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arXiv2018

On-chip multipurpose microwave frequency identification

We demonstrate a multipurpose microwave frequency identification solution that is implemented based on a photonic integrated chip and is able to identify different types of microwave signals, including single-frequency, multiple-frequency, chirped and frequency-hopping microwave signals. The key component is a thermally-tunable high-Q-factor silicon microring resonator which is used to implement the frequency-to-time mapping. The frequency measurement range is ultra-wide, from 1 to 30 GHz, with a high resolution of 375 MHz and a low measurement error of 237.3 MHz. This demonstration opens the door for future fully integrated solution for high speed, wideband and multipurpose signal identification with high resolution.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Influence of the AlN interlayer thickness on the photovoltaic properties of In-rich AlInN on Si heterojunctions deposited by RF sputtering

We report the influence of the AlN interlayer thickness (0-15 nm) on the photovoltaic properties of Al0.37In0.63N on Si heterojunction solar cells deposited by radio frequency sputtering. The poor junction band alignment and the presence of a 2-3 nm thick amorphous layer at the interface mitigates the response in devices fabricated by direct deposition of n-AlInN on p-Si(111). Adding a 4-nm-thick AlN buffer layer improves the AlInN crystalline quality and the interface alignment leading to devices with a conversion efficiency of 1.5% under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination. For thicker buffers the performance lessens due to inefficient tunnel transport through the AlN. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using In-rich AlInN alloys deposited by radio frequency sputtering as novel electron-selective contacts to Si-heterojunction solar cells.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Apparatus for Operando X-ray Diffraction of Fuel Electrodes in High Temperature Solid State Electrochemical Cells

Characterizing electrochemical energy conversion devices during operation is an important strategy for correlating device performance with the properties of cell materials under real operating conditions. While operando characterization has been used extensively for low temperature electrochemical cells, these techniques remain challenging for solid oxide electrochemical cells due to the high temperatures and reactive gas atmospheres these cells require. Operando X-ray diffraction measurements of solid oxide electrochemical cells could detect changes in the crystal structure of the cell materials, which can be useful for understanding degradation process that limit device lifetimes, but the experimental capability to perform operando X-ray diffraction on the fuel electrodes of these cells has not been demonstrated. Here we present the first experimental apparatus capable of performing X-ray diffraction measurements on the fuel electrodes of high temperature solid oxide electrochemical cells during operation under reducing gas atmospheres. We present data from an example experiment with a model solid oxide cell to demonstrate that this apparatus can collect X-ray diffraction spectra during electrochemical cell operation at high temperatures in humidified H2 gas. Measurements performed using this apparatus can reveal new insights about solid oxide fuel cell and solid oxide electrolyzer cell degradation mechanisms to enable the design of durable, high performance devices.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

A Review of Multi-material and Composite Parts Production by Modified Additive Manufacturing Methods

Aside from the capability of additive manufacturing (AM) methods in fabricating components with complex geometries, two crucial potentials of this manufacturing process that are worth mentioning are its flexibility in being combined with other production methods as well as use of a variety of materials in a single production platform to make multi-material and composite products. Implementation of multiple materials in integrated structures has been shown to improve the functionality, weight reduction and, by merging the assembly and production into one stage, modify the manufacturing processes. Different approaches towards modification of AM processes aimed to reach multi-material or composite parts are being reviewed in this paper.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Impact of excess and disordered Sn sites on Cu2ZnSnS4 absorber material and device performance: A 119Sn Mossbauer Study

