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The processing of graphene coated NiO–Ni anode using one CVD system delivered high Li-ion battery performance.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) can serve a variety of important functions in thin film photovoltaics such as transparent electrical contacts, antireflection coatings and chemical barriers. Two areas of particular interest are TCOs that can be deposited at low temperatures and TCOs with high carrier mobilities. We have employed combinatorial high-throughput approaches to investigate both these areas. Conductivities of /spl sigma/ = 2500 /spl Omega//sup -1/-cm/sup -1/ have been obtained for In-Zn-O (IZO) films deposited at 100/spl deg/C and /spl sigma/ > 5000 /spl Omega//sup -1/-cm/sup -1/ for In-Ti-O (ITiO) and In-Mo-O (IMO) films deposited at 550/spl deg/C. The highest mobility obtained was 83 cm/sup 2//V-sec for ITiO deposited at 550/spl deg/C.

Anodes for lithium-ion cells were constructed from three types of natural graphite, two coated spherical and one flaky. Anode samples were compressed from 0 to 300 kg/cm2 and studied in half-cells to study the relations between anode density, SEI formation and anode cyclability. The C/25 formation of the SEI layer was found to depend on the nature of the graphite and the anode density. Compression of the uncoated graphite lead to an increased conductivity, but only slight improvements in the efficiency of the formation process. Compression of the anodes made from the amorphous-carbon-coated graphites greatly improved both the reversible capacity and first-cycle efficiency. In addition, the fraction of the irreversible charge associated with the surface of the graphite increased with compression, from both an increase in the electrolyte contact as well as compression of the amorphous layer. The cyclability of all of the anodes tended to improve with compression. This suggests that it is the improvement in the conductivity of the anode plays more of a role in the improvement in the cyclability than the formation process.

Abstract As the technical issues of performance and durability of electrochromic (EC) windows near resolution, more attention is being focused upon the economics of “smart” window fabrication, installation and operation. A retrofit EC window covering that could be readily applied to existing windows could have several economical advantages, particularly if it were photovoltaic (PV)-powered. Such a window covering could be produced on a flexible polymer substrate that would be adhered to the inside surface of a window. It could be conveniently replaced as newer, better coverings were developed and would not have to have as long a proven service lifetime as would a permanent window coating. A PV-EC window covering could also obviate the need for expensive electrical wiring for power and controls. Along with the advantages of a self-powered “smart” window covering come disadvantages and new technological challenges. In this paper, we will describe the design options and challenges associated with this retrofit concept which are presently being studied at NREL.

Nanoporous metals have many technologically promising applications, but their tendency to coarsen limits their long-term stability and excludes high temperature applications. Here, we demonstrate that atomic layer deposition (ALD) can be used to stabilize and functionalize nanoporous metals. Specifically, we studied the effect of nanometer-thick alumina and titania ALD films on thermal stability, mechanical properties, and catalytic activity of nanoporous gold (np-Au). Our results demonstrate that even only 1 nm thick oxide films can stabilize the nanoscale morphology of np-Au up to 1,000°C, while simultaneously making the material stronger and stiffer. The catalytic activity of np-Au can be drastically increased by TiO(2) ALD coatings. Our results open the door to high-temperature sensor, actuator, and catalysis applications and functionalized electrodes for energy storage and harvesting applications.

Using atomistic empirical pseudopotentials, we have calculated the electronic structures of CdSe nanowires with a bulged area. The localized state wavefunctions and their binding energies are calculated, and their dependences on the bulged area shape are analyzed. We find that both the binding energy and the wavefunction localization strongly depend on the bulged area shape, with the most compact shape produces the largest binding energy and strongest wavefunction localization. We also find that the top of the valence band state has a weaker localization than the bottom of the conduction band state due to an effective mass anisotropy.

Abstract not Available.

Abstract Commercially available lightweight-flexible CIGS solar cells are investigated under the Low-Intensity-Low-Temperature (LILT) conditions that exist at Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Current density-voltage measurements, concentrated solar, and external quantum efficiency measurements are performed under varying temperatures and illumination intensities to determine the applicability and performance of flexible CIGS in outer planetary conditions. The well-known metastability of the CIGS absorber is observed as a result of a barrier to minority carrier extraction at the CIGS/CdS interface under higher intensity illumination. However, despite the low temperatures and low intensities experienced in deeper space, the presence of this barrier does not significantly affect the performance of the solar cells under LILT conditions. This is attributed to the lower photogeneration rate of carriers particularly at conditions relative to Saturn and Jupiter, which appears to be less than the thermionic emission rate across the barrier and therefore the carrier extraction is relatively unaffected under these illumination conditions. At elevated temperatures and/or intensities such as at AM0 and conditions relative to Mars, however, the higher carrier generation rate results in the appearance of large series resistance and a significant loss of fill factor at irradiation levels greater than 1-sun AM0. Proton irradiation of the solar cells systematically reduces the performance, predominately through the formation of defect states in the absorber layer, the presence of which is increasingly more prohibitive in LILT conditions due to the low thermal energy of the minority carriers and the subsequent increased effect of SRH recombination.