solar cells. The mechanism of film growth during the sputtering process and the effect of the nitrogen doping on the structural, optical, morphological, chemical, and electronic properties of the TiO2 were investigated by numerical modeling and experimental methods. The influence of the nitrogen doping on the working principle of the prototypes was investigated by current-voltage relations measured under illuminated and dark conditions. The results indicate that, during the film deposition, the control of the oxidation processes of the nitride layers plays a fundamental role for an effective incorporation of substitutional nitrogen in the film structure and cells built with nitrogen-doped TiO2 have higher short-circuit photocurrent in relation to that obtained with conventional DSSCs. On the other hand, DSSCs built with nondoped TiO2 have higher open-circuit voltage. These experimental observations indicate that the incorporation of nitrogen in the TiO2 lattice increases simultaneously the processes of generation and destruction of electric current.
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  • 43
    Publication Date: 2014-02-26
    Description: Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) using multiwalled carbon nanotube/titanium dioxide (MWCNT/TiO2) was successfully synthesized using sol-gel method. In this method, it has been performed under various acid treatments MWCNT concentration level at (a) 0.00 g, (b) 0.01 g, (c) 0.02 g, and (d) 0.03 g. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study surface roughness of the MWCNT/TiO2 thin films. The average roughness results for 0.00 g, 0.01 g, 0.02 g, and 0.03 g were 10.995, 18.308, 24.322, and 25.723 nm, respectively. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis showned the inner structural design of the MWCNT/TiO2 particles. The TiO2 nanoparticles covered almost all the area of MWCNT particles. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) gave the morphological surface structure of the thin films. The thin films formed in good distribution with homogenous design. The DSSC with MWCNT/TiO2 electrode containing 0.03 g MWCNT were resulted in the highest efficiency of 2.80% with short-circuit current density of 9.42 mA/cm2 and open-circuit voltage of 0.65 V.
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  • 44
    Publication Date: 2014-02-27
    Description: This paper reports on recent developments in homogeneous Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for the treatment of water and wastewater. It has already been established that AOPs are very efficient compared to conventional treatment methods for degradation and mineralization of recalcitrant pollutants present in water and wastewater. AOPs generate a powerful oxidizing agent, hydroxyl radical, which can react with most of the pollutants present in wastewater. Therefore, it is important to discuss recent developments in AOPs. The homogeneous AOPs such as O3, UV/O3, UV/O3/H2O2, and UV/H2O2, Fe2+/H2O2, UV/Fe2+/H2O2 on the degradation of pollutants are discussed in this paper. The influence on the process efficiency of various experimental parameters such as solution pH, temperature, oxidant concentration, and the dosage of the light source is discussed. A list of contaminants used for degradation by various AOPs and the experimental conditions used for the treatment are discussed in detail.
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  • 45
    Publication Date: 2014-02-28
    Description: This paper develops a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm to optimize photovoltaic (PV) array performance and make it more compatible to rapidly varying weather conditions. In particular, a novel extremum seeking controller (ESC), which uses a Bode ideal cutoff (BICO) filter in its structure, is designed and tested on a simulated PV array. The new algorithm is compared against the commonly used ESC MPPT algorithm with first-order filters. The BICO extremum seeking controller achieves transient rise to the MPP faster than the common extremum seeking MPPT, which is the faster and more robust method among all other methods. This claim has been discussed and proved mathematically in this paper, in addition to simulation illustrations. This faster extremum seeking algorithm enables PV systems to detect rapid variations in the environmental conditions like irradiation and temperature changes.
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  • 46
    Publication Date: 2014-02-28
    Description: Today, organic dyes are one of the largest groups of pollutants release into environment especially from textile industry. It is highly toxic and hazardous to the living organism; thus, the removal of these dyes prior to discharge into the environment is essential. Varieties of techniques have been employed to degrade organic dyes and heterogeneous photocatalysis involving titanium dioxide (TiO2) appears to be the most promising technology. In recent years, TiO2 nanotubes have attracted much attention due to their high surface area and extraordinary characteristics. This paper presents a critical review of recent achievements in the modification of TiO2 nanotubes for dye degradation. The photocatalytic activity on dye degradation can be further enhanced by doping with cationic or anionic dopant.
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  • 47
    Publication Date: 2014-02-28
    Description: Small-size PV cells have been used to power sensor nodes. These devices present limited computing resources and so low complexity methods have been used in order to extract the maximum power from the PV cells. Among them, the fractional open circuit voltage (FOCV) method has been widely proposed, where the maximum power point of the PV cell is estimated from a fraction of its open circuit voltage. Here, we show a generalization of the FOCV method that keeps its inherent simplicity and improves the tracking efficiency. First, a single-diode model for PV cells was used to compute the tracking efficiency versus irradiance. Computations were carried out for different values of the parameters involved in the PV cell model. The proposed approach clearly outperformed the FOCV method, specially at low irradiance, which is significant for powering sensor nodes. Experimental tests performed with a 500 mW PV panel agreed with these results.
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  • 48
    Publication Date: 2014-02-28
    Description: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality for tumours and other accessible lesions based on the combination of light and a photosensitizer (PS) accumulated in the target tissue. The main disadvantage of PDT is PS retention after treatment during long time periods that conduces to cutaneous damage. It is believed that singlet oxygen is responsible for that skin photosensitization. The aim of this work was to evaluate the photoprotective activity of the methanolic extract of the Argentinian plant Collaea argentina against PDT under several treatments and employing different PSs. C. argentina exhibited photoprotective activity against aminolevulinic acid- (ALA-) PDT in the LM2 murine adenocarcinoma cell line. The photoprotection was dependant on the extract concentration and the incubation time, being detectable from 40 μg/mL onwards and at least after 3 h exposure of the cells. C. argentina extract protects these mammalian tumor cells against PDT effects, and it interferes with the oxygen singlet production from PSs during PDT treatment. We propose that it will be a promising agent to protect cells against PDT-induced skin sensitivity.
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  • 49
    Publication Date: 2014-03-24
    Description: Crystalline Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via a simple solvothermal route by using Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O and SnCl4·5H2O as source materials, NaOH as mineralizing agent, and water and ethanol as mixed solvents. The used amount of NaOH was found to have an important influence on the formation of Zn2SnO4. When the molar ratio of OH− : Zn2+ : Sn4+ was set in the range from 4 : 2 : 1 to 8 : 2 : 1, Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles with different shape and size were obtained. However, when the molar ratio of OH− : Zn2+ : Sn4+ was set as 10 : 2 : 1, a mixture phase of ZnO and ZnSn(OH)6 instead of Zn2SnO4 was obtained. Photodegradation measurements indicated that the Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles own better photocatalytic property to depredate methyl orange than the Zn2SnO4 nanopolyhedrons. The superior photocatalytic properties of Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles may be contributed to their small crystal size and high surface area.
