Shear wave velocity is an important parameter in geotechnical engineering for studying liquefaction, finding bedrock for the basement of a building, and figuring out the presence of subsurface cavities. This study aims to develop and evaluate the accuracy of the multiple inversions by the Particle Swarm Optimization (MI-PSO) algorithm with a weighted average solution. This algorithm is applied to Rayleigh wave dispersion data for geotechnical site characterization. Two synthetic models, the HVL model and the complex model (i.e., a combination of models with LVL and HVL characteristics), are used to conduct algorithm tests. These synthetic models replicate subsurface characteristics that are frequently encountered in geotechnical cases. Synthetic data tests show that the MI-PSO algorithm with a weighted average solution works excellently. The MI-PSO technique with a weighted average solution resolves the model better than the conventional average solution. When applied to two field data sets, the MI-PSO algorithm with a weighted average solution can delineate target models that are consistent with the qualitative interpretation based on the observed dispersion curve characteristics.
One of the important components of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is photoanode which plays a critical role serving as the center of conversion energy. Photoanode consists of transparent conducting substrate, a semiconductor layer, and dyes molecules as sensitizers. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used as a photoanode because it is a mesoporous and stable material despite its high recombination rate. To reduce the recombination rate and improve electron transport, TiO2 is combined with other materials such as ZnO to form TiO2/ZnO composites. ZnO is a good choice because it has higher electron mobility than TiO2 to inhibit recombination. The synthesis process of TiO2/ZnO composites was carried out using the sol-gel method with variations in the weight percentage of ZnO. The TiO2/ZnO composite was then applied as a photoanode in DSSC. The J-V measurement results shows that the DSSC with TiO2/ZnO 25wt% composite layer as the photoanode produced the highest efficiency of 0.86%. This increase in efficiency was due to an increase in the photo-current of photoanodes that have more ZnO content. The presence of ZnO leads to faster-moving electron transport, therefore reducing recombination and increasing efficiency.