Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy最新文献

Several studies on solar cells using SCAPS-1D were conducted to investigate their performance, which are typically limited to I–V analysis for DC characterization. Therefore, in the present study, a very wide frequency range from 10^–2 Hz to 10¹² Hz was employed to explore diffusion processes and investigate the performance of lead-free Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) featuring as a novel heterostructure. These investigations concern the optimization of MASnI₃ thickness as an absorber. Additionally, the impact of series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances is also examined. From the I–V analysis, it was determined that the power efficiency (PCE) could be achieved at a thickness of 0.6 µm. Increasing the series resistance (Rs) led to a significant decrease in the fill factor (FF) and (PCE), whereas the shunt resistance (Rsh) demonstrated a notable improvement in both (FF) and (PCE). Analysis of AC characteristics revealed complex impedance (Z*) and modulus (M*) indicative of main ionic transport, recombination, and diffusion processes crucial for optimization. An appropriate equivalent circuit model was developed and validated through deconvolution and theoretical considerations, yielding parameters such as the time constant for each process. It was observed that ionic conductivity and electronic diffusion play key roles in balancing charge collection and recombination losses. The critical influence of series and shunt resistance on low and high-frequency processes was emphasized, underscoring their significance in solar cell efficiency. A strong correlation was established between the evolution of time constants for each process and power conversion efficiency (PCE).

Single lithium-ion conducting polymer electrolytes are promising candidates for next generation safer lithium batteries. In this work, Li⁺-conducting Nafion membranes have been synthesized by using a novel single-step procedure. The Li-Nafion membranes were characterized by means of small-wide angle X-ray scattering, infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis, for validating the proposed lithiation method. The obtained membranes were swollen in different organic aprotic solvent mixtures and characterized in terms of ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability window, lithium stripping-deposition ability and their interface properties versus lithium metal. The membrane swollen in ethylene carbonate:propylene carbonate (EC:PC, 1:1 w/w) displays good temperature-activated ionic conductivities (σ ≈ 5.5 × 10^–4 S cm⁻¹ at 60 °C) and a more stable Li-electrolyte interface with respect to the other samples. This Li-Nafion membrane was tested in a lithium-metal cell adopting LiFePO₄ as cathode material. A specific capacity of 140 mAhg⁻¹, after 50 cycles, was achieved at 30 °C, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed Li-Nafion membrane.

Low-sulfonation-level polyether sulfone octyl sulfonamide (LSPSO) was blended with a layered double hydroxides (LDHs, Mg₂AlCl)/sepiolite nanostructure clay as a filler to create an electrolyte membrane for fuel cell applications. Comprehensive characterization of the composite membranes was conducted, encompassing Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mechanical stability assessment, thermal gravimetric analysis, ion exchange capability, swelling characteristics, water uptake performance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. In comparison to the pristine LSPSO membrane, the presence of LDHs/sepiolite nanoarchitecture material within LSPSO exhibited superior water retention and proton conductivity values, especially at elevated temperatures. The proton conductivity of the composite membranes reached approximately 250 mS/cm, while the unmodified LSPSO membrane only achieved 35 mS/cm at 100 °C. Moreover, LSPSO composite membranes demonstrated enhanced chemical and thermal stability along with higher proton conductivity when compared to pristine LSPSO membranes. These findings highlight the potential of developing tailored LSPSO composite membranes to advance the prospects of commercial applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Climate change and global warming problem are becoming the serious issue and some action is necessary in order to mitigate the rising temperature. CO₂ increase is one of the reason for temperature rise, and the technology to convert CO₂ to beneficial energy or chemical substance could be one of the key solution (CO₂ photocatalytic reduction). Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained much attention owing to their extremely large surface areas, tunable fine structures, and potential applications in many areas. Recently, MOFs have been demonstrated to be promising materials for CO₂ photocatalytic reduction. This review summarized recent research progresses in photocatalytic reduction using MOFs. MOFs were classified mainly by the type of metal center, and the feature and tendency against their functions towards CO₂ photocatalytic activity will be explained.

An innovative methodology was employed to fabricate ion exchange membranes tailored for fuel cell applications. This approach entailed blending low sulfonated polyether sulfone octyl sulfonamide (LSPSO) with Hectorite (Hect) clay at varying weight percentages (1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 6 wt%). The resultant composite membranes underwent comprehensive characterization via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, aiming to assess their surface morphology and thermal resilience. Remarkably, the thermal stability of the composite membrane exhibited a substantial enhancement in comparison to the pristine LSPSO membrane. Moreover, the incorporation of 6 wt% Hectorite into the composite membrane yielded a noteworthy amplification in proton conductivity, achieving a fourfold increase (141.66 mS/cm) as opposed to the LSPSO membrane in isolation (35.04 mS/cm). Consequently, the Hect/LSPSO composite membrane exhibits remarkable potential as an electrolyte membrane for fuel cells operating at temperatures surpassing 100 °C.

