Controlled nucleation of thin microcrystalline layers for the recombination junction in a-Si stacked cells

In high-efficiency a-Si : H based stacked cells, at least one of the two layers that form the internal n/p junction has preferentially to be microcrystalline so as to obtain sufficient recombination at the junction [1–6]. The crucial point is the nucleation of a very thin μc-Si : H layer on an amorphous (i-layer) substrate [2, 4]. In this study, fast nucleation is induced through the treatment of the amorphous substrate by a CO2 plasma. The resulting n-layers with a high crystalline fraction were, however, found to reduce the Voc when incorporated in tandem cells. The reduction of the Voc could be restored only by a precise control of the crystalline fraction of the n-layer. As a technologically more feasible alternative, we propose a new, combined n-layer, consisting of a first amorphous layer for a high Voc, and a second microcrystalline layer, induced by CO2 treatment, for a sufficient recombination at the n/p junction. Resulting tandem cells show no Voc losses compared to two standard single cells, and an efficient recombination of the carriers at the internal junction as proved by the low series resistance (15 Ωcm2) and the high FF ( 75%) of the stacked cells

The violent youth of bright and massive cluster galaxies and their maturation over 7 billion years

In this study, we investigate the formation and evolution mechanisms of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) over cosmic time. At high redshift (z ∼ 0.9), we selected BCGs and most massive cluster galaxies (MMCGs) from the Cl1604 supercluster and compared them to low-redshift (z ∼ 0.1) counterparts drawn from the MCXC meta-catalogue, supplemented by Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging and spectroscopy. We observed striking differences in the morphological, colour, spectral, and stellar mass properties of the BCGs/MMCGs in the two samples. High-redshift BCGs/MMCGs were, in many cases, star-forming, late-type galaxies, with blue broad-band colours, properties largely absent amongst the low-redshift BCGs/MMCGs. The stellar mass of BCGs was found to increase by an average factor of 2.51 ± 0.71 from z ∼ 0.9 to z ∼ 0.1. Through this and other comparisons, we conclude that a combination of major merging (mainly wet or mixed) and in situ star formation are the main mechanisms which build stellar mass in BCGs/MMCGs. The stellar mass growth of the BCGs/MMCGs also appears to grow in lockstep with both the stellar baryonic and total mass of the cluster. Additionally, BCGs/MMCGs were found to grow in size, on average, a factor of ∼3, while their average Sérsic index increased by ∼0.45 from z ∼ 0.9 to z ∼ 0.1, also supporting a scenario involving major merging, though some adiabatic expansion is required. These observational results are compared to both models and simulations to further explore the implications on processes which shape and evolve BCGs/MMCGs over the past ∼7 Gyr

Domain structure and optical properties of colloidal photonic crystal

Thin colloidal photonic crystals were grown using shear-flow crystallization of polystyrene colloidal nanoparticles. The arrays consist of two types of domains, which are clearly visible on scanning electron microscopy patterns. Both domains have cubic close packing and are distinguished by their orientation with regards to substrate surface. The positions of the main minima in the visible-near-IR transmittance spectrum of the arrays as well as the dependence of these minima on the angle of the light incidence have been measured and interpreted using photon band structure of the two-component media

Structural study of compounds modelling elementary polymer units, 4.† Molecular and crystal structures of three isomers of 4,4′-bis(x-hydroxyphenoxy)octafluorobiphenyl

The paper presents an X‐ray study of the isomers 4,4′‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenoxy)‐, 4,4′‐bis(3‐hydroxyphenoxy)‐, and 4,4′‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)octafluorobiphenyl, which are used as monomers in the synthesis of polyarylates. The molecular packing in crystals is characterized by intermolecular H‐bonds, donor‐acceptor and stacking interactions between the benzene rings of adjacent molecules, which results in considerable distortion of the molecular geometry. Notably, bending of biphenyl fragments accompanied by distortion of benzene ring planarity was observed, along with unusual conformations of oxydiphenylene fragments and distortions of bond angles at ipso‐carbon atoms bonded to ether oxygen atoms