Reflection occurs at an air-material interface. The development of antireflection schemes, which aims to cancel such reflection, is important for a wide variety of applications including solar cells and photodetectors. Recently, it has been demonstrated that a periodic array of resonant subwavelength objects placed at an air-material interface can significantly reduce reflection that otherwise would have occurred at such an interface. Here, we introduce the theoretical condition for complete reflection cancellation in this resonant antireflection scheme. Using both general theoretical arguments and analytical temporal coupled-mode theory formalisms, we show that in order to achieve perfect resonant antireflection, the periodicity of the array needs to be smaller than the free-space wavelength of the incident light for normal incidence, and also the resonances in the subwavelength objects need to radiate into air and the dielectric material in a balanced fashion. Our theory is validated using first-principles full-field electromagnetic simulations of structures operating in the infrared wavelength ranges. For solar cell or photodetector applications, resonant antireflection has the potential of providing a low-cost technique for antireflection that does not require nanofabrication into the absorber materials, which may introduce detrimental effects such as additional surface recombination. Our work here provides theoretical guidance for the practical design of such resonant antireflection schemes.

Hybrid organic/silicon heterostructures have become of great interest for photovoltaic application due to their promising features (e.g. easy fabrication in a low-temperature process) for cost-effective photovoltaics. This work is focused on solar cells with a hybrid heterojunction between the polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and n-doped monocrystalline silicon. As semi-transparent top contact, a thin (15 nm) Au layer was employed. Devices with different P3HT thicknesses were processed by spin-casting and compared with a reference Au/n-Si Schottky diode solar cell.

The current density-voltage (J-V) measurements of the hybrid devices show a significant increase in open-circuit voltage (VOC) from 0.29 V up to 0.50 V for the best performing hybrid devices compared to the Schottky diode reference, while the short-circuit current density (JSC) does not change significantly. The increased VOC indicates that P3HT effectively reduces the reverse electron current into the gold contact. The wavelength-dependent JSC measurements show a decreased JSC in the wavelength range of P3HT absorption. This is related to the reduced JSC generation in silicon not being compensated by JSC generation in P3HT. It is concluded that the charge generation in P3HT is less efficient than in silicon.

After a thermal annealing of the hybrid P3HT/silicon solar cells, we achieved power conversion efficiencies (PCE) (AM1.5 illumination) up to 6.5% with VOC of 0.52 V, JSC of 18.6 mA/cm² and a fill factor (FF) of 67%. This is more than twice the efficiency of the reference Schottky diode.

Composite photocatalysts comprised of two semiconducting oxides, with suitable band gaps and band positions, have been reported as an effective approach to enhance photocatalytic activity in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic evaluations of semiconducting composites made by combing bismuth oxide with either tantalum oxynitride or tantalum nitride. Visible light active composites were synthesized using solution chemistry synthesis method. The composites were characterized by powder X- ray diffraction (PXRD), diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL). Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated for generation of hydrogen from an aqueous methanol solution under visible light irradiation (λ≥ 420 nm). The as-prepared composite catalysts are found to have longer photogenerated charge-carrier life time, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic activities.

Density functional theory (DFT) and variational density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) simulations of amorphous poly-CO structures were performed to understand the stability of the polymerized structure at low pressures and to study the mechanism of destruction of the extended network at low pressures. Charge population analyses accompanied the search of the “weakest link” in the covalently bonded network. IR and Raman spectra of amorphous p-CO, calculated at 15 and 5.02 GPa, show significant contributions of CO molecules, carbonyl groups fragments decorating chains, and lactones of amorphous p-CO structures. DFT simulations of formation of amorphous polymeric structures were also done with the addition (as a result of replacement of CO molecules) of N or He atoms to the crystalline delta phase of CO. For the CO-N mixtures, the concentration of N was varied in the range from 6.25 % to 50% with different distribution patterns of N atoms in the unit cell. For all studied CO-N concentrations, isotropic compression led to CO polymerization beginning at a pressure of 11 GPa; the N was incorporated in the random network in low concentration. In CO-He mixtures He atoms appear to facilitate complete formation of the random structure which is almost completely polymerized at a pressure of 18 GPa. He atoms also help stabilize the structure at low pressures.

High number densities of complex oxide nanoclusters in nanostructured ferritic alloys have been shown to act as effective trapping sites for the transmutation product helium. Density functional theory has been used to investigate the evolution of the mechanical properties of oxide nanoclusters as helium concentration increases. The migration barrier and migration path of helium in the oxide has also been tested in order to make a comparison with the barriers in BCC iron and offer insight to the helium trapping mechanisms of the oxides.