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  • 50
    Publication Date: 2014-03-25
    Description: Vapour-phase and solid-phase epitaxy are used for thickening of a solid-phase crystallised silicon seed layer on glass. Cross-sectional transmission microscope images confirm that a transfer of crystallographic information has taken place from the seed layer into the epilayers. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy reveal that the density of planar defects (mainly on 111 plains) in the vapour-phase epitaxial sample is much higher than in the solid-phase epitaxial sample. These planar defects can act as recombination centres for free-charge carriers. Consequently, PC1D modelled minority carrier diffusion length in the vapour-phase grown epilayer is 50% shorter than that in the solid-phase grown epilayer. As a result, a solar cell grown by solid-phase epitaxy achieves open circuit voltage of 468 mV, short circuit current of 9.17 mA/cm2, and photovoltaic conversion efficiency at 2.75% which are all higher than those of the solar cell grown by vapour-phase epitaxy on the same seed layer, 400 mV, 7.28 mA/cm2, 1.69%, respectively. It proves that solid-phase epitaxy is more suitable for the solar cell growth on the solid-phase crystallised silicon seed layer than vapour-phase epitaxy.
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  • 51
    Publication Date: 2014-03-25
    Description: In recent years several numerical methods have been proposed to identify the five-parameter model of photovoltaic panels from manufacturer datasheets also by introducing simplification or approximation techniques. In this paper we present a fast and accurate procedure for obtaining the parameters of the five-parameter model by starting from its reduced form. The procedure allows characterizing, in few seconds, thousands of photovoltaic panels present on the standard databases. It introduces and takes advantage of further important mathematical considerations without any model simplifications or data approximations. In particular the five parameters are divided in two groups, independent and dependent parameters, in order to reduce the dimensions of the search space. The partitioning of the parameters provides a strong advantage in terms of convergence, computational costs, and execution time of the present approach. Validations on thousands of photovoltaic panels are presented that show how it is possible to make easy and efficient the extraction process of the five parameters, without taking care of choosing a specific solver algorithm but simply by using any deterministic optimization/minimization technique.
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  • 52
    Publication Date: 2014-03-25
    Description: The intermediate bands (IBs) between the valence and conduction bands play an important role in solar cells. Because the smaller energy photons than the bandgap energy can be used to promote charge carriers transfer to the conduction band and thereby the total output current increases while maintaining a large open circuit voltage. In this paper, the influence of the new band on the power conversion efficiency for the structure of the quantum dots intermediate band solar cell (QDIBSC) is theoretically investigated and studied. The time-independent Schrödinger equation is used to determine the optimum width and location of the intermediate band. Accordingly, achievement of maximum efficiency by changing the width of quantum dots and barrier distances is studied. Theoretical determination of the power conversion efficiency under the two different ranges of QD width is presented. From the obtained results, the maximum power conversion efficiency is about 70.42% for simple cubic quantum dot crystal under full concentration light. It is strongly dependent on the width of quantum dots and barrier distances.
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  • 53
    Publication Date: 2014-03-26
    Description: Appropriate analysis of biological tissue deep regions is important for tumor targeting. This paper is concentrated on photons’ paths analysis in such biotissue as brain, because optical probing depth of fluorescent and excitation radiation differs. A method for photon track reconstruction was developed. Images were captured focusing on the transparent wall close and parallel to the source fibres, placed in brain tissue phantoms. The images were processed to reconstruct the photons most probable paths between two fibres. Results were compared with Monte Carlo simulations and diffusion approximation of the radiative transfer equation. It was shown that the excitation radiation optical probing depth is twice more than for the fluorescent photons. The way of fluorescent radiation spreading was discussed. Because of fluorescent and excitation radiation spreads in different ways, and the effective anisotropy factor, , was proposed for fluorescent radiation. For the brain tissue phantoms it were found to be and for the irradiation wavelengths 532 nm and 632.8 nm, respectively. These calculations give more accurate information about the tumor location in biotissue. Reconstruction of photon paths allows fluorescent and excitation probing depths determination. The can be used as simplified parameter for calculations of fluorescence probing depth.
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  • 54
    Publication Date: 2014-03-27
    Description: A novel parabolic trough concentrating solar heating for cut tobacco drying system was established. The opening width effect of V type metal cavity absorber was investigated. A cut tobacco drying mathematical model calculated by fourth-order Runge-Kutta numerical solution method was used to simulate the cut tobacco drying process. And finally the orthogonal test method was used to optimize the parameters of cut tobacco drying process. The result shows that the heating rate, acquisition factor, and collector system efficiency increase with increasing the opening width of the absorber. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data for cut tobacco drying process. The relative errors between simulated and experimental values are less than 8%, indicating that this mathematical model is accurate for the cut tobacco airflow drying process. The optimum preparation conditions are an inlet airflow velocity of 15 m/s, an initial cut tobacco moisture content of 26%, and an inlet airflow temperature of 200°C. The thermal efficiency of the dryer and the final cut tobacco moisture content are 66.32% and 14.15%, respectively. The result shows that this parabolic trough concentrating solar heating will be one of the heat recourse candidates for cut tobacco drying system.
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  • 55
    Publication Date: 2014-03-27
    Description: Ultraviolet radiation (UV) contributes to a variety of skin diseases including inflammation, degenerative aging, and cancer. Historically, humans have been exposed to UV radiation mainly through occupational exposure; recreational UV exposure, however, has increased dramatically in recent years, because of outdoor leisure activities and to purposely tan for cosmetic purposes. Both UVB and UVA radiation have been shown to cause DNA damage and immunosuppression, the important forms of biological damage that lead to NMSC. Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy, whose public health significance is often unrecognized which continues to grow at an alarming rate, becoming an occupational disease. Available treatments alternative to surgery include photodynamic therapy, electrochemotherapy, cryotherapy, ablative lasers, 5-fluorouracil, imiquimod, ingenol mebutate, and diclofenac. Among these, photodynamic therapy is a noninvasive technique with excellent cosmetic outcome and good curative results, when used in initial stages of skin cancers for superficial lesions. It is administered under numerous and significantly varied regimens and there are a wide range of cure rates reported, permitting treatment of large and multiple lesions with excellent cosmetic results. This is an overview of photodynamic applications especially for the treatment of NMSC, with a short focus on daylight modality.