Mossbauer analysis is carried out on CZTS samples, subjected to a low temperature processing at 3000C (S1) and high temperature processing at 5500C under sulfur environment (S2). Loss of Sn is observed in sample S2 due to high temperature thermal treatment.The isomer shifts obtained in the Mossbauer spectra confirms the existence of Sn at its 4+ valance state in both the samples. Relatively high quadriple splitting is observed in S1 with respect to S2, suggesting dislocations and crystal distortion present in S1, which are reduced drastically by high temperature annealed S2 sample. The fabricated solar cell with S1 and S2 absorbers showed significant improvement in efficiency from ~0.145% to ~1%. The presence of excess Sn in S1 allows enhanced recombination and the diode ideality factor shows larger value of 4.23 compared to 2.17 in case of S2. The experiments also validate the fact that S1 with Sn rich configuration shows lower acceptor carrier concentration as compared to S2 because of enhanced compensating defects in S1.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Energy and exergy analysis of solar stills with micro/nano particles: A comprehensive study

In this paper, a comparative study between modified solar stills (with graphite or copper oxide micro/nano particles) and classical solar still is carried out, based on the productivity and the thermal performance. Exergy destructions in various components of the solar stills have been calculated, analyzed and discussed. Evaporation is faster and the exergy of evaporation is higher at the modified solar stills than that of the classical one. Furthermore, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the modified stills are enhanced compared with the classical one. A brief discussion regarding the effect of different parameters on solar stills efficiency is also presented. The daytime energy efficiency of graphite/water and copper oxide/water mixtures are 41.18% and 38.61%, respectively, but for the classical still is only 29.17%. Moreover, the daytime exergy efficiencies of graphite, copper oxide nanofluid based stills and classical still are 4.32%, 3.78% and 2.63%, respectively.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Influence Factors of the Evaporation Rate of a Solar Steam Generation System: a Numerical Study

Many efforts have been dedicated to improve the solar steam generation by using a bi-layer structure. In this paper, a two-dimensional mathematical model describing the water evaporation in a bi-layer structure is firstly established and then the finite element method is used to simulate the effects of different influence factors on the evaporation rate. Results turn out that: besides the high solar energy absorptivity of the first-layer, an optimum porosity of the second-layer porous material should be applied and the optimum porosity is about 0.45 in this work. This optimum porosity is determined by the balance between the positive effect of the lowering effective thermal conductivity of the second layer and the negative effect of the reduced vapor diffusivity in the second layer when the porosity is decreased. The influence of the thermal conductivity of the second-layer porous material is negligible because the effective thermal conductivity of the second layer is determined by the porosity while a larger porosity means more water in the second layer. The ambient air velocity could greatly enhance the evaporation rate, and the evaporation rate will decrease linearly with the increase of the air relative humidity. This study is expected to supply some information for developing a more effective bi-layer solar steam generation system.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue using rGO-SnO2 nanocomposite under natural sunlight and UV light irradiation

In this paper, we report the synthesis of reduced Graphene Oxide-Tin Oxide nanocomposite and the effectiveness of this composite in decolorizing and degrading Methylene Blue (MB). Tin Oxide was prepared by liquid phase co-precipitation method and reduced Graphene Oxide-Tin Oxide (rGO-SnO2) nanocomposite was prepared by solution mixing method. Tin Oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have been ardently investigated as photocatalyst for water purification and environment decontamination but the photon generated electron and hole pair (EHP) recombination is one of the limiting factors. Reduced Graphene Oxide-Tin Oxide (rGO-SnO2) nanocomposite is very efficient to overcome this limitation for photocatalytic application. The as-synthesized GO, SnO2, GO-SnO2, rGO and rGO-SnO2 nanocomposite were characterized by X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. The XRD data confirms the sharp peak at 2Theta=10.44 degree corresponding to (002) reflection of GO with interlayer d spacing of 8.46 Angstrom indication of successful preparation of GO by oxidation of graphite. Moreover, the diffraction peak shifts from 2Theta=10.44 degree to 2Theta=23.31 degree confirm successful synthesis of rGO as well. SEM image shows the morphology of all the photocatalysts. EDX studies are carried out to investigate the elemental composition and purity of the sample by giving all the elements present in the nanomaterials. The presence of functional groups was identified by FTIR. The rGO-SnO2 (1:10) nanocomposite shows an efficient photodegradation efficiency of ~94% and ~95% under natural sunlight and UV light irradiation respectively for Methylene Blue (MB) within 15 minutes. Furthermore, the degradation kinetics of MB is also studied in this paper as well.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Scanning camera for continuous-wave acoustic holography

