Charge carrier dynamics in Hafnium oxynitride (Hf2ON2) was studied using steady state photoluminescence (SSPL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL). Hf2ON2 films showed a pseudo-direct band gap behaviour in SSPL. This is likely because of a small difference (0.09 eV) in the theoretical energy separation between the direct and indirect band gap of monoclinic Hf2ON2. High-energy tail fitting of the power-dependent SSPL showed carriers temperature up to 1150 K. Carrier lifetimes were determined by fitting the TRPL decay profiles measured with 532 nm and 692 nm excitations. The fitting gave carrier lifetimes of τ1 = 0.124 ± 0.001 ns, τ2 = 3.350 ± 0.006 ns, and τ3 = 10.911 ± 0.009 ns for the 532 nm excitation. The enhanced τ2 lifetime (∼3 ns) is attributed to the acoustic impedance-assisted phonon bottleneck effect (PBE). Hafnium oxynitride has a large acoustic impedance (52.26 MRayl) and offers high resistance to the propagation of the acoustic phonon, lowering the threshold to achieve the PBE.
{"title":"Hot carrier charge dynamics in hafnium oxynitride thin films synthesized using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition","authors":"Ayush Pratik, Yansong Wang, Gavin Conibeer, Santosh Shrestha","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Charge carrier dynamics in Hafnium oxynitride (Hf<sub>2</sub>ON<sub>2</sub>) was studied using steady state photoluminescence (SSPL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL). Hf<sub>2</sub>ON<sub>2</sub> films showed a pseudo-direct band gap behaviour in SSPL. This is likely because of a small difference (0.09 eV) in the theoretical energy separation between the direct and indirect band gap of monoclinic Hf<sub>2</sub>ON<sub>2</sub>. High-energy tail fitting of the power-dependent SSPL showed carriers temperature up to 1150 K. Carrier lifetimes were determined by fitting the TRPL decay profiles measured with 532 nm and 692 nm excitations. The fitting gave carrier lifetimes of τ<sub>1</sub> = 0.124 ± 0.001 ns, τ<sub>2</sub> = 3.350 ± 0.006 ns, and τ<sub>3</sub> = 10.911 ± 0.009 ns for the 532 nm excitation. The enhanced τ<sub>2</sub> lifetime (∼3 ns) is attributed to the acoustic impedance-assisted phonon bottleneck effect (PBE). Hafnium oxynitride has a large acoustic impedance (52.26 MRayl) and offers high resistance to the propagation of the acoustic phonon, lowering the threshold to achieve the PBE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114202"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114200
Mohamed Boujoudar , Amine Moulay Taj , Massaab El Ydrissi , Ibtissam Bouarfa , Mounir Abraim , El Ghali Bennouna , Hicham Ghennioui
Soiling is a major obstacle to exploiting the full potential of concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, particularly in semi-arid regions where dust accumulation is high. This study introduces a machine learning methodology to predict soiling, with the aim of improving cleaning programs, enhancing plant performance and reducing operating costs. The methodology incorporates a comprehensive dataset of meteorological variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and Aerosol Optical Depth) collected at the Green Energy Park in BenGuerir, Morocco, along with 16 months of continuous soiling measurements. Three distinct deep learning architectures, including an autonomous Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a hybrid CNN-LSTM and a CNN-BiLSTM model with attention mechanism, are developed and evaluated using a recursive prediction strategy for multi-step forecasting. Results demonstrate that the CNN-LSTM model achieves the highest predictive accuracy with an R2 of 0.88, MAE of 0.03, and RMSE of 0.03, outperforming the stand-alone LSTM model (R2 = 0.73, RMSE = 0.05) and showing comparable performance to the CNN-BiLSTM-attention model (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 0.04). The model successfully captures both daily fluctuations and seasonal soiling trends, with maximum deviation from measured values of 0.0986 and mean deviation of 0.0219. These improved predictions enable more strategic cleaning protocols, allowing operators to optimize maintenance schedules based on actual soiling forecasts rather than fixed intervals, thereby maximizing mirror reflectance while minimizing water consumption, labor costs, and operational expenditures in semi-arid CSP installations.
