Optimizing Transport Carrier Free All-Polymer Solar Cells for Indoor Applications: TCAD Simulation under White LED Illumination.

This work inspects the utilization of all-polymer solar cells (APSCs) in indoor applications under LED illumination, with a focus on boosting efficiency through simulation-based design. The study employs a SCAPS TCAD device simulator to investigate the performance of APSCs under white LED illumination at 1000 lux, with a power density of 0.305 mW/cm2. Initially, the simulator is validated against experimental results obtained from a fabricated cell utilizing CD1:PBN-21 as an absorber blend and PEDOT:PSS as a hole transportation layer (HTL), where the initial measured efficiency is 16.75%. The simulation study includes an examination of both inverted and conventional cell structures. In the conventional structure, where no electron transportation layer (ETL) is present, various materials are evaluated for their suitability as the HTL. NiO emerges as the most promising HTL material, demonstrating the potential to achieve an efficiency exceeding 27%. Conversely, in the inverted configuration without an HTL, the study explores different ETL materials to engineer the band alignment at the interface. Among the materials investigated, ZnS emerges as the optimal choice, recording an efficiency of approximately 33%. In order to reveal the efficiency limitations of these devices, the interface and bulk defects are concurrently investigated. The findings of this study underscore the significance of careful material selection and structural design in optimizing the performance of APSCs for indoor applications.

An Investigation of the Inverted Structure of a PBDB:T/PZT:C1-Based Polymer Solar Cell.

Based on experimental results, this theoretical study presents a new approach for investigating polymers' solar cells. P-type PZT:C1 and N-type PBDB:T were used to construct a blend for use as a photoactive layer for the proposed all-polymer solar cell. Initially, an architecture of an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PBDB:T/PZT:C1/PFN-Br/Ag all-polymer solar device calibrated with experimental results achieved a PCE of 14.91%. A novel inverted architecture of the same solar device, proposed for the first time in this paper, achieved a superior PCE of 19.92%. Furthermore, the optimization of the doping of the transport layers is proposed in this paper. Moreover, the defect density and the thickness of the polymer are studied, and a PCE of 22.67% was achieved by the optimized cell, which is one of the highest PCEs of polymer solar devices. Finally, the optimized polymer solar cell showed good stability amidst temperature variations. This theoretical study sheds light on the inverted structure of all-polymer solar devices.

Investigation of Polymer/Si Thin Film Tandem Solar Cell Using TCAD Numerical Simulation.

The current study introduces a two-terminal (2T) thin-film tandem solar cell (TSC) comprised of a polymer-based top sub cell and a thin crystalline silicon (c-Si) bottom sub cell. The photoactive layer of the top sub cell is a blend of PDTBTBz-2F as a polymer donor and PC71BM as a fullerene acceptor. Initially, a calibration of the two sub cells is carried out against experimental studies, providing a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.88% for the top sub cell and 14.26% for the bottom sub cell. Upon incorporating both sub cells in a polymer/Si TSC, the resulting cell shows a PCE of 20.45% and a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 13.40 mA/cm2. Then, we optimize the tandem performance by controlling the valence band offset (VBO) of the polymer top cell. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of varying the top absorber defect density and the thicknesses of both absorber layers in an attempt to obtain the maximum obtainable PCE. After optimizing the tandem cell and at the designed current matching condition, the Jsc and PCE of the tandem cell are improved to 16.43 mA/cm2 and 28.41%, respectively. Based on this TCAD simulation study, a tandem configuration established from an all thin-film model may be feasible for wearable electronics applications. All simulations utilize the Silvaco Atlas package where the cells are subjected to standard one Sun (AM1.5G, 1000 W/m2) spectrum illumination.

Metal Oxide Nanosheet: Synthesis Approaches and Applications in Energy Storage Devices (Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Supercapacitors).

In recent years, the increasing energy requirement and consumption necessitates further improvement in energy storage technologies to obtain high cycling stability, power and energy density, and specific capacitance. Two-dimensional metal oxide nanosheets have gained much interest due to their attractive features, such as composition, tunable structure, and large surface area which make them potential materials for energy storage applications. This review focuses on the establishment of synthesis approaches of metal oxide nanosheets (MO nanosheets) and their advancements over time, as well as their applicability in several electrochemical energy storage systems, such as fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of different synthesis approaches of MO nanosheets, as well their suitability in several energy storage applications. Among recent improvements in energy storage systems, micro-supercapacitors, and several hybrid storage systems are rapidly emerging. MO nanosheets can be employed as electrode and catalyst material to improve the performance parameters of energy storage devices. Finally, this review outlines and discusses the prospects, future challenges, and further direction for research and applications of metal oxide nanosheets.

Theoretical insights into the structural, optoelectronic, thermoelectric, and thermodynamic behavior of novel quaternary LiZrCoX (X = Ge, Sn) compounds based on first-principles study.

