Thin Film Solar Cells: Enhancing Efficiency using Various Nanoparticles

We present herein the work started at SUNY Oswego as a part of a SUNY SCAC grant. The SUNY SCAC Committee has awarded Dr. Carolina Ilie and Martin Dann a grant to carry out extensive studies on thin film solar cells. The focus of the study is to develop miniaturized solar cells using rare earth free metals, yet have at least the same efficiency as the industry standard. The Langmuir Blodgett method of thin film deposition will be used to create a nanoparticle monolayer on the surface of water, and then be deposited onto a silicon wafer. Repetition of this process will lead to the creation of the thin film, which consists of many monolayers stacked on one another. Martin Dann has started the preliminary work for the project and will continue the project. The preliminary work concentrates on analyzing the properties of magnetic nanoparticle candidates, band gap, and the fabrication of thin films. The continuation of this work will include the fabrication of more samples, as well as performing IV curve tests on the samples. These tests will determine how much power is put out from the solar cell given a known power input, giving the efficiency of the cell

Temperature measurements behind reflected shock waves in air

A radiometric method for the measurement of gas temperature in self-absorbing gases has been applied in the study of shock tube generated flows. This method involves making two absolute intensity measurements at identical wavelengths, but for two different pathlengths in the same gas sample. Experimental results are presented for reflected shock waves in air at conditions corresponding to incident shock velocities from 7 to 10 km/s and an initial driven tube pressure of 1 torr. These results indicate that, with this technique, temperature measurements with an accuracy of + or - 5 percent can be carried out. The results also suggest certain facility related problems

CFD designed experiments for shock wave/boundary layer interactions in hypersonic ducted flows

The successful operation of scramjet combustors requires compression of hypersonic viscous ducted flows and avoidance of separation effects which may preclude steady flow. Separation effects in scramjet inlets and combustors can be caused by shock wave/boundary layer interactions. The hypersonic turbulent flow experiments needed are inherently difficult to design because of the high sensitivity of the macroscopic flow parameters which cause the turbulent flow processes. Hence computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool for the design and characterisation of models in hypersonic flows before model construction. One of the greatest challenges however is to ensure that the flow is being modeled accurately. In this paper, a commercial code has been used to model an experiment performed in a small reflected shock tunnel using a Mach 8.65 condition. The research being carried out in this facility is concerned with separation due to incident shock wave/turbulent boundary interactions in hypersonic ducted flows. The model is designed to produce two conical shocks which interact with a turbulent boundary layer and it is instrumented with pressure transducers and thin film heat transfer gauges. The measurements have allowed graphical representation of unseparated static wall pressure and heat flux prior to and after each wall interaction. The results of the simulations are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. The code has been applied to identify parameter boundaries in the design of a model of similar scale that will produce separated flow

Evaluation of an Adult Extension Education Initiative: The Michigan Conservation Stewards Program

The Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP), coordinated by Michigan State University Extension, convened a unique group of partners for a new statewide Master Naturalist™ effort. Partners designed a curriculum, implemented a pilot program, and evaluated program processes and impacts. Extension staff used pre- and post-program questionnaires, achieving a 97% program retention rate and an 85% response rate. The CSP attracted a new Extension audience, increased learners\u27 ecosystem knowledge, improved attitudes toward resource management, and fostered skills for accessing ecological information. The CSP achieved its goal of assisting adult learners in gaining skills necessary to complete conservation management volunteer activities

Impact of defectiveness on the parameters of the acoustoelectric transformations in heterogeneous non-metallic materials

The article studies acoustoelectric transformations of concrete with a crack. The research presents three-dimensional modeling and 3D visualization of wave processes in a concrete sample with a surface crack. The parameters of the electrical response are found to reflect the processes of interaction between the acoustic wave front and the defect and boundaries of the sample