{"title":"A machine learning approach for forecasting soiling in concentrated solar power plants","authors":"Mohamed Boujoudar , Amine Moulay Taj , Massaab El Ydrissi , Ibtissam Bouarfa , Mounir Abraim , El Ghali Bennouna , Hicham Ghennioui","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soiling is a major obstacle to exploiting the full potential of concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, particularly in semi-arid regions where dust accumulation is high. This study introduces a machine learning methodology to predict soiling, with the aim of improving cleaning programs, enhancing plant performance and reducing operating costs. The methodology incorporates a comprehensive dataset of meteorological variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and Aerosol Optical Depth) collected at the Green Energy Park in BenGuerir, Morocco, along with 16 months of continuous soiling measurements. Three distinct deep learning architectures, including an autonomous Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a hybrid CNN-LSTM and a CNN-BiLSTM model with attention mechanism, are developed and evaluated using a recursive prediction strategy for multi-step forecasting. Results demonstrate that the CNN-LSTM model achieves the highest predictive accuracy with an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.88, MAE of 0.03, and RMSE of 0.03, outperforming the stand-alone LSTM model (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.73, RMSE = 0.05) and showing comparable performance to the CNN-BiLSTM-attention model (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.87, RMSE = 0.04). The model successfully captures both daily fluctuations and seasonal soiling trends, with maximum deviation from measured values of 0.0986 and mean deviation of 0.0219. These improved predictions enable more strategic cleaning protocols, allowing operators to optimize maintenance schedules based on actual soiling forecasts rather than fixed intervals, thereby maximizing mirror reflectance while minimizing water consumption, labor costs, and operational expenditures in semi-arid CSP installations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114200"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Replacing silver in solar module production is the hot topic in metallization and interconnection development. Whereas in metallization mainly silver-coated copper is utilized, the lower electrical requirements for cell interconnection, open up the opportunity to utilize particles with non-conductive cores as well. This study focuses on the development and characterization of an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) for the shingled cell interconnection based on silver-coated glass and silver-coated copper particles, respectively. The formulated low-filled ECAs were stabilized against sedimentation using a halogen-based additive.
The silver-coated glass particles show good compatibility with the utilized epoxy resin. Employing a mixture of silver-coated glass particles and silver flakes, the silver content in the ECA can be reduced to 25 wt% and the mechanical properties can be adjusted by the fraction of glass particles used. In shingled modules such an ECA shows the same stable performance as the reference based on pure silver particles.
An ECA with only 7 wt% silver was formulated using silver-coated copper particles meeting all requirements for solar cell shingling. Shingled modules build from such an ECA show promising initial efficiency. Damp heat 500 was passed comparable to the silver reference, indicating oxidation stability. However, degradation during accelerated thermal cycling 200 is believed to originate from remaining issues with curing.
This study shows, that by carefully adjusting polymer, particles and additives the silver consumption in ECAs can be significantly reduced without any losses in interconnection performance.
{"title":"Low-filled electrically conductive adhesives based on silver-coated glass and copper particles","authors":"Marianne Kronsbein , Leonhard Böck , Torsten Rößler , Norbert Willenbacher","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Replacing silver in solar module production is the hot topic in metallization and interconnection development. Whereas in metallization mainly silver-coated copper is utilized, the lower electrical requirements for cell interconnection, open up the opportunity to utilize particles with non-conductive cores as well. This study focuses on the development and characterization of an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) for the shingled cell interconnection based on silver-coated glass and silver-coated copper particles, respectively. The formulated low-filled ECAs were stabilized against sedimentation using a halogen-based additive.</div><div>The silver-coated glass particles show good compatibility with the utilized epoxy resin. Employing a mixture of silver-coated glass particles and silver flakes, the silver content in the ECA can be reduced to 25 wt% and the mechanical properties can be adjusted by the fraction of glass particles used. In shingled modules such an ECA shows the same stable performance as the reference based on pure silver particles.</div><div>An ECA with only 7 wt% silver was formulated using silver-coated copper particles meeting all requirements for solar cell shingling. Shingled modules build from such an ECA show promising initial efficiency. Damp heat 500 was passed comparable to the silver reference, indicating oxidation stability. However, degradation during accelerated thermal cycling 200 is believed to originate from remaining issues with curing.</div><div>This study shows, that by carefully adjusting polymer, particles and additives the silver consumption in ECAs can be significantly reduced without any losses in interconnection performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114228"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114204
Guanbing Liu , Lingfeng Zhong , Juan Li, Li Nie, Xinyan Su, Xiacong Zhang
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation provides a sustainable approach to seawater desalination, but achieving both ultrahigh evaporation performance and long-term mechanical durability in harsh saline environments remains challenging. Here, we report a mechanically robust, lipase-modulated porous hydrophilic polyurethane (PU) foam solar evaporator coated with a Fe3+-tannic acid (Fe3+-TA) photothermal complex. The PU framework, after selective lipase-mediated degradation of polyester segments, yields an interconnected, hydrophilic porous network that promotes rapid water transport and prevents salt-induced pore blockage. The uniformly deposited Fe3+-TA layer enables broad-spectrum solar absorption and efficient photothermal conversion. Under 1 kW m−2 irradiation, PU3@(Fe3+-TA) achieved a high evaporation rate of 3.55 kg m−2 h−1 and a solar-to-vapor efficiency of 95%. This scalable, low-cost design demonstrates a promising pathway to high-performance, high-strength solar evaporators for sustainable desalination.