The formation of injectable implants in the presence of cells or solutes has previously been conceptualized to be based on the selectivity of bioorthogonal chemical reactions. As an alternative approach, hydrogel network synthesis by enzymatic reactions with a typically high inherent substrate specificity and low toxicity have been repeatedly proposed, e.g. using commercial mushroom tyrosinase (MTyr), which specifically catalyzes phenol oxidation. In this study, it should be explored whether MTyr is compatible with therapeutic peptides that may be delivered from such hydrogels in the future. Based on the specificity of MTyr to phenol residues, no modification of peptides lacking the amino acid tyrosine would be expected. One example of such peptides is gramicidin S (GS), a potent antimicrobial peptide. However, when GS was incubated with commercial MTyr, peptide degradation occurred as observed by HPLC analysis. Several fragments of the peptide were detected by MALDI-TOF. Contamination of MTyr with peptidases was proven as the source of undesired peptide cleavage, which needs to be considered when preparing enzymatically crosslinked hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Tubular grafts were fabricated from blends of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(glycolide-co-caprolactone) (PGC) polymers and coated with an extracellular matrix containing collagens, laminin, and proteoglycans, but not growth factors (HuBiogel™). Multifunctional scaffolds from polymer blends and membrane proteins provide the necessary biomechanics and biological functions for tissue regeneration. Two crosslinking agents, a natural crosslinker namely genipin (Gp) and a carbodiimide reagent namely 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC), were used for further stabilizing the protein matrix and the effect of crosslinking was evaluated for structural, morphological, mechanical properties using SEM, DSC and DMA. SEM images and fiber diameter distribution showed fiber-size between 0.2 μm to 1 μm with the majority of fiber diameters being under 500 nm, indicating upper range of protein fiber-sizes (for example, collagen fibers in extracellular matrix are in 50 to 500 nm diameter range). HB coating did not affect the mechanical properties, but increased its hydrophilicity of the graft. Overall data showed that PCL/PGC blends with 3:1 mass ratio exhibited mechanical properties comparable to those of human native arteries (tensile strength of 1-2 MPa and Young’s modulus of <10 MPa). Additionally, the effect of crosslinking on coating stability was investigated to assure the retention of proteins on scaffold for effective cell-matrix interactions.

The evolution of texture in copper has been studied in situ as a function of the applied mechanical stress. A uniaxial tensile stage was integrated onto a Eulerian cradle in a laboratory X-ray diffraction system, providing a platform for pole figure measurements on samples under an externally applied mechanical load. Thin strips of rolled copper were investigated at various stages of elongation. The pole figures were of good quality such that the orientation distribution function could be well determined. Changes in the orientation distribution function as a function of strain along the β-fiber could be clearly observed; the initial main component S is replaced by the Copper component at higher stages of elongation.

GaN epilayers were grown on m-plane (10-10) sapphire substrates using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Impact of nitridation on structural and optical properties of GaN film was investigated. The film grown on a nitridated surface resulted in a nonpolar (10-10) orientation while without nitridation caused a semipolar (11-22) orientation. The high resolution X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the orientation of the GaN films. X-ray rocking curve showed better crystallinity of semipolar as compared to nonpolar GaN. Atomic force microscopy showed smoother films in case of nonpolar GaN which might be in account of the nitridation treatment. Room temperature photoluminescence study showed nonpolar GaN to have higher value of compressive strain as compared to semipolar GaN film, which was further confirmed by room temperature Raman spectroscopy. Despite the fact that it is difficult to obtain high-quality nonpolar material due to the planar anisotropic nature of the growth mode, we hereby report the development of non-polar GaN of usable quality, on an m-plane sapphire, involving controlled steps of nitridation.

AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors were exposed to 60Co gamma-irradiation to doses up to 300Gy. The impact of Compton- electron injection (due to gamma-irradiation) is studied through monitoring of minority carrier transport using Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) technique. Temperature dependent EBIC measurements were conducted on devices before and after exposure to the irradiation, which provide us with critical information on gamma-irradiation induced defects in the material. As a result of irradiation, minority carrier diffusion length increases significantly, with an accompanying decrease in the activation energy. This is consistent with the longer life time of minority carrier in the material’s valence band as a result of an internal electron injection and subsequent trapping of Compton electrons on neutral levels.