The structural, magnetic, electronic, elastic, vibrational, optical, thermodynamic as well as thermoelectric properties of newly predicted quaternary LiZrCoX (X = Ge, Sn) Heusler compounds are evaluated intricately with the aid of ab initio techniques developed under the framework of density functional theory. The computed structural properties are found to be in tandem with the existing analogous theoretical and experimental facts. Structural optimization has been carried out in three different structural arrangements, i.e., Type-1, Type-2, and Type-3. Further analysis of the optimization curves reveals that the Type-3 phase, which has the least amount of energy, is the most stable structure for the compounds under consideration. The tabulated cohesive energy and formation energy of these compounds depict their chemical as well as thermodynamic stability. The absence of negative phonon frequencies in the phonon band spectrum of the studied compounds depicts their dynamic stability. Similarly, the tabulated second-order elastic constants (Cij) and the linked elastic moduli show their stability in the cubic phase. The calculated value of Pugh's ratio and Cauchy pressure reveal that LiZrCoGe is brittle whereas LiZrCoSn is ductile. Additionally, the optical characteristics of the compounds are studied in terms of the dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, reflectivity, energy loss function, and optical conductivity. The obtained high value of power factor and figure of merit of the studied lithium-based quaternary compounds predict good thermoelectric behavior in these compounds. Thus, LiZrCoX (X = Ge, Sn) compounds can therefore be used to create innovative and intriguing thermoelectric materials as well as optoelectronic and energy-harvesting equipment.

Advancements in adsorption based carbon dioxide capture technologies- A comprehensive review.

The significant increase in energy consumption has facilitated a rapid increase in offensive greenhouse gas (GHG) and CO2 emissions. The consequences of such emissions are one of the most pivotal concerns of environmental scientists. To protect the environment, they are conducting the necessary research to protect the environment from the greenhouse effect. Among the different sources of CO2 emission, power plants contribute the largest amount of CO2 and as the number of power plants around the world is rising gradually due to increasing energy demand, the amount of CO2 emission is also rising subsequently. Researchers have developed different potential technologies to capture post-combustion CO2 capture from powerplants among which membrane-based, cryogenic, absorption and adsorption-based CO2 processes have gained much attention due to their applicability at the industrial level. In this work, adsorption-based CO2 technologies are comprehensively reviewed and discussed to understand the recent advancements in different adsorption technologies and several adsorbent materials. Researchers and scientists have developed and advanced different adsorption technologies including vacuum swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, pressure swing adsorption, and electric swing adsorption, etc. To further improve the CO2 adsorption capacity with a compact CO2 adsorption unit, researchers have integrated different adsorption technologies to investigate their performance, such as temperature vacuum swing adsorption, pressure vacuum swing adsorption, electric temperature pressure swing adsorption, etc. Different adsorbent materials have been tested to evaluate their applicability for CO2 adsorption and among these adsorbents, advanced carbonaceous, non-carbonaceous, polymeric, and nanomaterials have achieved much attention due to their suitable characteristics that are required for adsorbing CO2. Researchers have reported that higher CO2 adsorption capacity can be achieved by integrating different adsorption technologies and employing suitable adsorbent material for that system. This comprehensive review also provides future directions that may assist researchers in developing novel adsorbent materials and gaining a proper understanding of the selection criteria for effective CO2 adsorption processes with suitable adsorbents.

Pirfenidone alleviates concanavalin A-induced liver fibrosis in mice.

AIMS: Liver fibrosis (LF) is a life-threatening complication of most chronic liver diseases resulting from a variety of injurious agents and hepatotoxic insults. To date, there are no specific therapies for LF, and all the currently available drugs have been developed for other indications. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop new drugs for treatment of LF. Therefore, the current study aimed to elucidate the potential antifibrotic effect of Pirfenidone (PFD) against concanavalin A (ConA)-induced immunological model of liver fibrosis in mice. MAIN METHODS: Hepatic fibrosis was induced in mice by injecting ConA (10 mg/kg/wk./i.v) for 4 weeks. Then, the mice were treated with or without PFD (125 mg/kg/ip/day) for 2 weeks. Hepatic fibrosis was determined by Masson Trichrome staining; Haematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemistry staining of type II and IV collagens, and colorimetric assessment of hydroxyprolline (HP) content in the liver tissues. In addition, the expression of α-SMA mRNA was determined by real time RT-PCR. The serum levels of TGF-ß, TNF-α, TIMP-1 and MMP-2 were measured by ELISA. KEY FINDINGS: Treatment with PFD significantly reduced ConA-induced expression of type II and IV collagens, α-SMA mRNA expression, and HP content and decreased inflammatory cells infiltration in hepatic tissues. Furthermore, serum levels of TGF-ß, TNF-α, and TIMP-1 were significantly reduced with concomitant increase in MMP-2 expression. SIGNIFICANCE: Treatment with PFD ameliorates concanavalin A-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in mice. Thus, PFD may represent a promising therapeutic option for hepatic fibrosis and its related complications.