太阳能驱动的界面蒸发为海水淡化提供了可持续的方法，但在恶劣的盐环境中实现超高的蒸发性能和长期的机械耐久性仍然是一个挑战。在这里，我们报告了一个机械坚固，脂肪酶调制多孔亲水性聚氨酯（PU）泡沫太阳能蒸发器涂有Fe3+-单宁酸（Fe3+-TA）光热配合物。经过选择性脂肪酶介导的聚酯段降解后，PU框架产生一个相互连接的亲水多孔网络，促进水的快速输送，防止盐引起的孔隙堵塞。均匀沉积的Fe3+-TA层实现了广谱太阳能吸收和高效光热转换。在1 kW m−2辐照下，PU3@（Fe3+-TA）的蒸发速率高达3.55 kg m−2 h−1，太阳-水蒸气效率高达95%。这种可扩展、低成本的设计为高性能、高强度的太阳能蒸发器的可持续脱盐提供了一条有前途的途径。
{"title":"Lipase-modulated porous hydrophilic polyurethane foam coated with Fe3+-tannic acid for high-performance and mechanically robust solar-driven seawater desalination","authors":"Guanbing Liu , Lingfeng Zhong , Juan Li, Li Nie, Xinyan Su, Xiacong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-driven interfacial evaporation provides a sustainable approach to seawater desalination, but achieving both ultrahigh evaporation performance and long-term mechanical durability in harsh saline environments remains challenging. Here, we report a mechanically robust, lipase-modulated porous hydrophilic polyurethane (PU) foam solar evaporator coated with a Fe<sup>3+</sup>-tannic acid (Fe<sup>3+</sup>-TA) photothermal complex. The PU framework, after selective lipase-mediated degradation of polyester segments, yields an interconnected, hydrophilic porous network that promotes rapid water transport and prevents salt-induced pore blockage. The uniformly deposited Fe<sup>3+</sup>-TA layer enables broad-spectrum solar absorption and efficient photothermal conversion. Under 1 kW m<sup>−2</sup> irradiation, PU<sub>3</sub>@(Fe<sup>3+</sup>-TA) achieved a high evaporation rate of 3.55 kg m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup> and a solar-to-vapor efficiency of 95%. This scalable, low-cost design demonstrates a promising pathway to high-performance, high-strength solar evaporators for sustainable desalination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114204"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114181
Qi Miao , Hongliang Ding , Yidan Tao , Jiuxuan Xiang , Linghua Tan , Yi Jin , Lige Tong , Yulong Ding
Phase change materials(PCMs) exhibit low thermal conductivity and are prone to leakage during phase transition. Encapsulated PCM within a porous thermal conductive skeleton is an effective strategy to solve these limitations. Nevertheless, this approach confronts dual challenges including inadequate heat exchange area between thermal skeletons and PCMs, and spatial competition that limits synergistic optimization of thermal storage density and thermal conductivity. Drawing inspiration from sponge structures characterized by expansive transport interfaces and rapid conduction pathways, this study innovatively designed a biomimetic three-dimensional (3D) interconnected Si3N4 porous skeleton to serve as a supporting carrier for PCM. This architecture is fabricated via 3D printing to simultaneously resolve both constraints. By vacuum impregnation with PCM, a composite material integrating 3D Si3N4 networks with nanocarbon-enhanced molten salts was successfully synthesized. By systematic investigation of impregnation parameters and Si3N4 pore architecture, optimal processing conditions were established. With a thermal storage density of 340.36 J/g and thermal conductivity of 6.54 W/(m·K), the resultant composite balances high energy storage and heat transfer capabilities, leading to exceptional integrated performance. This biomimetic architecture establishes continuous solid-phase conduction networks to minimize interfacial resistance while maximizing PCM loading via high-porosity channels, thus synergistically optimizing both properties beyond conventional material limitations. The approach provides a novel pathway for designing high-performance composite phase change heat storage systems.