We present a detailed depth-sensitive study of the evolution in correlated electron behavior from the surface of the prototypical correlated oxide, Srx Ca1-x VO3, to its bulk. Photoemission measurements of varying surface sensitivity are employed to directly compare both the spectral weight and energetics of the correlated electron features, and resonant soft x-ray emission spectroscopy is used as a bulk-sensitive reference. The surface component, which still contributes significantly to photoemission at 2.2 keV, is characterized by a transfer of spectral weight into the incoherent lower Hubbard band and the corresponding shift of these states towards lower binding energy.

Stray current arising from direct current electrified traction systems and then circulating in reinforced concrete near railways is known to induce corrosion on embedded steel reinforcement. The present paper will review the principles of stray current induced corrosion in reinforced concrete, which is relatively uncommon but with significant impact in practice.

Within one of the approaches to ease this kind of specific corrosion in reinforced concrete, carbon fibres (CF) can be added to enhance the conductivity of concrete, subsequently reduce the stray current density and/or direct the stray current dissipation in a desired manner. The side effects (such as increasing the bulk matrix porosity) caused by CF, which can in turn reduce the general corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete, will be compensated by adding silica fume (SF). The combination of CF and SF can be a potentially feasible and original application to reduce the risk of stray current induced corrosion in reinforced concrete, without obvious negative side effects.

We have developed a new method for controlling the size, crystallinity, and polydispersity of 100–2000 nm tetrafluoride phosphor particles. Five polyol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were downselected out of a set of more than 130 candidates. We analyzed their benefits in synthesizing phosphor matrix particles of β-NaYF4, β-NaYbF4, and β-NaGdF4. We produced green (λmax = 540 nm) and blue/UV (λmax = 450 nm) upconverting phosphors in DES using Yb,Er and Yb,Tm codopants, respectively. The blue/UV phosphor reaction was scaled the up to 25 L, yielding nearly 400 g of high-quality, bright photoluminescent, β-phase product under mild conditions. We conclude that polyol-based DES systems offer a uniquely specialized and useful toolkit for phosphor synthesis.

Currently the improvement of stand-alone PV power systems characteristics, including increase of their service life is the actual direction of ground solar power development. The analysis of stand-alone PV power systems efficiency with the use of ultra capacitors is carried out by the means of mathematical modeling. The obtained data shows that the use of ultra capacitors as additional short-term energy storage devices in stand-alone PV power systems contributes to considerable increase of storage batteries lifetime and the total system operating time.

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the composition of the coating formed on the plasma reactor walls after an industrial process which is divided into two steps, where the chemistries used are CF4/CH2F2 followed by HBr/O2. Since Fluorine traces have been detected through the plasma and over the wafer even during the second chemistry, investigations of the Br-F chemistry duality for a new silicon etching process have been performed in order to see the reactions which are taking place inside of the reactor. The understanding of these formations is really important to avoid process instabilities and get better performance of the transistors. The coating on the walls after the process and after the cleaning between wafers has been characterized in order to figure out the level of F traces after each step and to understand the reminiscence of this element over time. This study is the starting point to propose a modification on the Waferless AutoClean (WAC) used nowadays in an industrial process.

Boron nitride is of great interest as a 2 dimensional (2D) insulator for use as an atomically flat substrate, gate dielectric and tunneling barrier. At this point the most promising and widely used approach for growth of mono-to-few layer BN is metal catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Bulk Cu foil has been the most popular metal substrate for growth of h-BN and graphene, as such there are well developed processes for substrate preparation and growth. As an alternative thin Cu films deposited on an insulating substrate have some advantages over foil, including more uniform thermal contact with substrate heater, better mechanical stability, transfer free processing, and selective area growth. However, Cu films deposited on SiO2 present their own unique problems like Cu SiO2 stability and small Cu grain size. Here we present results on the growth on few-layer BN by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on Cu thin films on SiO2/Si. We explore the effects of substrate preparation and annealing conditions on the Cu morphology in order to understand the impact on the BN. To minimize the effects of Cu SiO2 interdiffusion, we investigate the use of a Ni buffer layers. BN films were studied after transfer to SiO2/Si films using Raman and AFM to determine the impact of Cu film microstructure on the morphology of few layer BN films.

An example of commercially available product, 2-(methylideneamino)acetonitrile (MAAN). This paper will address problems in discerning monomer–polymer ambiguity in organic compounds. Reliable three-step analysis of organic polymers will be proposed using the synergy of computational [density functional theory (DFT)] and experimental [infrared spectroscopy (IR); X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD)] techniques. First, possible conformations of monomeric and trimeric MAAN were calculated using stochastic search and DFT. Second, identification of the commercial sample was performed by comparing the measured IR spectrum with those calculated for monomer and trimer. Third, the examination of sample purity and structural analysis were carried out using XRPD data.