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  • 56
    Publication Date: 2014-03-27
    Description: One-dimensional calcium oxide (CaO-) based titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes were successfully synthesized through a rapid electrochemical anodization and chemical wet impregnation techniques. In this study, calcium nitrate solution was used as a calcium source precursor. The reaction time and concentration of calcium source on the formation of CaO-TiO2 nanotubes were investigated using field emission microscopy, energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The adsorption capacity of CO2 was determined by thermal gravimetric analyzer. A maximum of 4.45 mmol/g was achieved from the CaO-TiO2 nanotubes (6.64 at% of Ca). The finding was attributed to the higher active surface area for CaO to adsorb more CO2 gas and then formed CaCO3 compound during cyclic carbonation-calcination reaction.
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  • 57
    Publication Date: 2014-03-28
    Description: The performance and characteristics of a hybrid heterojunction single-walled carbon nanotube and GaAs solar cell are modelled and numerically simulated using AMPS-1D device simulation tool. The device physics and performance with different junction parameters are analysed. The results suggest that the open-circuit voltage changes very slightly by changing the electron affinity, acceptor and donor density while the other electrical parameters reach an optimum value. Increasing the concentration of a discrete defect density in the absorber layer decreases the electrical parameters. The current-voltage characteristics, quantum efficiency, band gap, and thickness variation of the photovoltaic response will be quantitatively considered.
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  • 58
    Publication Date: 2014-03-31
    Description: A practical optimization design is proposed, in which the solar direct light spectrum and multijunction cell response range are taken into account in combination, particularly for the Fresnel concentrators with a high concentration and a small aspect ratio. In addition, the change of refractive index due to temperature variation in outdoor operation conditions is also considered in the design stage. The calculation results show that this novel Fresnel lens achieves an enhancement of energy efficiency of about 10% compared with conventional Fresnel lens for a given solar spectrum, solar cell response, and corrected sunshine hours of different ambient temperature intervals.
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  • 59
    Publication Date: 2014-04-01
    Description: Flexible glass fiber-supported nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (GF-N-TiO2) photocatalysts with different N/Ti ratio were prepared using a dip-coating method followed by a low-temperature heat-treatment process. In addition, their photocatalytic activities were evaluated for the degradation of aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under visible-light irradiation. The prepared GF-N-TiO2 photocatalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. A control photolysis test performed using an uncoated GF displayed no detectable degradation of the target compounds under visible-light irradiation. The outlet-to-inlet concentration ratios of the target pollutants obtained using the GF-N-TiO2 photocatalysts were lower than that obtained using the GF-TiO2 photocatalyst. The photocatalytic activity of GF-N-TiO2 photocatalyst increased as the N-to-Ti ratio increased from 0.06 to 0.08 but decreased gradually as the N-to-Ti ratio increased further to 0.12, suggesting the existence of optimal N/Ti ratios. The outlet-to-inlet concentration ratio of all the target compounds displayed an increasing trend as both air flow rate and inlet concentration increased. Overall, the GF-N-TiO2 photocatalysts could be applied effectively for the degradation of aromatic VOCs under visible-light irradiation when operation conditions are optimized.
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  • 60
    Publication Date: 2014-04-01
    Description: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel and promising antitumor treatment. Our previous study showed that hydrophilic/lipophilic tetra-α-(4-carboxyphenoxy) phthalocyanine zinc- (TαPcZn-) mediated PDT (TαPcZn-PDT) inhibits the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells by triggering apoptosis and arresting cell cycle. However, mechanisms of TαPcZn-PDT-induced apoptosis of Bel-7402 cells have not been fully clarified. In the present study, therefore, effect of TαPcZn-PDT on apoptosis, P38MAPK, p-P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bid, Cytochrome c, and mitochondria membrane potential in Bel-7402 cells without or with P38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 or Caspase-8 inhibitor Ac-IEFD-CHO was investigated by haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining assay, flow cytometry analysis of annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) double staining cells and 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1), and immunoblot assay. We found that TαPcZn-PDT resulted in apoptosis induction, activation of P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, and Bid, downregulation of Bcl-2, release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in TαPcZn-PDT-treated Bel-7402 cells. In contrast, SB203580 or Ac-IEFD-CHO attenuated induction of apoptosis, activation of P38MAPK, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, and Bid, downregulation of Bcl-2, release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria, and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in TαPcZn-PDT-treated Bel-7402 cells. Taken together, we conclude that Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bid, and mitochondria are involved in autoregulatory feedback of P38MAPK/Caspase-8 during TαPcZn-PDT-induced apoptosis of Bel-7402 cells.
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  • 61
    Publication Date: 2014-04-02
    Description: Objective. The goal of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of 670 nm light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation on the diabetic retinopathy (DR) using hypoxic rhesus monkey choroid-retinal (RF/6A) cells as the model system. Background Data. Treatment with light in the spectrum from red to near-infrared region has beneficial effect on tissue injury and 670 nm LED is currently under clinical investigation for retinoprotective therapy. Methods. Studies were conducted in the cultured cells under hypoxia treated by cobalt chloride (CoCl2). After irradiation by 670 nm LED with different power densities, cell viability, cytochrome C oxidase activity, and ATP concentration were measured. Results. The irradiation of 670 nm LED significantly improved cell viability, cytochrome C oxidase activity, and ATP concentration in the hypoxia RF/6A cells. Conclusion. 670 nm LED irradiation could recover the hypoxia damage caused by CoCl2. Photobiomodulation of 670 nm LED plays a potential role for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.
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  • 62
    Publication Date: 2014-04-02
    Description: The synthesis of immobilized catalyst on porous glass support material via the sol-gel route is reported. TiO2-P25-SiO2 + Pt, TiO2-P25-SiO2, TiOSO4_30.6 wt%, and ZnO + TiO2-P25-SiO2 catalysts were synthesized and a comparative study is done regarding morphology of coatings, degradation rates, reaction rates, dissolved carbon (DC), formation of peaks, and fluorescence of products formed from the photocatalytic degradation of lignin sulfonate obtained from a local paper plant. Through simultaneous reaction-extraction pathways applying dialysis filtration and highly porous polystyrene divinylbenzene adsorbent resin (HR-P) for solid phase extraction (SPE), an attempt has been made to isolate smaller molecules produced from photocatalytic degradation. Moreover relatively high lignin sulfonate (0.5 g/L) concentrations are used in the reactions. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed a faster reduction in the concentration values for the aliphatic moiety compared to the aromatic moiety. Peaks were observed by both fluorescence spectroscopy and HPLC suggesting the production of new substances and fluorophores.