{"title":"Bioinspired sponge-like architectures for synergistic enhancement of thermal storage and conductivity in Si3N4/Molten salt composites","authors":"Qi Miao , Hongliang Ding , Yidan Tao , Jiuxuan Xiang , Linghua Tan , Yi Jin , Lige Tong , Yulong Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase change materials(PCMs) exhibit low thermal conductivity and are prone to leakage during phase transition. Encapsulated PCM within a porous thermal conductive skeleton is an effective strategy to solve these limitations. Nevertheless, this approach confronts dual challenges including inadequate heat exchange area between thermal skeletons and PCMs, and spatial competition that limits synergistic optimization of thermal storage density and thermal conductivity. Drawing inspiration from sponge structures characterized by expansive transport interfaces and rapid conduction pathways, this study innovatively designed a biomimetic three-dimensional (3D) interconnected Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> porous skeleton to serve as a supporting carrier for PCM. This architecture is fabricated via 3D printing to simultaneously resolve both constraints. By vacuum impregnation with PCM, a composite material integrating 3D Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> networks with nanocarbon-enhanced molten salts was successfully synthesized. By systematic investigation of impregnation parameters and Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> pore architecture, optimal processing conditions were established. With a thermal storage density of 340.36 J/g and thermal conductivity of 6.54 W/(m·K), the resultant composite balances high energy storage and heat transfer capabilities, leading to exceptional integrated performance. This biomimetic architecture establishes continuous solid-phase conduction networks to minimize interfacial resistance while maximizing PCM loading via high-porosity channels, thus synergistically optimizing both properties beyond conventional material limitations. The approach provides a novel pathway for designing high-performance composite phase change heat storage systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114181"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114198
Jingyun Zhang , Xi Xi , Jianbo Shao , Yuhan Li , Zhipeng Liu , Meixian Huang , Song Zhang , Hongyan Lu , Fan Zhu , Yusen Qin , Jingjia Ji
Electroplating metallization technology excels in cost reduction and efficiency improvement of TOPCon solar cells. Laser-induced firing (LIF) is widely adopted to reduce contact resistance between metal electrodes and silicon. This paper innovatively applies LIF to TOPCon solar cells with electroplated Ni/Cu electrodes, aiming to further reduce carrier recombination and improve the efficiency of solar cells. Experiments demonstrated that applying LIF to TOPCon solar cells with Ni/Cu electroplated electrodes yielded an efficiency gain of 0.401 %abs. and effectively repaired the open-circuit voltage (Voc) loss. Additionally, this paper investigates the different timings for implementing LIF during Ni/Cu electrode fabrication and proposes a novel approach for preparing Ni/Cu-plated TOPCon cells by replacing the traditional Ni-sintering step with LIF. Further optimization of the reverse voltage parameters of LIF has increased the efficiency of TOPCon solar cells with Ni/Cu electroplated electrodes to 24.74 %, representing a 0.45 %abs. improvement over devices without LIF, and with an average Voc increase of 0.86 mV. The precise thermal effect of LIF enhances interfacial contact within the Ni/Cu electrode, improves contact uniformity, and aids in repairing residual laser ablation damages within the semiconductor. LIF provides a novel technical pathway for fabricating high-performance TOPCon cells.
