Construing the interaction between solar cell surface and fatty amine for the room temperature passivation

Surface of n-type emitter solar cell is subjected to Oleylamine coating using standard chemical methods. The solar cell shows an increment by 16.8% in the efficiency slowly degrading in time. Investigations are carried out to isolate the passivating effect as well as degrading reactions. The degradation manifests in the form of increased reflectivity of the surface. It is expected that appropriate choice of the coatings can lead to efficient passivation of solar cell with low heat budget over extended time periods suitable for commercial applications. Our study provides a basis for processing the Si-solar cells for room temperature passivation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Emitter passivation of silicon solar cell via organic coating at room temperature

We present a simple method for passivation of silicon solar cells at room temperature. Oleylamine has been used as passivation agent on the n-type emitter of silicon solar cell surface. The desired effect is seen in the form of apparent enhancement in efficiency of the solar cell after coating. The efficiency increases by an amount of 14 % as compared to the one without any passivation applied and antireflection coating. The efficiency was found to decrease marginally and stabilized later. Device performance was monitored for 100 h and the efficiency was found higher as compare to bare solar cell without passivation coating

Recent Advances in Sugarcane Industry Solid By-Products Valorization

Sugarcane is among the leading agricultural crop cultivated in tropical regions of the world. Industrial processing of sugarcane generates sugar; as well as various solid wastes (i.e. sugarcane bagasse, pressmud). Improvement of biotechnology in industrial level, offers opportunities for economic utilization of these solid residues. In the last few decades, sugarcane bagasse and pressmud have been explored in the theme of lignocellulosic bioconversion. The recalcitrance of biomass is a major drawback towards successful exploitation of lignocellulosic residues. Pretreatment by suitable/efficient processes can overcome this limitation. In this regards; physical, chemical and biological treatment systems are brought into our perspective. Chemical and physicochemical methods are capital-intensive but not environment-friendly, in contrast, method like biological treatment is eco-friendly but extremely slow. There are still major technological and economic challenges need to be addressed; e.g. bioprospecting, established more reliable genetically modified microorganisms, upgrade gene cloning and sequencing processes, yield improvement at large scale etc. Productions of value-added products from these solid wastes are discussed in such a way that pinpoints the most recent trends and the future directions. Biofuels, enzymes, organic acids and bio-sorbents production draw a clear sketch of the current and future bio-based products. Nano-biotechnology and genetic engineering could be future trends to improved processes and products. This review serves as a valuable reference material for a wide range of scientists and technologists in the relevant fields