We present a system for measuring the amplitude and phase profiles of the pressure field of a harmonic acoustic wave with the goal of reconstructing the volumetric sound field. Unlike optical holograms that cannot be reconstructed exactly because of the inverse problem, acoustic holograms are completely specified in the recording plane. We demonstrate volumetric reconstructions of simple arrangements of objects using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral, and introduce a technique to analyze the dynamic properties of insonated objects.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

An operando calorimeter for high temperature electrochemical cells

Operando calorimetry has previously been utilized to study degradation, side reactions, and other electrochemical effects in electrochemical cells such as batteries at or near room temperature. Calorimetric data can provide important information on the lifetime and thermal properties of electrochemical cells and can be used in practical engineering applications such as thermal management. High temperature electrochemical cells such as solid oxide fuel cells or electrolyzers can also benefit from operando calorimetry, although to our knowledge no such unit has been developed commercially. Herein, we report an operando calorimeter capable of simultaneous calorimetry and electrochemistry at temperatures up to 1,000 °C and in both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. The calorimeter is constructed by modifying a commercial apparatus originally designed to study high temperature electrochemical cells in various gas environments. We utilize a grey-box, nonlinear system identification model to analyze calorimetric data and achieve an electrochemical cell power sensitivity of 16.1 +/- 11.7 mW. This operando calorimeter provides the tools needed to study both the thermal and kinetic behavior of electrochemical cells at elevated temperatures.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Inter-Domain Charge Transfer as a Rationale for Superior Photovoltaic Performances of Mixed Halide Lead Perovskites

Organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites containing a mixture of iodide and bromide anions consistently perform better in donor-acceptor heterojunction solar cells than the standard methylammonium lead triiodide material. This observation is counterintuitive, as it is generally expected for photovoltaic materials that heterogeneities and compositional disorder cause reduced carrier diffusion length and conversion efficiency. Here, we combine ultrafast photoinduced electroabsorption and broadband fluorescence up-conversion spectroscopy measurements to scrutinize the carrier dynamics in mixed-cations, mixed-halide lead perovskite thin films. Our results evidence the formation of charge transfer excitons (CTE) across the boundaries of domains of various halide compositions. A global analysis of photoinduced transient Stark signals shows that CTE evolve gradually from Br-rich to I-rich domains over tens to hundreds of picoseconds. Rather than constituting recombination centres, boundaries between domains of various halide compositions appear then to favour charge carrier separation by driving photogenerated holes along channels of decreasing bromide content.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Seeing Site-Specific Isotopic Labeling of Amino Acids with Vibrational Spectroscopy in the Electron Microscope

Isotope labeling is a fundamental staple for the study of cellular metabolism and protein function. The conventional techniques that allow resolution and identification of isotopically-labeled biomarkers, such as mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy, are macroscopic in nature and have the disadvantage of requiring relatively large quantities of material and lacking spatial resolution. Here, we record the vibrational spectra of an α-amino acid, L-alanine, using spatially-resolved monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to directly resolve carbon-site-specific isotopic labels in a scanning transmission electron microscope. The EELS is acquired in aloof mode, meaning the probe is positioned away from the sample (~20 nm) sparing the sensitive biomolecule from the high-energy excitations, while the vibrational modes are investigated. An isotopic red-shift of 5.3 meV was obtained for the C=O stretching mode in the carboxylic acid group for 13C-enriched L-alanine when compared with naturally occurring 12C L-alanine, which is confirmed by macroscopic infrared spectroscopy measurements and theoretical calculations. The EELS experiments presented here are the first demonstration of non-destructive resolution and identification of isotopically-labeled amino acids in the electron microscope, opening a new door for the study of biological matter at the nanoscale.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Transforming Metastable Memories: The Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics of Computation