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  • 63
    Publication Date: 2014-04-03
    Description: In imaging, contrast agents are utilized to enhance sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic modalities. In ultrasound imaging, microbubbles (MBs)—a gas-core shell-encapsulated agent—are used clinically as contrast agents. The working hypothesis of this study is that microbubbles can be employed as an intravascular contrast agent in optical imaging systems. In this work, the interaction of light and microbubbles in a turbid medium (intralipid) was investigated, particularly, the effect of MBs on the reduced scattering and absorption coefficients. Diffuse reflectance (DR) and total transmittance (TT) measurements of highly scattering intralipid suspension (0.5–5%) were measured using spectroscopic integrating sphere system in the absence and presence of Definity microbubbles. The optical properties were computed using the inverse adding doubling (IAD) software. The presence of microbubbles increased DR and decreased TT of intralipid phantoms. In the presence of MBs (0.5% volume concentration), the reflectance of the intralipid phantom increased from 35% to 100%. The reduced scattering coefficient increased significantly (30%) indicating potential use of MBs as optical contrast agents in light based modalities.
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  • 64
    Publication Date: 2014-04-03
    Description: Recent uses of titanium dioxide (TiO2) have involved various applications which include the food industry. This study aims to develop TiO2 nanoparticle-coated film for potential food packaging applications due to the photocatalytic antimicrobial property of TiO2. The TiO2 nanoparticles with varying concentrations (0–0.11 g/ 100 mL organic solvent) were coated on food packaging film, particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE) film. The antimicrobial activity of the films was investigated by their capability to inactivate Escherichia coli (E. coli) in an actual food packaging application test under various conditions, including types of light (fluorescent and ultraviolet (UV)) and the length of time the film was exposed to light (one–three days). The antimicrobial activity of the TiO2 nanoparticle-coated films exposed under both types of lighting was found to increase with an increase in the TiO2 nanoparticle concentration and the light exposure time. It was also found that the antimicrobial activity of the films exposed under UV light was higher than that under fluorescent light. The developed film has the potential to be used as a food packaging film that can extend the shelf life, maintain the quality, and assure the safety of food.
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  • 65
    Publication Date: 2014-04-03
    Description: The role of UV-irradiation on oil and its derivatives is particularly important for analyzing the degradability of specific oil compounds. Also, nanostructured-TiO2 is one of the most promising photocatalysts so it is expected to be useful in their degradation. However the complexity of crude oil, as well as that of the reactions involved, is such that the effect of the presence of TiO2 under illumination is not well understood. In this paper, the influence of UV-Vis irradiation on vanadium etioporphyrins, extracted from crude oil from Dos Bocas, Tabasco, Mexico, is studied using UV-Vis spectrophotometry in the absence and presence of nanostructured TiO2 or nitrogen-doped TiO2 modified with copper (N-TiO2/Cu). It is shown that the addition of water shortens the time to start photodegradation. However, once this process has initiated, the system enters a second stage, that is very similar for samples with or without water. It is also shown that the use of N-TiO2/Cu induces an important delay in the initiation of the porphyrins’ photodegradation process. Additionally, it has been found that the presence of TiO2 in samples extracted with water induces a small reduction in the photodegradation duration and, hence, that TiO2 can catalyze the degradation of petroporphyrins.
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  • 66
    Publication Date: 2014-04-04
    Description: Self-assembly has emerged as a powerful strategy for controlling the structure and physicochemical properties of ensembles of inorganic nanocrystals. Hierarchical structures from nanocrystal assembly show collective properties that differ from individual nanocrystals and bulk samples. Incorporation of structural hierarchy into nanostructures is of great importance as a result of enhancing mass transportation, reducing resistance to diffusion, and high surface areas for adsorption and reaction, and thus much effort has been devoted to the exploration of various novel organizing schemes through which inorganic porous structure with architectural design can be created. In this paper, the recent research progress in this field is reviewed. The general strategies for the synthesis of hierarchical structures assembled from nanobuilding blocks are elaborated. The well-defined hierarchical structures provide new opportunities for optimizing, tuning, and/or enhancing the properties and performance of these materials and have found applications in photoenergy utilization including photodegradation, photocatalytic H2 production, photocatalytic CO2 conversion, and sensitized solar cells, and these are discussed illustratively.
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  • 67
    Publication Date: 2014-09-23
    Description: Metal/semiconductor and transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/semiconductor heterojunctions have emerged as an effective modality in the fabrication of photoelectric devices. This review is following a recent shift toward the engineering of TCO layers and structured Si substrates, incorporating metal nanoparticles for the development of next-generation photoelectric devices. Beneficial progress which helps to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost, has been sequenced based on efficient technologies involved in making novel substrates, TCO layers, and electrodes. The electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films can be enhanced by structuring the surface of TCO layers. The TCO layers embedded with Ag nanoparticles are used to enhance the plasmonic light trapping effect in order to increase the energy harvesting nature of photoelectric devices. Si nanopillar structures which are fabricated by photolithography-free technique are used to increase light-active surface region. The importance of the structure and area of front electrodes and the effect of temperature at the junction are the value added discussions in this review.
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  • 68
    Publication Date: 2014-09-02
    Description: Different from the semitransparent building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) system with air cooling, the semitransparent BIPV/T system with water cooling is rare, especially based on the silicon solar cells. In this paper, a semitransparent photovoltaic/thermal system (SPV/T) with water cooling was set up, which not only would provide the electrical power and hot water, but also could attain the natural illumination for the building. The PV efficiency, thermal efficiency, and exergy analysis were all adopted to illustrate the performance of SPV/T system. The results showed that the PV efficiency and the thermal efficiency were about 11.5% and 39.5%, respectively, on the typical sunny day. Furthermore, the PV and thermal efficiencies fit curves were made to demonstrate the SPV/T performance more comprehensively. The performance analysis indicated that the SPV/T system has a good application prospect for building.
