CdSe Quantum Dots Anchored on TiO2and Carbon Nanotubes: 1D Architectures as Scaffolds to Improve the Efficiency of Solar Cells

Environmentally friendly energy resources are needed to meet our clean energy demand. Semiconductor nanoparticle and nanotube assemblies provide new ways to develop next generation solar cells.[1-4]. Of particular interest is the nanowire/nanotube architecture which can significantly improve the efficiency of nanostructure based solar cells. We have now developed quantum dot solar cells by assembling different size CdSe quantum dots on TiO2 films composed of particle and nanotube morphologies (Scheme 1). Upon bandgap excitation, CdSe quantum dots inject electrons into TiO2 nanoparticles and nanotubes, thus enabling the generation of photocurrent in a photoelectrochemical solar cell. These composite semiconductor nanostructures can be tailored to tune the photoelectrochemical response via size control of CdSe quantum dots and improve the photoconversion efficiency by facilitating the charge transport through TiO2 nanotube architecture. Ways to improve power conversion efficiency and maximize the light harvesting capability through the construction of a rainbow solar cell and carbon nanotube-semiconductor hybrid assemblies will be presented. The salient features of carbon nanotube and graphene scaffolds for facilitating charge collection and charge transport will also be discussed

Solar Fuels. Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

The necessity for developing clean energy technology has led to the surge in renewable energy research. A major effort is in discovering new approaches for producing transportable fuels. Hydrogen, which possesses the highest energy density (120 MJ/kg) known for any fuel and no carbon footprint, is regarded as the leading contender for meeting future fuel needs. The term Hydrogen Economy is often referred collectively to the topics of production, storage, and transport of hydrogen

A Bipolar CdS/Pd Photocatalytic Membrane for Selective Segregation of Reduction and Oxidation Processes

A photocatalytically active bipolar membrane consisting of a CdS photocatalyst and Pd electrocatalyst has been constructed to carry out environmentally relevant oxidation and reduction processes. The ion exchange property of a bipolar membrane (BPM) has allowed us to load the CdS photocatalyst on one side and Pd electrocatalyst on the other side. By inserting the photocatalytic BPM-CdS/Pd membrane between the two compartments of an H-cell, we can separate the reduction and oxidation processes. Following visible light excitation of CdS in the BPM-CdS/Pd membrane, we can induce vectorial electron transfer from CdS to Pd and to an electron acceptor (4-nitrophenol). The holes generated at CdS are scavenged by ethanol or 4-chlorophenol. The photocatalytic reduction rate dependence on the Pd loading in the membrane as well as its effect on modulating the rates of electron and hole transfer processes are discussed. The design of a semiconductor and metal loaded membrane paves the way for improving selectivity and efficiency of photocatalytic processes

Rigid rod spaced fullerene as building block for nanocluster

By using phenylacetylene based rigid-rod linkers (PhA), we have successfully synthesized two fullerene derivatives, C60-PhA and C60-PhA-C60.The absorption spectral features of C60, as well as that of the phenylacetylene moiety are retained in the monomeric forms of these fullerene derivatives, ruling out the possibility of any strong interaction between the two chromophores in the ground state. Both the fullerene derivatives form optically transparent clusters, absorbing in the UV-Vis region; this clustering leads to a significant increase in their molar extinction coefficients. TEM characterization of the C60-PhA showed large spherical clusters, with sizes ranging from 150-350 nm, while an elongated wire-type structure was observed for the bisfullerene derivative (C60-PhA-C60).AFM section analysis studies of isolated nanoclusters of C60-PhA-C60, deposited on mica, indicate that smaller clusters associate to form larger nanostructures

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead