Abstract: An electrochemical system that can serve as a heat engine or heat pump is disclosed. The electrochemical system comprises a first electrode assembly, a second electrode assembly, a first electrolyte and a second electrolyte. The first electrode assembly, configured to operate at a first temperature, includes a first electrode set and a second electrode set. The second electrode assembly, configured to operate at a second temperature different from the first temperature, includes a first electrode set and a second electrode set. The first electrolyte is configured to circulate between the first electrode set of the first electrode assembly and the first electrode set of the second electrode assembly. The second electrolyte is configured to circulate between the second electrode set of the first electrode assembly and the second electrode set of the second electrode assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for mounting and supporting one or more solar modules are provided. The apparatus can include a front wall and a rear wall. The apparatus can further include a curved surface that joins the front wall and the rear wall to form a base of the apparatus. The base of the apparatus can have a curved bottom. Furthermore, the base of the apparatus can be configured to mount and support the one or more solar modules. Related methods are also provided.

Abstract: The invention provides devices such as photovoltaic cells which are free of scaffold structure layers.

Abstract: Provided are a method of manufacturing a quantum-dot photoactive-layer including: alternately depositing an amorphous silicon compound layer and a silicon-rich compound layer containing conductive impurities and an excess of silicon based on a stoichiometric ratio on a silicon substrate to form a composite multi-layer; and heat treating the composite multi-layer to form a plurality of silicon quantum-dots in a matrix corresponding to a silicon compound, wherein an amorphous silicon layer containing the conductive impurities is formed at least one time instead of the silicon-rich compound layer, and a quantum-dot photoactive-layer manufactured using the method as described above.

Abstract: An enhanced electrical yield is achieved with an integrated thermoelectric generator (iTEG) of out-of-plane heat flux configuration on a substrate wafer having hill-top junction metal contacts and valley-bottom junction metal contacts joining juxtaposed ends of segments, alternately p-doped and n-doped, of defined thin film lines of segments of a polycrystalline semiconductor, extending over inclined opposite flanks of hills of a material of lower thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of the thermoelectrically active polycrystalline semiconductor, by keeping void the valleys spaces (V) among the hills and delimited at the top by a planar electrically non conductive cover with metal bond pads defined over the coupling surface, adapted to bond with respective hill-top junction metal contacts. The junction metal contacts have a cross sectional profile of low aspect ratio, with two arms or wings overlapping the juxtaposed end portions of the segments.

Abstract: A light-emitting element includes an anode, a cathode, a light-emitting layer which is provided between the anode and the cathode and emits light in a wavelength range of 700 nm or more by conducting electricity between the anode and the cathode, and an electron transport layer which is provided between the light-emitting layer and the cathode, and includes a first electron transport layer located on the cathode side and a second electron transport layer located on the light-emitting layer side, wherein organic materials contained in the light-emitting layer, a hole injection layer, the first electron transport layer, and the second electron transport layer have a glass transition temperature Tg of 135° C. or higher or do not have a glass transition temperature.

Abstract: A photoelectrochemical secondary cell comprising a photocatalytic anode, or photoanode; an anode; a cathode comprising a metal hydride; electrolyte; separator; and case at least a portion of which is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation required by said photoanode to charge said photoelectrochemical secondary cell.

Abstract: In some examples, solid oxide fuel cell system comprising a solid oxide fuel cell including an anode, an anode conductor layer, a cathode, a cathode conductor layer, and electrolyte, wherein the anode and the anode conductor layer each comprise nickel; and a sacrificial nickel source separate from that of the anode and anode conductor layer, wherein the sacrificial nickel source is configured to reduce the loss or migration of the nickel of the anode and/or the anode current collector in the fuel cell during operation.

Abstract: Atomic mixed metal electrodes, including electrodes containing a conductive polymer-mixed metal complex, as well as methods of making and using the same, are disclosed. In some embodiments, the atomic mixed metal electrode can be described as a conductive polymer-coated electrode having mixed metal clusters complexed to the conductive polymer at levels of between 2 and 10 metal atoms. A method for preparing the conductive polymer-mixed metal complexes is disclosed that can deposit metal atoms one at a time into a complex with the conductive polymer, allowing for highly tailored atomic clusters. A method of oxidizing alcohols, and the application to devices such as fuel cells are also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for controlling a fuel cell system, which includes multiple hot boxes including multiple fuel cell stacks, using a reconfigurable network having linear switching complexity, includes: a power conversion system for supplying outputs of normal stacks among the multiple fuel cell stacks to a load; at least one auxiliary power conversion system for supplying an output of at least one deteriorated stack among the multiple stacks to a load; a reconfigurable switch network for connecting in series or in parallel stacks of any hot box to stacks of another hot box; and a control unit for controlling an operation of the reconfigurable switch network by detecting a state of each of the stacks.

Abstract: The fabrication and characterization of large scale inverted organic solar array fabricated using all-spray process is disclosed, consisting of four layers; ITO-Cs2CO3-(P3HT:PCBM)-modified PEDPT:PSS, on a substrate. With PEDPT:PSS as the anode, the encapsulated solar array shows more than 30% transmission in the visible to near IR range. Optimization by thermal annealing was performed based on single-cell or multiple-cell arrays. Solar illumination has been demonstrated to improve solar array efficiency up to 250% with device efficiency of 1.80% under AM1.5 irradiance. The performance enhancement under illumination occurs only with sprayed devices, indicating device enhancement under sunlight, which is beneficial for solar energy applications.