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  • 69
    Publication Date: 2014-09-02
    Description: In an effort to provide, assess, and evaluate a theoretical approach which enables designing efficient donor-acceptor dye systems, the electronic structure and optical properties of pyran-squaraine as donor-acceptor dyes used in dye-sensitized solar cells were investigated. Ground state properties have been computed at the B3LYP/6-31+ level of theory. The long-range corrected density functionals CAM-B3LYP, PBEPBE, PBE1PBE (PBE0), and TPSSH with 6-311++ were employed to examine absorption properties of the studied dyes. In an extensive comparison between experimental results and ab initio benchmark calculations, the TPSSH functional with 6-311++ basis set was found to be the most appropriate in describing the electronic properties for the studied pyran and squaraine dyes. Natural transition orbitals (NTO), frontier molecular orbitals (FMO), LUMO, HOMO, and energy gaps, of these dyes, have been analyzed to show their effect on the process of electron injection and dye regeneration. Interaction between HOMO and LUMO of pyran and squaraine dyes was investigated to understand the recombination process and charge-transfer process involving these dyes. Additionally, we performed natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis to investigate the role of charge delocalization and hyperconjugative interactions in the stability of the molecule.
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  • 70
    Publication Date: 2014-10-14
    Description: Herein, Ni doped ZnO-TiO2 composites were prepared by facile sol-gel approach and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The results indicated that the Ni ions can be incorporated into the lattice of TiO2 structure and replace Ti. The introduction of Ni expanded light absorption of TiO2 to visible region, increased amount of surface hydroxyl groups and physically adsorbed oxygen (as the electronic scavenges), and then enhanced separation rate of photogenerated carriers. The photodegradation test of reactive brilliant blue (KN-R) under simulated solar light indicated that Ni doped ZnO-TiO2 composites have better photocatalytic activities, as compared to those of TiO2 and ZnO-TiO2.
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  • 71
    Publication Date: 2014-10-14
    Description: The destruction of low concentration of toluene (0–30 ppm) has been studied under the UV/photogenerated O3/MnO2-impregnated granular activated carbon (MnO2-impregnated GAC) process by the combination of self-made high frequency discharge electrodeless lamp (HFDEL) with MnO2-impregnated GAC catalyst. Experimental results showed that the initial toluene concentration can strongly affect the concentration of photogenerated O3 from HFDEL and the efficiency and mass rate of destruction of toluene via HFDEL/MnO2-impregnated GAC system. Active oxygen and hydroxyl radicals generated from HFDEL/MnO2-impregnated GAC system played a key role in the decomposition of toluene process and the intermediates formed by photolysis are more prone to be mineralized by the subsequent MnO2-impregnated GAC catalyst compared to the original toluene, resulting in synergistic mineralization of toluene by HFDEL/MnO2-impregnated GAC system. The role of MnO2-impregnated GAC catalyst is not only to eliminate the residual O3 completely but also to enhance the decomposition and mineralization of toluene.
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  • 72
    Publication Date: 2014-10-14
    Description: The simultaneous production of molecular hydrogen (H2) and degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was successfully achieved using TiO2 modified with platinum and nafion (Pt/TiO2/Nf) under visible light  nm). Pt/TiO2/Nf exhibited high activity for H2 production in the presence of RhB and EDTA as a photosensitizer (also an organic dye pollutant) and an electron donor, respectively. However, the activity of TiO2 modified with either platinum or nafion for H2 production was negligible under the same experimental conditions. The negatively charged nafion layer enhances the adsorption of cationic RhB and pulls protons, a source of hydrogen, to the surface of TiO2 through electrostatic attraction. On the other hand, platinum deposits on TiO2 can act as an electron sink and a temporary electron reservoir for the reduction of protons. With the production of H2, RhB was gradually degraded through -deethylation, which was confirmed by the spectral blue shift of the maximum absorption wavelength from 556 to 499 nm (corresponding to the of rhodamine 110). With Pt/TiO2/Nf employed at  M (0.6 mol), approximately 70 mol of H2 was produced and RhB and its intermediates were completely removed over a 12 h period. A detailed reaction mechanism was discussed.
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  • 73
    Publication Date: 2014-10-23
    Description: This paper presents an adaptive fuzzy logic controller (FLC) design technique for photovoltaic (PV) inverters using differential search algorithm (DSA). This technique avoids the exhaustive traditional trial and error procedure in obtaining membership functions (MFs) used in conventional FLCs. This technique is implemented during the inverter design phase by generating adaptive MFs based on the evaluation results of the objective function formulated by the DSA. In this work, the mean square error (MSE) of the inverter output voltage is used as an objective function. The DSA optimizes the MFs such that the inverter provides the lowest MSE for output voltage and improves the performance of the PV inverter output in terms of amplitude and frequency. The design procedure and accuracy of the optimum FLC are illustrated and investigated using simulations conducted for a 3 kW three-phase inverter in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. Results show that the proposed controller can successfully obtain the desired output when different linear and nonlinear loads are connected to the system. Furthermore, the inverter has reasonably low steady state error and fast response to reference variation.
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  • 74
    Publication Date: 2014-10-28
    Description: The response to ultrashort laser pulses of two stacked benzene molecules has been studied by semiclassical dynamics simulation; two typical pathways were found following excitation of one of the benzene molecules by a 25 fs (FWHM), 4.7 eV photon. With a fluence of 40.49 J/m2, the stacked molecules form a cyclobutane benzene dimer; the formation of the two covalent bonds linking two benzenes occurs asynchronously after the excimer decays to electronic ground state. With a fluence of 43.26 J/m2, only one bond is formed, which breaks about 50 fs after formation, followed by separation into the two molecules. The deformation of benzene ring is found to play an important role in the bond cleavage.
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  • 75
    Publication Date: 2014-11-04
    Description: The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction of benzene and ethylene was investigated by semiclassical dynamics simulation and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) ab initio calculations. Following laser excitation of the benzene molecule, two mechanisms were observed depending on the location of the second C of ethylene in relation to the hexagonal prism space defined by the first C and the plane of the benzene ring. Synchronous formation of two bonds was observed when the second C is outside the prism space; an asynchronous mechanism is observed otherwise. Charge transfer was observed only in the asynchronous mechanism; CASSCF calculations suggest that the asynchronous mechanism involves a barrierless path from the Frank-Condon point to a conical intersection, while the synchronous mechanism involves 0.8 eV barrier. These results are consistent with a higher quantum yield observed in the simulations for the asynchronous pathway.