{"title":"Integration of laser-induced firing with Ni/Cu plating for TOPCon solar cell metallization","authors":"Jingyun Zhang , Xi Xi , Jianbo Shao , Yuhan Li , Zhipeng Liu , Meixian Huang , Song Zhang , Hongyan Lu , Fan Zhu , Yusen Qin , Jingjia Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electroplating metallization technology excels in cost reduction and efficiency improvement of TOPCon solar cells. Laser-induced firing (LIF) is widely adopted to reduce contact resistance between metal electrodes and silicon. This paper innovatively applies LIF to TOPCon solar cells with electroplated Ni/Cu electrodes, aiming to further reduce carrier recombination and improve the efficiency of solar cells. Experiments demonstrated that applying LIF to TOPCon solar cells with Ni/Cu electroplated electrodes yielded an efficiency gain of 0.401 %<sub>abs.</sub> and effectively repaired the open-circuit voltage (<em>V</em><sub>oc</sub>) loss. Additionally, this paper investigates the different timings for implementing LIF during Ni/Cu electrode fabrication and proposes a novel approach for preparing Ni/Cu-plated TOPCon cells by replacing the traditional Ni-sintering step with LIF. Further optimization of the reverse voltage parameters of LIF has increased the efficiency of TOPCon solar cells with Ni/Cu electroplated electrodes to 24.74 %, representing a 0.45 %<sub>abs.</sub> improvement over devices without LIF, and with an average <em>V</em><sub>oc</sub> increase of 0.86 mV. The precise thermal effect of LIF enhances interfacial contact within the Ni/Cu electrode, improves contact uniformity, and aids in repairing residual laser ablation damages within the semiconductor. LIF provides a novel technical pathway for fabricating high-performance TOPCon cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114198"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xylitol with a strong supercooling property demonstrates potential value in flexible thermal energy storage systems. As a suggested coupled approach of triggering the crystallization process, bubbling with seeding-triggered crystallization requires further study. The present work investigated the seeding effect on bubbling-triggered crystallization of xylitol under different subcooling degrees. Special attention was paid to the mass fraction and size distribution of crystal seeds. Bubbling alone shows a poor triggering performance for crystallization. While bubbling with seeding can sufficiently trigger the crystallization of xylitol. In comparison to seeds of 177.1 μm, the seeds of 13.8 μm exhibited a 1182.4% increase in specific surface area. The exothermic duration of samples with 0.1 wt% seeds (13.8 μm) were shortened by around 3-4 min, while the exothermic duration prolonged with enhanced supercooling effects. Under 70 °C subcooling, increasing the mass fraction of seeds to 0.5 wt% reduced the crystallization duration by 15.3%, but only elevated the maximum temperature by 1 °C. Increasing the seed proportion at lower supercooling degrees significantly accelerates the attainment of the maximum temperature, whereas high supercooling conditions markedly suppress the exothermic process. The same Miller index and similar lattice constants demonstrate that bubbling with seeding has a negligible influence on crystal forms. This study analyzed the triggering effect of bubbling with seeding. It can provide guidance for crystallization triggering of supercooled phase change materials, aiming at developing seasonal solar energy harvesting and utilization.
{"title":"Seeding-enhanced controllable crystallization of supercooled phase change material by bubbling for flexible thermal energy storage","authors":"Yuxiang Zhang, Xuefeng Shao, Liang Zhang, Zhiqiang Tang, Yanping Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Xylitol with a strong supercooling property demonstrates potential value in flexible thermal energy storage systems. As a suggested coupled approach of triggering the crystallization process, bubbling with seeding-triggered crystallization requires further study. The present work investigated the seeding effect on bubbling-triggered crystallization of xylitol under different subcooling degrees. Special attention was paid to the mass fraction and size distribution of crystal seeds. Bubbling alone shows a poor triggering performance for crystallization. While bubbling with seeding can sufficiently trigger the crystallization of xylitol. In comparison to seeds of 177.1 μm, the seeds of 13.8 μm exhibited a 1182.4% increase in specific surface area. The exothermic duration of samples with 0.1 wt% seeds (13.8 μm) were shortened by around 3-4 min, while the exothermic duration prolonged with enhanced supercooling effects. Under 70 °C subcooling, increasing the mass fraction of seeds to 0.5 wt% reduced the crystallization duration by 15.3%, but only elevated the maximum temperature by 1 °C. Increasing the seed proportion at lower supercooling degrees significantly accelerates the attainment of the maximum temperature, whereas high supercooling conditions markedly suppress the exothermic process. The same Miller index and similar lattice constants demonstrate that bubbling with seeding has a negligible influence on crystal forms. This study analyzed the triggering effect of bubbling with seeding. It can provide guidance for crystallization triggering of supercooled phase change materials, aiming at developing seasonal solar energy harvesting and utilization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114206"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114184
