Atomic layer deposited ZnO:B as transparent conductive oxide for silicon heterojunction solar cells

A key factor to improve the performance of silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ) is increasing their short circuit density (Jsc) by reducing the parasitic absorption of light in the front side of the cell. Therefore, we have investigated the replacement of the conventional sputtered ITO on the SHJ front side with highly transparent boron doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B). The ZnO:B is prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) with the novel triisopropyl borate precursor, B(OiPr)3 (TIB), which presents an easy controllable and safer alternative to commonly used boron precursors.Outstanding Jsc values of 35.50 mA/cm2 for cells on double sided polished wafer (DSP) and 38.76 mA/cm2 for cells on textured wafer are observed for SHJ cells with ZnO:B, as compared to 33.48 mA/cm2 (DSP) and 37.31 mA/cm2 (textured) for reference cells with ITO. The potential of ZnO:B grown with TIB as indium-free TCO with increased transmission for SHJ solar cells is thereby demonstrated. Furthermore, indium free SHJ solar cells with ALD deposited ZnO:B as front TCO and ZnO:Al as back TCO have been successfully demonstrated<br/

Moisture barrier enhancement by spontaneous formation of silicon oxide interlayers in hot wire chemical vapor deposition of silicon nitride on poly (glycidyl methacrylate)

We deposited a silicon nitride (SiNx)–polymer hybrid multilayer moisture barrier in a hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) process, entirely below 100 °C. The polymer, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA), was deposited by initiated chemical vapour deposition and the SiNx in a dedicated HWCVD reactor. Line profile investigation of our barrier structures by cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry reveals that, upon deposition of SiNx on top of our polymer layer, an intermediate layer of silicon oxide (SiOx) like material is formed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirm the presence of this material and indicate the epoxy rings in the PGMA material open upon heating (to 100 °C) and exposure to atomic hydrogen and amine species in the HWCVD process. The oxygen atoms subsequently react with silicon and nitrogen containing radicals to form SiOxNy. The interlayer turns out to be highly beneficial for interlayer adhesion and this is considered to be one of the reasons for the excellent barrier properties of our multilayer

Погода і економіка

In this study, we present a new light absorption enhancement method for p-i-n thin film silicon solar cells using pyramidal surface structures, larger than the wavelength of visible light. Calculations show a maximum possible current enhancement of 45% compared with cells on a flat substrate. We deposited amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film solar cells directly onto periodically pyramidal-structured polycarbonate (PC) substrates, which show a significant increase (30%) in short-circuit current over reference cells deposited on flat glass substrates. The current of the cells on our pyramidal structures on PC is only slightly lower than that of cells on Asahi U-type TCO glass (Asahi Glass Co., Tokyo, Japan), but suffer from a somewhat lower open circuit voltage and fill factor. Because the used substrates have a locally flat surface area due to the fabrication process, we believe that the current enhancement in the cells on structured PC can be increased using larger or more closely spaced pyramids, which can have a smaller flat surface area

In silico evaluation of the influence of the translocon on partitioning of membrane segments

Background The locations of the TM segments inside the membrane proteins are the consequence of a cascade of several events: the localizing of the nascent chain to the membrane, its insertion through the translocon, and the conformation adopted to reach its stable state inside the lipid bilayer. Even though the hydrophobic h-region of signal peptides and a typical TM segment are both composed of mostly hydrophobic side chains, the translocon has the ability to determine whether a given segment is to be inserted into the membrane. Our goal is to acquire robust biological insights into the influence of the translocon on membrane insertion of helices, obtained from the in silico discrimination between signal peptides and transmembrane segments of bitopic proteins. Therefore, by exploiting this subtle difference, we produce an optimized scale that evaluates the tendency of each amino acid to form sequences destined for membrane insertion by the translocon. Results The learning phase of our approach is conducted on carefully chosen data and easily converges on an optimal solution called the PMIscale (Potential Membrane Insertion scale). Our study leads to two striking results. Firstly, with a very simple sliding-window prediction method, PMIscale enables an efficient discrimination between signal peptides and signal anchors. Secondly, PMIscale is also able to identify TM segments and to localize them within protein sequences. Conclusions Despite its simplicity, the localization method based on PMIscale nearly attains the highest level of TM topography prediction accuracy as the current state-of-the-art prediction methods. These observations confirm the prominent role of the translocon in the localization of TM segments and suggest several biological hypotheses about the physical properties of the translocon

Ultra-energiezuinige kassystemen met Supertransparante Micro-V Gestructureerde materialen: Rapportage in het kader van het EOS-LT programma van Agentschap NL (Openbare versie)

Doel van het in dit rapport beschreven onderzoek is het gebruiken van micro- en nanostructuren uit de PV-industrie om te komen tot een diffuus kasdekmateriaal met een hoge hemisferische transmissie. Hierbij wordt gebruik gemaakt van de kennis die in het verleden is opgedaan in het ontwikkelen van het zigzag kasdekmateriaal. Met de ontwikkelde kennis kan energiebesparing gerealiseerd worden door het toepassen van de structuren op dubbel glas, waardoor materiaal gemaakt kan worden met een hoge hemisferische transmissie, diffuse eigenschappen en een hoge isolatiewaarde. Randvoorwaarde hierin is dat het ontwikkelde kasdekmateriaal toepasbaar is in een glastuinbouwmilieu. Dit betekent dat het materiaal niet mag verouderen, condensatie de transmissie niet mag verminderen en extra vervuiling niet mag optreden. Hierbij wordt de Nederlandse situatie als uitgangspunt genomen, maar interessante structuren voor andere klimaten zullen niet worden uitgesloten

Psychometric properties of an innovative smartphone application to investigate the daily impact of hypoglycemia in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes: the Hypo-METRICS app

Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability and psychometric properties of the Hypo-METRICS (Hypoglycemia MEasurement, ThResholds and ImpaCtS) application (app): a novel tool designed to assess the direct impact of symptomatic and asymptomatic hypoglycemia on daily functioning in people with insulin-treated diabetes. Materials and methods 100 adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM, n = 64) or insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n = 36) completed three daily ‘check-ins’ (morning, afternoon and evening) via the Hypo-METRICs app across 10 weeks, to respond to 29 unique questions about their subjective daily functioning. Questions addressed sleep quality, energy level, mood, affect, cognitive functioning, fear of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, social functioning, and work/productivity. Completion rates, structural validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were explored. App responses were correlated with validated person-reported outcome measures to investigate convergent (rs>±0.3) and divergent (rs<±0.3) validity. Results Participants’ mean±SD age was 54±16 years, diabetes duration was 23±13 years, and most recent HbA1c was 56.6±9.8 mmol/mol. Participants submitted mean±SD 191±16 out of 210 possible ‘check-ins’ (91%). Structural validity was confirmed with multi-level confirmatory factor analysis showing good model fit on the adjusted model (Comparative Fit Index >0.95, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation <0.06, Standardized Root-Mean-square Residual<0.08). Scales had satisfactory internal consistency (all ω≥0.5), and high test-retest reliability (rs≥0.7). Convergent and divergent validity were demonstrated for most scales. Conclusion High completion rates and satisfactory psychometric properties demonstrated that the Hypo-METRICS app is acceptable to adults with T1DM and T2DM, and a reliable and valid tool to explore the daily impact of hypoglycemia