Self-assembly is the most promising low-cost and high-throughput methodology for nanofabrication. This paper reports the optimization of a self-assembly process at room temperature for the growth of copper oxide (CuO) based nanostructures over a copper substrate using aqueous potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution as the oxidizing agent. The monoclinic phase of CuO nanostructures grown over the copper substrate was confirmed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman analysis. The overall chemical composition of nanostructures was confirmed to be that of CuO from its oxidation state using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photodetectors were engineered with the structure Cu/CuO/Ag. The photodetectors exhibited a response to both ultraviolet and visible light illumination. The optimized Cu/CuO/Ag structure exhibits a responsivity of ~ 1.65 µA/W, with an ON:OFF ratio of ~ 69 under a bias voltage of 0.01 V. The temporal dependence of photo-response for the optimized photodetector displayed the persistent nature of photoconduction indicating a delay in charge carrier recombination which could potentially be exploited for photovoltaic applications.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are currently demonstrating tremendous potential in terms of straightforward processing, a plentiful supply of materials, and easy architectural integration, as well as high power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, the elemental composition of the widely utilized organic–inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) contains the hazardous lead (Pb). The presence of Pb in the PSCs is problematic because of its toxicity which may slow down or even impede the pace of commercialization. As a backup option, the scientific community has been looking for non-toxic/less-toxic elements that can replace Pb in OIHPs. Despite not yet matching the impressive results of Pb-containing OIHPs, the community is paying close attention to Pb-free materials and has seen some encouraging findings. This review evaluates the Pb-replacement with suitable elements and scrutinizes the desirable optoelectronic features of such elements in OIHPs. The fundamental features of Pb-free OIHPs together with their photovoltaic performance in the PSCs are evaluated in details. Finally, we sum up the current challenges and potential opportunities for the Pb-free OIHPs and their devices.

Piezoelectric energy harvesting is gaining popularity as an eco-friendly solution to harvest energy from tire deformation for tire condition monitoring systems in vehicles. Traditional piezoelectric harvesters, such as cymbal and bridge structures, cannot be used inside tires due to their design limitations. The wider adoption of renewable energy sources into the energy system is increasing rapidly, reflecting a global attraction toward the utilization of sustainable power sources (Aljendy et al. in Int J Power Energy Convers 12(4): 314–337, 2021; Yesner et al. in Evaluation of a novel piezoelectric bridge transducer. In: 2017 Joint IEEE International Symposium on the Applications of Ferroelectric (ISAF)/International Workshop on Acoustic Transduction Materials and Devices (IWATMD)/Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM). IEEE, 2017). The growing interest in capturing energy from tire deformation for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) aligns with this trend, providing a promising and self-sustaining alternative to traditional battery-powered systems. This study presents a novel one-end cap tire strain piezoelectric energy harvester (TSPEH) that can be used efficiently and reliably inside a tire. The interaction between the tire and energy harvester was analyzed using a decoupled modeling approach, which showed that stress concentration occurred along the edge of the end cap. The TSPEH generated a maximum voltage of 768 V under 2 MPa of load, resulting in an energy output of 32.645 J/rev under 1 MPa. The computational findings of this study were consistent with previous experimental investigations, confirming the reliability of the numerical simulations. The results suggest that the one-end cap structure can be an effective energy harvester inside vehicle tires, providing a valuable solution for utilizing one-end cap structures in high-deformation environments such as vehicle tires.

3D-printed anodes for bioelectrochemical systems are increasingly being reported. However, comparisons between 3D-printed anodes and their non-3D-printed counterparts with the same material composition are still lacking. In addition, surface roughness parameters that could be correlated with bioelectrochemical performance are rarely determined. To fill these gaps, slurries with identical composition but different mass fractions were processed into SiOC anodes by tape-casting, freeze-casting, or direct-ink writing. The current generation was investigated using electroactive biofilms enriched with Geobacter spp. Freeze-cast anodes showed more surface pores and the highest surface kurtosis of 5.7 ± 0.5, whereas tape-cast and 3D-printed anodes showed a closed surface porosity. 3D-printing was only possible using slurries 85 wt% of mass fraction. The surface pores of the freeze-cast anodes improved bacterial adhesion and resulted in a high initial (first cycle) maximum current density per geometric surface area of 9.2 ± 2.1 A m⁻². The larger surface area of the 3D-printed anodes prevented pore clogging and produced the highest current density per geometric surface area of 12.0 ± 1.2 A m⁻². The current density values of all anodes are similar when the current density is normalized over the entire geometric surface as determined by CT-scans. This study highlights the role of geometric surface area in normalizing current generation and the need to use more surface roughness parameters to correlate anode properties, bacterial adhesion, and current generation.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown a significant increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) under laboratory circumstances from 2006 to the present, rising from 3.8% to an astonishing 25%. This scientific breakthrough corresponds to the changing energy situation and rising industrial potential. The flexible perovskite solar cell (FPSC), which capitalizes on the benefits of perovskite thin-film deposition and operates at low temperatures, is key to this transition. The FPSC is strategically important for large-scale deployment and mass manufacturing, especially when combined with the benefits of perovskite thin-film deposition under moderate thermodynamic conditions. Its versatility is demonstrated by the ease with which it may be folded, rolled, or coiled over flexible substrates, allowing for efficient transportation. Notably, FPSCs outperform traditional solar panels in terms of adaptability. FPSCs have several advantages over rigid substrates, including mobility, lightweight properties that help transportation, scalability via roll-to-roll (R2R) deposition, and incorporation into textiles and architecture. This in-depth examination dives into their fundamental design and various fabrication techniques, which include conducting substrates, absorber layers, coordinated charge movement, and conductive electrodes. This review evaluates critical FPSC fabrication techniques such as thermal evaporation, R2R approaches, slot die and spray deposition, blade coating, and spin coating. The present challenges in constructing FPSCs with high performance and long-term stability are also highlighted. Finally, the solar industry's potential uses for both indoor and outdoor FPSCs have been discussed.