Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include apparatuses for compressing dry ice. In an illustrative embodiment, an apparatus for compressing dry ice includes: a hollow cylinder; a post disposed coaxially in the cylinder; a piston defining an opening therein and being slidably disposed in the cylinder, the opening slidably receiving the post therein; a biasing device operatively coupled to the piston; an inlet port connectable to a source of liquid carbon dioxide and configured to introduce liquid carbon dioxide into the cylinder, the inlet port being further configured to expand liquid carbon dioxide to dry ice and to gaseous carbon dioxide; and an openably closable lid positionable among a first closed position configured to vent gaseous carbon dioxide from the cylinder, a second closed position configured to leakably close the cylinder to permit carbon dioxide flakes to be compressed in the cylinder, and an open position.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel strategies for mitigating the Staebler-Wronski Effect (SWE), that is, the light induced degradation in performance of photoconductivity in amorphous silicon. Materials according to the present invention include alloys or composites of amorphous silicon which affect the elasticity of the materials, amorphous silicon that has been grown on a flexed substrate, compression sandwiched comprising amorphous silicon, and amorphous silicon containing nanoscale features that allow stress to be relieved. The composites are formed with nanoparticles such as nanocrystals and nanotubes. Preferred are boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) including those that have been surface modified.