Silver-substituted (Ag1-xCux)2ZnSnS4 solar cells from aprotic molecular inks

To battle the high open-circuit voltage deficit (V_OC,def) in kesterite (Cu₂ZnSnS₄ or CZTS) solar cells, a current field of research relates to point defect engineering by cation substitution. For example, by partly replacing Cu with an element of a larger ionic radius, such as Ag, the degree of Cu/Zn disorder decreases, and likewise does the associated band tailing. In this paper, solution-processed (Ag_1-xCu_x)₂ZnSnS₄ (ACZTS) samples are prepared through the aprotic molecular ink approach using DMSO as the solvent. The successful incorporation of silver into the CZTS lattice is demonstrated with relatively high silver concentrations, namely Ag/(Ag+Cu) ratios of 13% and 26%. The best device was made with 13% Ag/(Ag+Cu) and had an efficiency of 4.9%. The samples are compared to the pure CZTS sample in terms of microstructure, phase distribution, photoluminescence, and device performance. In the XRD patterns, a decrease in the lattice parameter c/a ratio is observed for ACZTS, as well as significant peak splitting with Ag addition for several of the characteristic kesterite XRD reflections. In addition to the improvement in efficiency, other advantageous effects of Ag-incorporation include enhanced grain growth and an increased band gap. A too high concentration of Ag leads to the formation of secondary phases such as SnS and Ag₂S as detected by XRD.     

Growth mechanism and gas-sensing characteristics of organic-additive-free zinc oxide of various shapes

Zinc oxide is widely used in gas sensors, solar cells, and photocatalysts because of its wide bandgap and exciton binding energy of 60 meV in various metal oxides. To use ZnO as a gas sensor, it is necessary to synthesize it with surface defects and a large specific surface area. In this study, hydrothermal synthesis without surfactants was employed to obtain organic-additive-free ZnO. For morphology control, we varied the ratio of the hydroxide ion concentration to the zinc ion concentration. To confirm the growth mechanism of ZnO, we performed X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements were performed to analyze the surface properties. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and probe stations were used to measure the specific surface area and sensitivity of the gas sensor, respectively. The results confirmed that flower-shaped ZnO is the most suitable gas-sensing material.     

Preparation and pore-forming mechanism of MgO–Al2O3–CaO-based porous ceramics using phosphorus tailings

A simple strategy for preparing MgO–Al₂O₃–CaO-based porous ceramics (MACPC) with high strength and ultralow thermal conductivity has been proposed in this work based on the raw material of phosphorus tailings. The effects of phosphorus tailings content, carbon black addition and heat treatment temperature on the properties of MACPC were studied, and their pore-forming mechanism during sintering was revealed. The results showed that the main phase composition of MACPC was magnesia alumina spinel and calcium aluminate after sintering at 1225 °C. Furthermore, the MACPC exhibited excellent comprehensive properties when 60 wt% phosphorus tailings and 40 wt% alumina were added, whose apparent porosity was 62.8%, cold compressive strength was 14.8 MPa, and the thermal conductivity was 0.106 W/(m·K) at 800 °C. The synchronously enhanced strength and thermal insulation properties of MACPC were related to the formation of uniformly distributed micropores (<2 μm) and passages in the matrix, which originated from the decomposition of phosphorus tailings and the burnt out of carbon black during the sintering process. The preparation of MACPC with high temperature resistance and excellent mechanical and thermal insulation properties with the raw material of phosphorus tailings provided an effective method for the high-value utilization of phosphorus tailings.     

美国全面制裁伊朗对中国能源安全的影响与对策建议

美国自2018年5月宣布重启对伊朗全面制裁,伊朗再次成为国际社会关注的焦点。本文系统梳理了伊朗能源禀赋及开发利用现状,分析了伊朗对中国能源安全的保障程度及其优势,发现1997~2017年伊朗对中国石油安全的保障程度呈波动上升态势,对维护中国油气资源供给安全具有重要意义,认为中伊能源合作具有战略互补性、地缘政治优势、经济优势、历史文化基础和降低美元计价风险等优势。在上述基础上,本文从能源价格、供给渠道和运输安全三方面剖析了此次美国全面制裁伊朗对中国能源安全可能产生的影响,并从规避美国制裁风险和保障国家能源安全角度,提出了相关对策建议。     

The effects of preparation and cooking processes on vitamins and antioxidant capacity of sour and spicy potato silk

The effect of a traditional dish sour and spicy potato silk preparation and cooking process on B vitamins, phenolic profiles and antioxidant activities was investigated. Results showed that cutting of potato caused an increase in VB₁, VB₂, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, VB₇ and VB₉. Soaking decreased the content of B vitamins and vitamin C. Blanching and rinsing caused the contents of B vitamins and vitamin C decrease compared to the control. The content of VB₁, VB₅ and VB₆ after rinsing increased compared to soaking and blanching processes. However, VB₁, nicotinamide, VB₅, VB₆ and VC decreased sharply after the stir-frying process. The content of VB₁, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, VB₇ and VC retained the most after five steps compared to the control. In addition, there was no difference in VB₉ contents among different cooking processes compared to the control. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) exhibited a reduction rate of 95.32% and peroxidase (POD) 97.13% after the stir-frying process.     

Investigation on the anti-reduction mechanism of Ti4+ in high dielectric constant system Ca0.9La0.067TiO3 by doping with Al2O3

Ca_0.9La_0.067TiO₃ (abbreviated as CLT) ceramics doped with different amount of Al₂O₃ were prepared via the solid state reaction method. The anti-reduction mechanism of Ti⁴⁺ in CLT ceramics was carefully investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the phase composition and lattice structure. Meanwhile, the Rietveld method was taken to calculate the lattice parameters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to study the valence variation of Ti ions in CLT ceramics without and with Al₂O₃. The results showed that Al³⁺ substituted for Ti⁴⁺ to form solid solution and the solid solubility limit of Al³⁺ is near 1.11 mol%. Furthermore, the reduction of Ti⁴⁺ in CLT ceramics was restrained by acceptor doping process and the Q × f values of CLT ceramics were improved significantly. The CLT ceramic doped with 1.11 mol% Al₂O₃ exhibited good microwave dielectric properties: ε_r = 141, Q × f = 6848 GHz, τ_f = 576 ppm/°C.     

Airborne bacterial assemblage in a zero carbon building: A case study

Currently, there is little information pertaining to the airborne bacterial communities of green buildings. In this case study, the air bacterial community of a zero carbon building (ZCB) in Hong Kong was characterized by targeting the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Bacteria associated with the outdoor environment dominated the indoor airborne bacterial assemblage, with a modest contribution from bacteria associated with human skin. Differences in overall community diversity, membership, and composition associated with short (day‐to‐day) and long‐term temporal properties were detected, which may have been driven by specific environmental genera and taxa. Furthermore, time‐decay relationships in community membership (based on unweighted UniFrac distances) and composition (based on weighted UniFrac distances) differed depending on the season and sampling location. A Bayesian source‐tracking approach further supported the importance of adjacent outdoor air bacterial assemblage in sourcing the ZCB indoor bioaerosol. Despite the unique building attributes, the ZCB microbial assemblage detected and its temporal characteristics were not dissimilar to that of conventional built environments investigated previously. Future controlled experiments and microbial assemblage investigations of other ZCBs will undoubtedly uncover additional knowledge related to how airborne bacteria in green buildings may be influenced by their distinctive architectural attributes.