Framing computation as the transformation of metastable memories, we explore its fundamental thermodynamic limits. The true power of information follows from a novel decomposition of nonequilibrium free energy derived here, which provides a rigorous thermodynamic description of coarse-grained memory systems. In the nearly-quasistatic limit, logically irreversible operations can be performed with thermodynamic reversibility. Yet, here we show that beyond the reversible work Landauer's bound requires of computation, dissipation must be incurred both for modular computation and for neglected statistical structure among memory elements used in a computation. The general results are then applied to evaluate the thermodynamic costs of all two-input--one-output logic gates, including the universal NAND gate. Interwoven discussion clarifies the prospects for Maxwellian demons and information engines as well as opportunities for hyper-efficient computers of the future.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

Retrieving the scattering strength using noise correlation in a reverberant medium

We explore how ambient-noise interferometry can serve to track variations in the distribution of scatterers within a medium. Experiments are conducted in the presence and absence of a single scatterer that can occupy different positions within the propagation medium. We calculate the similarity between the Green's functions obtained in these cases (i.e., with versus without the scatterer) as a measure of the temporal variations in the Green's function, which shows exponential decay with respect to time. We also develop a formula that relates this decay to the scattering strength of the scatterer. The formulae are experimentally validated using experiments in a strongly reverberating duralumin plate. This proposed method for finding the scattering strength of the scatterer is based on information carried by the coda of the multiple echo arrivals. We confirm the reliability of this approach through a conventional method for the measurement of the scattering strength that is based on direct arrivals.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Neutron channeling in a nonmagnetic planar waveguide

We investigate neutron propagation in a middle layer of a planar waveguide which is a tri-layer thin film. A narrow divergent microbeam emitted from the end face of the film is registered. The neutron channeling length is experimentally measured as a function of the guiding channel width. Experimental results are compared with calculations.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Optical Properties of an IR-Transparent Prismatic Plate in Exposure to the Thermal Radiation and its Application as a Radiation Rectifier

Optical properties of a prismatic transparent plate and its effects on thermal radiation heat transfer are studied. A 3D ray-tracing numerical method is used to prove the bi-transmittance property of the prismatic sheet when it is exposed to thermal radiation in two opposite directions. It is shown that in the present of a prismatic window a thermal equilibrium with a temperature gradient between two sources is possible.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Short Circuit Synchronized Electric Charge Extraction (SC-SECE): a tunable interface for wideband vibration energy harvesting

In this paper, we present a new harvesting interface, called Short Circuit Synchronous Electric Charge Extraction (SC-SECE). The SC-SECE strategy includes a tunable short-circuit time thanks to two tuning parameters, $ϕ_S$ and $Δϕ$. $ϕ_S$ stands for the phase between the mechanical displacement extrema and the energy harvesting event. $Δϕ$ stands for the angular time spent in the short-circuit phase. The theoretical analysis and modelling of this short-circuit influences are derived in this paper. When associated with highly coupled harvesters, it is shown that both the harvested power and bandwidth are greatly improved. These results have been numerically validated and they demonstrate the potential of this strategy for extending the bandwidth of piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Absolute and arbitrary orientation of single molecule shapes

DNA origami is a modular platform for the combination of molecular and colloidal components to create optical, electronic, and biological devices. Integration of such nanoscale devices with microfabricated connectors and circuits is challenging: large numbers of freely diffusing devices must be fixed at desired locations with desired alignment. We present a DNA origami molecule whose energy landscape on lithographic binding sites has a unique maximum. This property enables device alignment within 3.2$^{\circ}$ on SiO$_2$. Orientation is absolute (all degrees of freedom are specified) and arbitrary (every molecule's orientation is independently specified). The use of orientation to optimize device performance is shown by aligning fluorescent emission dipoles within microfabricated optical cavities. Large-scale integration is demonstrated via an array of 3,456 DNA origami with 12 distinct orientations, which indicates the polarization of excitation light.

physics.app-ph↗