Abid Ustaoglu , Mustafa Sabri Gok , Bülent Yeşilata , Kasım Ozacar , Zeyad Amjed , Tayfun Altiok , Alaattin Metin Kaya , Fatih Kocyigit
This study presents the development and evaluation of a novel and sustainable solar air heater (SAH) incorporating an enhanced compact heat-absorbing structure made from recycled aluminum radiator fins, designed to improve thermal and exergetic-performance while promoting material-reuse and sustainability. The reuse of waste radiator materials provides a multilayered-fin configuration that increases the effective heat-transfer surface area, enhances turbulence, and reduces overall heat loss without additional manufacturing cost. A comparative methodology was employed to assess the influence of this compact thermal-storage element on SAH performance under typical Autumn and Spring conditions. The baseline and modified SAH models were evaluated using dimensionless performance parameters and validated through experimental testing. The average thermal-efficiency of the baseline system was 64.81 %, while the compact heat-exchanger-integrated system reached 78.54 %, indicating a significant improvement of about 13.7 percentage points (21 % relative increase). Furthermore, the oriented-configuration (ochxSAH) provided an additional 3.23 percentage points improvement, corresponding to a further 4 % performance gain. The heat loss rate for chxSAH increase 5.9 % that accompanied a much larger rise in useful heat-gain, confirming improved energy utilization efficiency. These gains were achieved through the improved energy-saving capacity of the recycled radiator-based absorber and its ability to maintain higher outlet temperatures. To complement the experimental study, a machine-learning (ML) approach was applied to predict SAH efficiency. The ML results validated the superior thermal and exergy performance of the sustainable SAH design, demonstrating that integrating waste-material-based compact heat exchangers can enhance system efficiency while supporting circular-economy principles in solar-thermal technologies.
{"title":"Experimental and machine learning investigation of a solar air heater with a novel compact thermal absorber design","authors":"Abid Ustaoglu , Mustafa Sabri Gok , Bülent Yeşilata , Kasım Ozacar , Zeyad Amjed , Tayfun Altiok , Alaattin Metin Kaya , Fatih Kocyigit","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents the development and evaluation of a novel and sustainable solar air heater (SAH) incorporating an enhanced compact heat-absorbing structure made from recycled aluminum radiator fins, designed to improve thermal and exergetic-performance while promoting material-reuse and sustainability. The reuse of waste radiator materials provides a multilayered-fin configuration that increases the effective heat-transfer surface area, enhances turbulence, and reduces overall heat loss without additional manufacturing cost. A comparative methodology was employed to assess the influence of this compact thermal-storage element on SAH performance under typical Autumn and Spring conditions. The baseline and modified SAH models were evaluated using dimensionless performance parameters and validated through experimental testing. The average thermal-efficiency of the baseline system was 64.81 %, while the compact heat-exchanger-integrated system reached 78.54 %, indicating a significant improvement of about 13.7 percentage points (21 % relative increase). Furthermore, the oriented-configuration (ochxSAH) provided an additional 3.23 percentage points improvement, corresponding to a further 4 % performance gain. The heat loss rate for chxSAH increase 5.9 % that accompanied a much larger rise in useful heat-gain, confirming improved energy utilization efficiency. These gains were achieved through the improved energy-saving capacity of the recycled radiator-based absorber and its ability to maintain higher outlet temperatures. To complement the experimental study, a machine-learning (ML) approach was applied to predict SAH efficiency. The ML results validated the superior thermal and exergy performance of the sustainable SAH design, demonstrating that integrating waste-material-based compact heat exchangers can enhance system efficiency while supporting circular-economy principles in solar-thermal technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114184"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114212
Deqiang Zhou , Xianqing Liu , Fei Wang , Yang Ye , Jianfeng Lu , Jing Ding , Weilong Wang
Solar-driven dry reforming of methane (DRM) offers a promising route for simultaneous thermochemical energy conversion and valorization of greenhouse gases. However, existing studies predominantly focus on the conversion efficiency and selectivity of photo-thermal DRM catalysts, with insufficient attention devoted to photo-thermal coupling kinetics and the interplay among multiple operational parameters. To address this gap, linear regression was employed to analyze experimental data obtained from DRM over a Ru–TiO2–H2catalyst, yielding a photo-thermal kinetic model for DRM. Moreover, a multi-parameter optimization strategy was developed by integrating coupled Fluent simulations with response surface methodology (RSM) to systematically investigate the interactive effects of temperature, irradiance, flow rate, porosity, and feed molar ratio on methane conversion. This work establishes a novel framework that synergistically combines linear regression, numerical simulation, and multi-parameter optimization, thereby advancing the fundamental understanding of photo-thermal catalytic DRM and providing a robust theoretical basis for reactor design and industrial deployment.