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  • 76
    Publication Date: 2014-11-10
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  • 77
    Publication Date: 2014-08-25
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  • 78
    Publication Date: 2014-08-25
    Description: This study presents a new active and reactive power control scheme for a single-stage three-phase grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system during grid faults. The presented PV system utilizes a single-stage three-phase current-controlled voltage-source inverter to achieve the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control of the PV panel with the function of low voltage ride through (LVRT). Moreover, a formula based on positive sequence voltage for evaluating the percentage of voltage sag is derived to determine the ratio of the injected reactive current to satisfy the LVRT regulations. To reduce the risk of overcurrent during LVRT operation, a current limit is predefined for the injection of reactive current. Furthermore, the control of active and reactive power is designed using a two-dimensional recurrent fuzzy cerebellar model articulation neural network (2D-RFCMANN). In addition, the online learning laws of 2D-RFCMANN are derived according to gradient descent method with varied learning-rate coefficients for network parameters to assure the convergence of the tracking error. Finally, some experimental tests are realized to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
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  • 79
    Publication Date: 2014-08-25
    Description: A photovoltaic (PV) model is proposed on Matlab/Simulink environment considering the real atmospheric conditions and this PV model is tested with different PV panels technologies (monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and thin film). The meteorological data of Istanbul—the location of the study—such as irradiance, cell temperature, and wind speed are taken into account in the proposed model for each technology. Eventually, the power outputs of the PV module under real atmospheric conditions are measured for resistive loading and these powers are compared with the results of proposed PV model. As a result of the comparison, it is shown that the proposed model is more compatible for monocrystal silicon and thin-film modules; however, it does not show a good correlation with polycrystalline silicon PV module.
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  • 80
    Publication Date: 2014-08-26
    Description: This work has focused on the investigation of a non-aqueous based sol-gel process to produce TiO2 based photoelectrodes for solar water splitting. In particular, the effect of the aging time of the sol and TiO2 film thickness on the photoelectrochemical properties of the photoanodes has been investigated. In order to achieve optimal performances (i.e., photocurrent density up to 570 µA/cm2 and IPCE of 26% at 300 nm), the sol needs to be aged for 3 to 6 h, before being dip-coated to produce the photoanodes. The importance of the aging time can also be appreciated from the optical properties of the TiO2 films; the absorbance threshold of the sol-gel aged for 3–6 h is slightly shifted towards longer wavelenghts in comparison to 0 h aging. Aging is necessary to build up a well-interconnected sol-gel network which finally leads to a photoelectrode with optimized light absorption and electron collection properties. This is also confirmed by the higher IPCE signal of aged photoelectrodes, especially below 340 nm. Among thicknesses considered, there is no apparent significant difference in the photoresponse (photocurrent density and IPCE) of the TiO2 sol-gel films.
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  • 81
    Publication Date: 2014-08-29
    Description: Aluminium induced texturing (AIT) method has been used to texture glass substrates in order to enhance the photon absorption in thin film solar cells. The resultant glass roughness has been analyzed by varying the AIT process parameters and it has been found that the deposition method of Al is a decisive factor in tuning the texture. Two types of textures, a soft (texture E) and a rough texture (texture S), were achieved from the thermally evaporated and sputtered Al layers through AIT process. Aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) layers of different thickness were deposited over both textures and over smooth glass. Haze values above 30% were obtained for texture S + AZO and above 10% for texture E + AZO. The resultant morphologies were free from sharp edges or deep valleys and the transparency and the resistivity values were also good enough to be used as front contact for thin film solar cells. In order to demonstrate the light absorption enhancement in a solar cell device, 200 nm of a-Si:H followed by 300 nm of Ag were grown over the textured and smooth substrates with AZO, and an optical absorption enhancement of 35% for texture E and 53% for texture S was obtained in comparison to the smooth substrate.
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  • 82
    Publication Date: 2014-08-27
    Description: A new visible light response photocatalyst has been developed for H2 evolution from methanol solution by elemental doping. With lanthanum and cobalt dopants, the photoabsorption edge of NaNbO3 was effectively shifted to the visible light region. It is also found that the photoabsorption edge is effectively controlled by the dopant concentration. Under visible light irradiation, H2 was successfully generated over the doped NaNbO3 samples and a rate of 12 μmol·h−1 was achieved over (LaCo)0.03(NaNb)0.97O3. Densityfunctional theory calculations show that Co-induced impurity states are formed in the band gap of NaNbO3 and this is considered to be the origin of visible-light absorption upon doping with La and Co.
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  • 83
    Publication Date: 2014-08-27
    Description: We report on the design and structure principles of 5,5′-6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′-dioctyl-3,3′-bis-(3-carboxypropyl)-benzimidacarbocyanine (Dye 1). Such metal-free amphiphilic cyanine dyes have many applications in dye-sensitized solar cells. AFM surface topographic investigation of amphiphilic molecules of Dye 1 adsorbed on TiO2 anode reveals the ability of spontaneous self-organization into highly ordered aggregates of fiber-like structure. These aggregates are known to exhibit outstanding optical properties of J-aggregates, namely, efficient exciton coupling and fast exciton energy migration, which are essential for building up artificial light harvesting to the photovoltaic device. A light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of DSSC based on the metal free amphiphilic Dye 1 is , which is about 50% of that based on metal-based N719 Ru-dye (Di-tetrabutylammoniumcis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylato)ruthenium(II)). DFT and TD-DFT studies show that large intramolecular charge transfer takes place from the HOMO to LUMO. HOMO is localized on a part of the molecule with almost no contribution from the carboxylic moiety. This clearly indicates that the anchoring carboxylic group plays a minor role.
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  • 84
    Publication Date: 2014-08-28
    Description: Based on comparative study on two amorphous silicon photovoltaic walls (a-Si PV walls), the temperature distribution and the instant power were tested; and with EnergyPlus software, similar models of the walls were built to simulate annual power generation and air conditioning load. On typical sunshine day, the corresponding position temperature of nonventilated PV wall was generally 0.5~1.5°C higher than that of ventilated one, while the power generation was 0.2%~0.4% lower, which was consistent with the simulation results with a difference of 0.41% in annual energy output. As simulation results, in summer, comparing the PV walls with normal wall, the heat per unit area of these two photovoltaic walls was 5.25 kWh/m2 (nonventilated) and 0.67 kWh/m2 (ventilated) higher, respectively. But in winter the heat loss of nonventilated one was smaller, while ventilated PV wall was similar to normal wall. To annual energy consumption of heating and cooling, the building with ventilated PV wall and normal wall was also similar but slightly better than nonventilated one. Therefore, it is inferred that, at low latitudes, such as Zhuhai, China, air gap ventilation is suitable, while the length to thickness ratio of the air gap needs to be taken into account.
