Improved performance of porphyrin-based dye sensitised solar cells by phosphinic acid surface treatment

Chemical surface treatment of porphyrin-sensitised titania films using bis-(4-methoxyphenyl) phosphinic acid after dye adsorption, results in large improvements in DSSC efficiencies which originate primarily from higher short circuit currents. The result was attributed to a positive shift in the TiO2 quasi-Fermi level with simultaneous retardation of charge recombination. High device performances have been achieved even using simplified electrolyte matrices devoid of the common additives, LiI and t-butylpyridine

Spatial distribution and risk factors of Schistosoma haematobium and hookworm infections among schoolchildren in Kwale, Kenya

Background: Large-scale schistosomiasis control programs are implemented in regions with diverse social and economic environments. A key epidemiological feature of schistosomiasis is its small-scale heterogeneity. Locally profiling disease dynamics including risk factors associated with its transmission is essential for designing appropriate control programs. To determine spatial distribution of schistosomiasis and its drivers, we examined schoolchildren in Kwale, Kenya. Methodology/Principal findings: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 368 schoolchildren from six primary schools. Soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosoma mansoni eggs in stool were evaluated by the Kato-Katz method. We measured the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection by urine filtration. The geometrical mean intensity of S. haematobium was 3.1 eggs/10 ml urine (school range, 1.4?9.2). The hookworm geometric mean intensity was 3.2 eggs/g feces (school range, 0?17.4). Heterogeneity in the intensity of S. haematobium and hookworm infections was evident in the study area. To identify factors associated with the intensity of helminth infections, we utilized negative binomial generalized linear mixed models. The intensity of S. haematobium infection was associated with religion and socioeconomic status (SES), while that of hookworm infection was related to SES, sex, distance to river and history of anthelmintic treatment. Conclusions/Significance: Both S. haematobium and hookworm infections showed micro-geographical heterogeneities in this Kwale community. To confirm and explain our observation of high S. haematobium risk among Muslims, further extensive investigations are necessary. The observed small scale clustering of the S. haematobium and hookworm infections might imply less uniform strategies even at finer scale for efficient utilization of limited resources

Development of Grease Film Breakdown Observing Device

The paper describes a newly developed smart device, which can detect the dielectric breakdown of the grease elastohydrodynamic film formed between a steel ball loaded against a glass disc due to electric discharge, while observing the shape and thickness of the film. The electric discharge between contacting surfaces can be observed as a white flash signal. It is found that the dielectric breakdown voltage increases with the film thickness

Photodegradation in encapsulated silole-based polymer: Pcbm solar cells investigated using transient absorption spectroscopy and charge extraction measurements

Light induced degradation has been observed in the performance of organic solar cells in the absence of oxygen and a detailed analysis of the effect of this photodegradation on optical and electrical features has been accomplished. This photodegradation study has been performed on encapsulated photovoltaic blend devices comprised of the silole-based donor-acceptor polymer KP115 blended with [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Photodegradation induces an almost 20% decrease in power conversion efficiency, primarily as a result of a reduction in short circuit current, JSC. The initial burn-in phase of the photodegradation has been examined using a combination of transient absorption spectroscopy and charge extraction measurements, including photo-CELIV (charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage) and time-resolved charge extraction using a nanosecond switch. These measurements reveal a bimodal KP115 polaron population, comprised of both delocalised and localised/trapped charge carriers. The photodegradation results are consistent with an alteration of this bimodal KP115 polaron population, with the polarons becoming trapped in a broader, deeper density of localised states. Under laser illumination and at open circuit conditions, this enhanced trapping after light soaking inhibits charges from undergoing bimolecular recombination, leading to higher extracted charge densities at long times. At the lower charge densities operating at short circuit conditions and under continuous white light illumination, where bimolecular recombination is much less significant, the JSC decreases after light soaking due to a reduction in the efficiency of trapped charge carrier extraction

A nonconjugated bridge in dimer-sensitized solar cells retards charge recombination without decreasing charge injection efficiency

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing a dimer porphyrin, which was synthesised with two porphyrin units connected without conjugation, have shown that both porphyrin components can contribute to photocurrent generation, that is, more than 50 % internal quantum efficiency. In addition, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of the DSSCs was higher than that of DSSCs using monomer porphyrins. In this paper, we first optimized cell structure and fabrication conditions. We obtained more than 80% incident photon to current conversion efficiency from the dimer porphyrin sensitized DSSCs and higher Voc and energy conversion efficiency than monomer porphyrin sensitized solar cells. To examine the origin of the higher Voc, we measured electron lifetime in the DSSCs with various conditions, and found that the dimer system increased the electron lifetime by improving the steric blocking effect of the dye layer, whilst the lack of a conjugated linker prevents an increase in the attractive force between conjugated sensitizers and the acceptor species in the electrolyte. The results support a hypothesis; dispersion force is one of the factors influencing the electron lifetime in DSSCs

Cation exchange at semiconducting oxide surfaces: Origin of light-induced performance increases in porphyrin dye-sensitized solar cells

The origin of simultaneous improvements in the short-circuit current density (Jsc) and open-circuit voltage (Voc) of porphyrin dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells following white light illumination was studied by systematic variation of several different device parameters. Reduction of the dye surface loading resulted in greater relative performance enhancements, suggesting open space at the TiO2 surface expedites the process. Variation of the electrolyte composition and subsequent analysis of the conduction band potential shifts suggested that a light-induced replacement of surface-adsorbed lithium (Li+) ions with dimethylpropylimidazolium (DMPIm+) ions was responsible for an increased electron lifetime by decreasing the recombination with the redox mediator. Variation of the solvent viscosity was found to affect the illumination time required to generate increased performance, while similar performance enhancements were not replicated by application of negative bias under dark conditions, indicating the light exposure effect was initiated by formation of dye cation molecules following photoexcitation. The substituents and linker group on the porphyrin chromophore were both varied, with light exposure producing increased electron lifetime and Voc for all dyes; however, increased Jsc values were only measured for dyes containing binding moieties with multiple carboxylic acids. It was proposed that the initial injection limitation and/or fast recombination process in these dyes arises from the presence of lithium at the surface, and the improved injection and/or retardation of fast recombination after light exposure is caused by the Li+ removal by cation exchange under illumination