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DIII-D L-mode experiments with local boron powder injection for real-time wall conditioning have been interpreted for the first time with the 3D plasma edge transport Monte Carlo code EMC3-EIRENE. Local B sourcing in plasma scenarios with upstream densities 1.5⋅1019m−3 and 2.2 MW heating results in a non-axisymmetric B distribution in the scrape-off layer (SOL) and on the divertor. The SOL frictional flows at high plasma density cause a strong inboard drag of injected impurities (≈90%), while lower background plasma densities tend to result in a more uniform distribution. The thermal forces prevent B deposition in the near SOL while the frictional force causes B fluxes to cover the divertor plasma-facing components in a region 7–10 cm beyond the strike line. Radiative dissipation occurs for B influxes above 1⋅1020s−1 and causes a moderate, non-axisymmetric reduction of the far SOL divertor heat fluxes. A comparison of top and midplane B injection shows no substantial difference in inboard vs. outboard asymmetries of the B distribution. On the other hand, erosion or recycling at the strike line may distribute the boron more uniformly in the SOL.

Energy dissipation in the plasma edge is key for future tokamaks. The potential of neon as radiating seeding species in disconnected double null (DDN) configuration is assessed in EAST discharges in high confinement mode (H-mode). As the separation between the two separatrices in the studied DDN discharges is minimum 1.5 cm, the configuration is effectively a single null configuration, and the benefits of the double null topology are minimal. Neon seeding, on the other hand, has a favourable effect: both the target heat flux and the divertor temperature decrease more than five-fold with increased seeding rate in high-recycling conditions. Interpretive edge plasma simulations with SOLPS-ITER in support of ongoing transport analysis are presented. For the unseeded case the numerical results agree with the experimental data within a factor two for the target temperature conditions and measured neutral pressures in the active divertor. The key for achieving good agreement is a suitable selection of coefficients for anomalous transport and neutral conductances between the upper cryopump and the main chamber.

The exciton dynamics in pristine films of two structurally related low‐bandgap diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)‐based donor–acceptor copolymers and the photophysical processes in bulk heterojunction solar cells using DPP copolymer:PC71BM blends are investigated by broadband transient absorption (TA) pump‐probe experiments covering the vis–near‐infrared spectral and fs–μs dynamic range. The experiments reveal surprisingly short exciton lifetimes in the pristine poly­mer films in conjunction with fast triplet state formation. An in‐depth analysis of the TA data by multivariate curve resolution analysis shows that in blends with fullerene as acceptor ultrafast exciton dissociation creates charge carriers, which then rapidly recombine on the sub‐ns timescale. Furthermore, at the carrier densities created by pulsed laser excitation the charge carrier recombination leads to a substantial population of the polymer triplet state. In fact, virtually quantitative formation of triplet states is observed on the sub‐ns timescale. However, the quantitative triplet formation on the sub‐ns timescale is not in line with the power conversion efficiencies of devices indicating that triplet state formation is an intensity‐dependent process in these blends and is reduced under solar illumination conditions, as free charge carriers can be extracted from the photoactive layer in devices. image

The efficiency of electrocatalytic gas evolving reactions (hydrogen, chlorine and oxygen evolution) is a key challenge for the important industrial processes, such as chlor-alkali electrolysis or water electrolysis. Central issue for the aforementioned electrocatalytic processes is huge power consumption. Experimental results accumulated in the past, as well as some predictive models ("volcano" plots) indicate that altering the nature of the electrode material cannot significantly increase the activity of mentioned reactions. Consequently, it is necessary to find a qualitatively different strategy for improving the energy efficiency of electrocatalytic gas evolving reactions. Usually disregarded fact is that the gas evolution is an oscillatory phenomenon. Given the oscillatory behavior, a key parameter of macrokinetics of gas electrode is the frequency of gas-bubble detachment. Bearing in mind that the gas evolution greatly depends on the surface morphology, a methodology is proposed that establishes a rational link between the morphological pattern of electrode with electrode activity and stability. Characterization was performed using advanced analytical tools. Frequency of gas-bubble detachment is obtained in the configuration of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) while the corrosion stability is analyzed using miniaturized scanning flow electrochemical cell connected to the mass spectrometer (SFC-ICPMS).