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  • 85
    Publication Date: 2014-09-03
    Description: Heterogeneous photocatalysis is able to operate effectively to eliminate organic compounds from wastewater in the presence of semiconductor photocatalyst and a light source. Although photosensitization of titania by organic dyes is one of the conventional ways for visible-light utilization of titania, previous studies have not yet addressed the use of natural food coloring agents as templates in the synthesis of mesostructured materials, let alone the simultaneous achievement of highly crystalline mesoscopic framework and visible-light photocatalytic activity. In this work, anthocyanin, a natural pigment from red radish was directly used as template in synthesis of highly crystalline mesoporous titania. The synthesized mesoporous titania samples were characterized by a combination of various physicochemical techniques, such as XRD, SEM, HRTEM, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis. The prepared mesoporous titania photocatalyst exhibited significant activity under visible-light irradiation for the degradation of dyes and phenols due to its red shift of band-gap-absorption onset and visible-light response as a result of the incorporation of surface carbon species.
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  • 86
    Publication Date: 2014-09-03
    Description: Photovoltaic system (PV) has nonlinear characteristics which are affected by changing the climate conditions and, in these characteristics, there is an operating point in which the maximum available power of PV is obtained. Fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is the artificial intelligent based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for obtaining the maximum power point (MPP). In this method, defining the logical rule and specific range of membership function has the significant effect on achieving the best and desirable results. This paper presents a detailed comparative survey of five general and main fuzzy logic subsets used for FLC technique in DC-DC boost converter. These rules and specific range of membership functions are implemented in the same system and the best fuzzy subset is obtained from the simulation results carried out in MATLAB. The proposed subset is able to track the maximum power point in minimum time with small oscillations and the highest system efficiency (95.7%). This investigation provides valuable results for all users who want to implement the reliable fuzzy logic subset for their works.
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  • 87
    Publication Date: 2014-11-26
    Description: The effect of UV irradiation and temperature on the formation and properties of free radicals in two pharmaceutical important bile acids, such as dehydrocholic (DH) and ursodeoxycholic acids (UDC), was examined. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was applied to determine the paramagnetic character of UV irradiated and thermally sterilized drugs. Thermal and UV irradiation sterilizations of both compounds were carried out at different conditions according to pharmaceutical norms. The performed EPR measurements of UV irradiated and thermally sterilized DH and UDC samples proved the existence of the complex free radical systems in examined bile acids. Significant influence of UV irradiation in comparison with applied thermal sterilization on free radical concentrations in DH and UDC samples was observed. The results pointed out that thermal method is most suitable for bile acid sterilization. Therefore, this kind of sterilization should be applied in practice.
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  • 88
    Publication Date: 2014-10-21
    Description: We modified the PEDOT:PSS anode buffer layer in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells by spin-coating the solvent N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC). This modification significantly enhanced the efficiency of the ITO/PEDOT:PSS/DMAC/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al solar cells. The DMAC-treated device spin-coated at 3000 rpm exhibited a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.74%, a 59% improvement over that of an untreated cell. To study the mechanism of improving the conversion efficiency, we characterized many parameters, including the light and dark I-V curves, external quantum efficiency, active layer absorption spectrum, transmission spectrum of ITO:PEDOTPSS, PEDOT:PSS surface morphology, and electrical conductivity. Modifying the PEDOT:PSS film increased conductivity, making it more conducive to hole extraction and collection. Our findings suggest that modifying the anode buffer layer can improve photoelectric conversion efficiency.
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  • 89
    Publication Date: 2014-11-11
    Description: Profiling environmental parameter using a large number of spatially distributed wireless sensor network (WSN) NODEs is an extensive illustration of advanced modern technologies, but high power requirement for WSN NODEs limits the widespread deployment of these technologies. Currently, WSN NODEs are extensively powered up using batteries, but the battery has limitation of lifetime, power density, and environmental concerns. To overcome this issue, energy harvester (EH) is developed and presented in this paper. Solar-based EH has been identified as the most viable source of energy to be harvested for autonomous WSN NODEs. Besides, a novel chemical-based EH is reported as the potential secondary source for harvesting energy because of its uninterrupted availability. By integrating both solar-based EH and chemical-based EH, a hybrid energy harvester (HEH) is developed to power up WSN NODEs. Experimental results from the real-time deployment shows that, besides supporting the daily operation of WSN NODE and Router, the developed HEH is capable of producing a surplus of 971 mA·hr equivalent energy to be stored inside the storage for NODE and 528.24 mA·hr equivalent energy for Router, which is significantly enough for perpetual operation of autonomous WSN NODEs used in environmental parameter profiling.
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  • 90
    Publication Date: 2014-11-27
    Description: High resolution global irradiance time series are needed for accurate simulations of photovoltaic (PV) systems, since the typical volatile PV power output induced by fast irradiance changes cannot be simulated properly with commonly available hourly averages of global irradiance. We present a two-step algorithm that is capable of synthesizing one-minute global irradiance time series based on hourly averaged datasets. The algorithm is initialized by deriving characteristic transition probability matrices (TPM) for different weather conditions (cloudless, broken clouds and overcast) from a large number of high resolution measurements. Once initialized, the algorithm is location-independent and capable of synthesizing one-minute values based on hourly averaged global irradiance of any desired location. The one-minute time series are derived by discrete-time Markov chains based on a TPM that matches the weather condition of the input dataset. One-minute time series generated with the presented algorithm are compared with measured high resolution data and show a better agreement compared to two existing synthesizing algorithms in terms of temporal variability and characteristic frequency distributions of global irradiance and clearness index values. A comparison based on measurements performed in Lindenberg, Germany, and Carpentras, France, shows a reduction of the frequency distribution root mean square errors of more than 60% compared to the two existing synthesizing algorithms.