Abstract: Disclosed are two geometrically identical integrated Z-device structures, integrated in two distinct silicon dices, joined together in a face-to-face configuration, such that a p-doped thin film leg of one structure faces toward a n-doped thin film leg of the other structure and vice versa. Upon joining the Z-device structures together, the hill-top metal contacts of one integrated structure are bonded in electrical and thermal continuity with correspondent hill-top metal contacts of the other integrated structure, forming a substantially bivalve TEG of increased power yield for the same footprint area and having an enhanced conversion efficiency. Thermo-electrically generated current may be gathered from one or several end pad pairs, the pads of which are connected to respective valley bottom contacts, on one and on the other of the two dices of the bivalve device, at the ends of conductive lines of micro cells respectively belonging to one and to the other of the two coupled dices.

Abstract: Dices of integrated Z-device structures on a substrate wafer of a 3D integrated thermo-electric generator (iTEG) may be stacked in a tri-dimensional heterogeneous integration mode, without or with interposer wafer dices, in coherent thermal coupling among them. Through silicon vias (TSVs) holes through the thickness of the semiconductor crystal of substrate of the dices of integrated Z-device structures in geometrical projection correspondence with valley bottom metal junction contacts, and through silicon vias (TSVs) holes through the thickness of the semiconductor crystal of interposer dices, in geometrical projection correspondence with the hill-top metal junction contacts of the coupled Z-device structures, have a copper or other good heat conductor filler, form low thermal resistance heat conduction paths through the stacked Z-device structures. Thermoelectrically generated current is gathered from every integrated Z-device of a multi-tier iTEG operating in an out-of-plane heat flux configuration.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to a battery module having a housing and a stack of battery cells disposed in the housing. Each battery cell has a battery cell terminal and a battery cell vent on an end of each battery cell, and the battery cell vent is configured to exhaust effluent into the housing. The battery module has a vent shield plate disposed in the housing and directly along an immediate vent path of the effluent, a first surface of the vent shield plate configured to direct the effluent to an opening between the shield plate and the housing, and a second surface of the vent shield plate opposite the first surface. The battery module also has a venting chamber coupled to the opening and at least partially defined by the second surface and a vent configured to direct the effluent out of the battery module.

Abstract: Provided is a collector sheet for a solar cell, wherein the collector sheet for solar cell can prevent short circuiting between a non-photoreception surface side element and a wiring section, as well as cushioning shocks. This collector sheet (2) for a solar cell has a circuit (22) on the surface of a resin substrate (21). A sealing material layer (23) is stacked on the circuit (22), and in the sealing material layer (23) on the wiring section (221) is formed a conductive recessed part (24) through which the wiring section (221) is exposed, in order to provide conductivity between an electrode (4) on the non-photoreception surface side of the solar cell element (1), and the wiring section (221) corresponding thereto, with the sealing material layer (23) therebetween.

Abstract: An electrochemical lateral flow biosensor (ELFB) includes an ELFB strip and electronic detector unit coupled to the strip. The strip includes a polymeric hydrophobic membrane, conjugation pad, sampling pad, screen-printed electrode (SPE), and wick pad. The membrane provides a solid support and enables capillary flow along the strip. The conjugation pad is placed on the membrane at one end of the strip and contains adsorbed dehydrated labelled conjugate particles that are coated with the biorecognition element and coated or filled with the electrochemically active component. The sampling pad is placed on the conjugation pad and provides adsorption of the liquid sample. The SPE is coated with immobilized capture antibodies. The wick pad is placed on the SPE and provides absorption of excess reagents maintaining a lateral flow along the strip. The ELFB can be used for rapid and early detection and quantity analysis of biological liquids and wastewater.

Abstract: This invention relates to triarylamine compounds and compositions including such compounds, that are useful in electronic applications. It also relates to electronic devices in which the active layer includes such a compound or composition. The triarylamine compound can be present as a hole transport material in a hole transport layer. The triarylamine compound can also be present in a photoactive layer in combination with an organometallic compound capable of electroluminescence having an emission maximum between 380 and 750 nm.

Abstract: A solar cell module includes an encapsulating member and a sealing layer for sealing a solar cell, and further includes a solar cell having a transparent conductive layer on its front surface. The solar cell includes a coating layer formed over the transparent conductive layer and having a plurality of openings, and a collecting electrode positioned in the openings of the coating layer and including a primary conductive layer containing copper. An undercoat layer is provided between the primary conductive layer of the collecting electrode and the transparent conductive layer. The coating layer and the undercoat layer are both composed of a resin.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a solar cell includes providing a first substrate with at least one protruding element on the first substrate. The method removes a portion of a lower conducting layer located on the first substrate, wherein the removed portion of the lower conducting layer is located near the at least one protruding element. The method removes a first portion of an active layer located on the lower conducting layer. The method deposits an upper conducting layer on the active layer, wherein the conducting layer covers the at least one protruding element. The method removes a portion of the upper conducting layer, wherein the removed portion of the upper conducting is located near the at least one protruding element.

Abstract: A method of making a solar cell assembly includes placing backsides of multiple solar cells in contact with a substrate. The solar cells are electrically connected to each other. Heat and pressure are applied to the solar cells and the substrate to simultaneously impress the solar cells into the substrate and bond the solar cells to the substrate.