ABSTRACTMulticrystalline solar cells break down strongly at reverse voltages well below the theoretical limit. Previous explanations were based on assuming a constant depth of the junction below the surface. In this work, preferred phosphorous diffusion at special line defects in grain boundaries is shown to lead to spikes in the p–n junctions even below flat surfaces. The curvature radii of the spherical p–n junction bending are measured by electron beam‐induced current to be in the range of 300–500 nm, leading to the observed type III avalanche breakdown voltages. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract We use variable temperature Hall effect measurements to determine the doping concentration, impurity compensation, and mobility of n- and p-type liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) silicon layers that are grown from indium solutions onto silicon substrates. Our theoretical analysis of carrier concentration versus temperature data considers temperature-dependent effective masses, Fermi-Dirac statistics, multiple majority impurity levels, excited impurity states, and the temperature dependence of the Hall scattering factor. The measured Hall mobilities and computed compensation ratios in these LPE silicon thin films are within the range of values that have been measured in bulk silicon crystals. Such LPE layers are therefore suitable for the fabrication of high efficiency silicon thin film solar cells.

Water is very different from liquids of similar molecular weight, and one of its unique properties is the very efficient transfer of vibrational energy between molecules, which arises as a result of strong dipole-dipole interactions between the O-H oscillators. Although we have a sound understanding of such energy transfer in bulk water, we know less about how, and how quickly, transfer occurs at its interface with a hydrophobic phase, because specifically addressing the outermost monolayer is difficult. Here, we use ultrafast two-dimensional surface-specific vibrational spectroscopy to probe the interfacial energy dynamics of heavy water (D(2)O) at the water/air interface. The measurements reveal the presence of surprisingly rapid energy transfer, both between hydrogen-bonded interfacial water molecules (intermolecular), and between O-D groups sticking out from the water surface and those located on the same molecule and pointing towards the water bulk (intramolecular). Vibrational energy transfer occurs on sub-picosecond timescales, and its rates and pathways can be quantified directly.

The study aims to estimate the influence of machine scale size on the behavior of plasma with extrinsic seeded impurities in the scrape-off layer (SOL) and divertor. This is performed through the comparison of plasma boundary simulations using the SOLPS-ITER code including drifts and currents of nitrogen (N) and neon (Ne) injection in ITER and ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) geometries. Trends are examined between the two seeding species in each individual device and by a comparison of the differences between the two machines. In the modeling results, the radiated power peak is located near the X-point in the inner divertor for the AUG cases and in the vicinity of the strike points in both divertors in ITER. The simulations also find less Ne impurity ions in the divertor volume than N and more significant Ne radiation inside the separatrix for AUG, consistent with published experimental findings. In ITER, both species radiate mostly from the divertor, in agreement with the existing SOLPS-4.3 simulation database obtained without drifts and with a less sophisticated treatment of parallel impurity transport. Drifts are important players in determining the plasma background for AUG and are comparatively less important in ITER. In both devices, the spatial distribution of the impurity ion density is complex, with their parallel flow patterns correlating with the thermal and friction force balance. Within this isolated modeling study, the principal reasons for different behavior between N and Ne on AUG and ITER appear to be the combination of a stronger drift effect and reduced screening of recycled fuel and impurity from divertor to private flux region on AUG leading to a more extended, colder plasma than in ITER. The increased temperature in the confined region just inside the separatrix on ITER also means that impurity ions reaching this zone are fully ionized and do not contribute significantly to the radiation loss there. On the basis of this study, both N and Ne are found to be acceptable low Z radiators on ITER.