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  • 91
    Publication Date: 2014-11-28
    Description: Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is one of the most important tools to elucidate the charge transfer and transport processes in various electrochemical systems including dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Even though there are many books and reports on EIS, it is often very difficult to explain the EIS spectra of DSSCs. Understanding EIS through calculating EIS spectra on spreadsheet can be a powerful approach as the user, without having any programming knowledge, can go through each step of calculation on a spreadsheet and get instant feedback by visualizing the calculated results or plot on the same spreadsheet. Here, a brief account of the EIS of DSSCs is given with fundamental aspects and their spreadsheet calculation. The review should help one to develop a basic understanding about EIS of DSSCs through interacting with spreadsheet.
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  • 92
    Publication Date: 2014-12-02
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  • 93
    Publication Date: 2014-12-02
    Description: Sheetlike tin disulfide (SnS2) single crystal exposed with well-defined facets and flowerlike SnS2 mainly exposed with facets were prepared through a surfactant-free solvothermal process. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation indicated that the sheetlike SnS2 showed a much higher activity than flowerlike SnS2. Theoretical and experimental results revealed that the band structure derived from the surface atomic structure played a more important role than the surface energy in the photocatalytic property. The present work has provided a deep insight into the important role of the surface energy and band structure, both of which are derived from the surface atomic structure, in the photocatalytic activity.
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  • 94
    Publication Date: 2014-12-02
    Description: Mesoporous Ce/TiO2 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized using titanate nanotubes as precursor through the hydrothermal-calcination method. The as-prepared materials were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm analysis. All the obtained Ce/TiO2 materials exhibit anatase phase. Ce element existed in two valance states of Ce3+ and Ce4+. Introduction of Ce species can effectively extend the spectral response from UV to visible light region. N2 adsorption-desorption analysis revealed that all the samples belong to mesoporous structure and have large BET surface area compared with P25. The Ce/TiO2 nanoparticles showed excellent photocatalytic activity in the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation.
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  • 95
    Publication Date: 2014-12-02
    Description: High quality single crystalline GaN nanowires with large aspect ratio (〉100) are synthesized on n-type Si (111) substrate via Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid process. Morphology, crystal structure, and optical property of the as-synthesized GaN nanowires are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning/transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, and room temperature photoluminescence. The results indicate that the as-prepared GaN nanowires with a large aspect ratio are well crystallized in the hexagonal wurtzite structure, and a slight blue shift appears in both the absorption edge and emission peak probably due to the quantization effect. Photocatalytic H2 evolution over the as-prepared GaN nanowires is performed with the incorporation of Pt or Rh as the cocatalyst, exhibiting greatly enhanced capability compared to the GaN powder tested under the same conditions. Moreover, photocatalytic CO2 reduction over the GaN nanowires is also successfully realized using Pt or Rh as the cocatalyst, depending on which the products show a strong selectivity inherently related to the reductive electrons transferred by cocatalyst.
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  • 96
    Publication Date: 2014-12-04
    Description: We demonstrated a technique requiring little phosphor that used white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) containing composite silica colloidal photonic crystals (c-SCPhCs) for developing the warm-WLEDs (w-WLEDs). WLEDs containing c-SCPhCs enhanced luminous efficacy 5.6% more than commercial w-WLEDs did. We used a UV adhesive curing method to improve the adhesion properties of the c-SCPhCs. A reliability analysis (RA) test was performed on the WLEDs containing c-SCPhCs, applying a high temperature and high relative humidity (85°C/85 RH) during WLEDs operation at 120 mA. During a RA test of 2500 h, no visible degradation in optical performance was observed. We implemented a novel, inexpensive technique for producing high luminous flux w-WLEDs that can be used in residential light.
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  • 97
    Publication Date: 2014-09-04
    Description: With density-functional-based nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations, trans-to-cis and cis-to-trans photoisomerizations of a green fluorescent protein chromophore based molecule 4-benzylidene-2-methyloxazol-5(4H)-one (BMH) induced by the excitation to its excited state were performed. We find a quantum yield of 32% for the trans-to-cis photoisomerization of BMH and a quantum yield of 33% for its cis-to-trans photoisomerization. For those simulations that did produce trans-to-cis isomerization, the average excited state lifetime of trans-BMH is about 1460 fs, which is much shorter than that of cis-BMH (3100 fs) in those simulations that did produce cis-to-trans isomerization. For both photoisomerization processes, rotation around the central C2=C3 bond is the dominant reaction mechanism. Deexcitation occurs at an avoided crossing near the / conical intersection, which is near the midpoint of the rotation.
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  • 98
    Publication Date: 2014-09-08
    Description: Trenched electrodes were proposed to enhance the short-circuit current and conversion efficiency of polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) solar cells with nanoporous silicon (NPS) surface layers. NPS films that served as textured surface layers were firstly prepared on heavily doped p+-type (100) poly-Si wafers by anodic etching process. Interdigitated trenches were formed in the NPS layers by a reactive-ion-etch (RIE) process and Cr/Al double-layered metal was then deposited to fill the trenches and construct trenched-electrode-contacts (TEC’s). Cells with TEC structures (called “TEC cells”) obtained 5.5 times higher short-circuit current than that of cells with planar electrode contacts (called “non-TEC cells”). Most significantly, a TEC cell achieved 8 times higher conversion efficiency than that of a non-TEC cell. The enhanced short-circuit current and conversion efficiency in TEC cells were ascribed to the reduced overall series resistance of devices. In a TEC cell, trenched electrodes provided photocurrent flowing routes that directly access the poly-Si substrates without passing through the high resistive NPS layers. Therefore, the application of NPS surface layers with trenched electrodes is a novel approach to development of highly efficient poly-Si solar cells.
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  • 99
    Publication Date: 2014-09-08
    Description: The objective of this study is to collect energy on the waste heat from air produced by solar ventilation systems. This heat used for electricity generation by an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system was implemented. The advantages of this method include the use of existing building’s wall, and it also provides the region of energy scarcity for reference. This is also an innovative method, and the results will contribute to the efforts made toward improving the design of solar ventilation in the field of solar thermal engineering. In addition, ORC system would help generate electricity and build a low-carbon building. This study considered several critical parameters such as length of the airflow channel, intensity of solar radiation, pattern of the absorber plate, stagnant air layer, and operating conditions. The simulation results show that the highest outlet temperature and heat collecting efficiency of solar ventilation system are about 120°C and 60%, respectively. The measured ORC efficiency of the system was 6.2%. The proposed method is feasible for the waste heat from air produced by ventilation systems.
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  • 100
    Publication Date: 2014-09-08
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