{"title":"A predictive kinetic model for solar-driven photothermal methane dry reforming: Enhancing solar-to-syngas efficiency via parametric optimization","authors":"Deqiang Zhou , Xianqing Liu , Fei Wang , Yang Ye , Jianfeng Lu , Jing Ding , Weilong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-driven dry reforming of methane (DRM) offers a promising route for simultaneous thermochemical energy conversion and valorization of greenhouse gases. However, existing studies predominantly focus on the conversion efficiency and selectivity of photo-thermal DRM catalysts, with insufficient attention devoted to photo-thermal coupling kinetics and the interplay among multiple operational parameters. To address this gap, linear regression was employed to analyze experimental data obtained from DRM over a Ru–TiO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>catalyst, yielding a photo-thermal kinetic model for DRM. Moreover, a multi-parameter optimization strategy was developed by integrating coupled Fluent simulations with response surface methodology (RSM) to systematically investigate the interactive effects of temperature, irradiance, flow rate, porosity, and feed molar ratio on methane conversion. This work establishes a novel framework that synergistically combines linear regression, numerical simulation, and multi-parameter optimization, thereby advancing the fundamental understanding of photo-thermal catalytic DRM and providing a robust theoretical basis for reactor design and industrial deployment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114212"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114229
Zhigao Zheng , Wenlong Peng , Guoqiang Kuang , Haining Ji , Yijie Tao , Yi Cao , Shiguo Zhang
Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) used as the counter electrode in polymer-based electrochromic devices still face several challenges, including low ion storage capacity, strong residual visible absorption in neutral state and poor dispersity in common environmentally friendly solvents. In this work, a series of well aqueous-dispersed zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZnHCF) nanoparticles are synthesized via a co-precipitation method with various ZnCl2 precursor concentration (10, 50, 200, and 1000 mmol/L), which can be easily and uniformly spray-coated on ITO glass to form film. More importantly, the resultant ZnHCF film (named ZnHCF-50) prepared under optimal conditions exhibits superior electrochemical activity with the highest visible transmittance during the whole redox process. As a result, the assembled ECDs based on ZnHCF-50 counter electrode with the reported yellow, red, blue and black-to-transmissive electrochromic polymers (ECPs) demonstrate excellent electrochromic properties such as low driving voltage (≤0.5V), high optical modulation (64.9%), rapid response time (1∼2 s), and good stability (95.6% retention after 5000 cycles). All of these indicate that the prepared ZnHCF nanoparticles can be an effective charge-balancing counter electrode material for fabricating high-performance polymer-based electrochromic devices.
{"title":"Fast-switching and highly stable polymer-based electrochromic devices with low residual coloration using aqueous-dispersed zinc hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles as counter electrodes","authors":"Zhigao Zheng , Wenlong Peng , Guoqiang Kuang , Haining Ji , Yijie Tao , Yi Cao , Shiguo Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) used as the counter electrode in polymer-based electrochromic devices still face several challenges, including low ion storage capacity, strong residual visible absorption in neutral state and poor dispersity in common environmentally friendly solvents. In this work, a series of well aqueous-dispersed zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZnHCF) nanoparticles are synthesized via a co-precipitation method with various ZnCl<sub>2</sub> precursor concentration (10, 50, 200, and 1000 mmol/L), which can be easily and uniformly spray-coated on ITO glass to form film. More importantly, the resultant ZnHCF film (named ZnHCF-50) prepared under optimal conditions exhibits superior electrochemical activity with the highest visible transmittance during the whole redox process. As a result, the assembled ECDs based on ZnHCF-50 counter electrode with the reported yellow, red, blue and black-to-transmissive electrochromic polymers (ECPs) demonstrate excellent electrochromic properties such as low driving voltage (≤0.5V), high optical modulation (64.9%), rapid response time (1∼2 s), and good stability (95.6% retention after 5000 cycles). All of these indicate that the prepared ZnHCF nanoparticles can be an effective charge-balancing counter electrode material for fabricating high-performance polymer-based electrochromic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114229"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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