• Energy Research

The growth of nanohybrids synthesized by supersonic beam codeposition of metal oxide clusters, produced by microplasma cluster source, and of aerodynamically accelerated molecules has been explored as a novel approach to the preparation of controlled dye sensitized materials for photovoltaic applications. The hybrid nanostructures are formed through deposition via supersonic expansion processes, controlling the kinetic energy of the precursors. With this approach, we developed prototype dye sensitized solar cells based on nanostructured TiO2 and CuPc with different architectures. To explore the viability of this approach, we compare cells made layer by layer with those where an intermediate codeposited layer is inserted between the two raw materials. This latter type of cells presents an enhancement of the photocurrent of a factor of 45 and of the efficiency of a factor of 40. This work opens a new viable perspective in the growth and in the control of the interfacial properties of nanohybrid materials, by direct codeposition of molecules and oxide nanostructures, with demonstrated useful applications in photovoltaic devices.

AbstractIrrigation is key to increasing crop yield and meeting the global demand for food. This study reports the assessment of tomato water consumption by bioristor, a new in vivo an Organic ElectroChemical Transistor-based biosensor. Bioristor enables direct, real-time acquisition of biophysical information about the plant’s water requirements directly from the plant sap, and thus the water input can be adjusted accordingly.The aim of this study is to demonstrate the efficacy of bioristor in rapidly detecting changes in the plant’s water status enhancing water use and irrigation efficiency in tomato cultivation with significant savings in the water supply. To this end, experiments were carried out in 2018 and 2020 in Parma (Italy) in tomato fields under different water regimes. The sensor response index (R) produced by bioristor recorded the real time plant health status, highlighting an excess in the water supplied as well as the occurrence of drought stress during the growing season. In both years, bioristor showed that the amount of water supplied could have been reduced by 36% or more. Bioristor also measured the timing and duration of leaf wetting: 438 h and 409 h in 2018 and 2020, respectively. These results open up new perspectives in irrigation efficiency and in more sustainable approaches to pesticide application procedures.