The carrier collection efficiency (ηc) and energy conversion efficiency (ηe) of polymer photovoltaic cells were improved by blending of the semiconducting polymer with C60 or its functionalized derivatives. Composite films of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) and fullerenes exhibit ηc of about 29 percent of electrons per photon and ηe of about 2.9 percent, efficiencies that are better by more than two orders of magnitude than those that have been achieved with devices made with pure MEH-PPV. The efficient charge separation results from photoinduced electron transfer from the MEH-PPV (as donor) to C60 (as acceptor); the high collection efficiency results from a bicontinuous network of internal donor-acceptor heterojunctions.

/pdf/polymer-photovoltaic-cells-enhanced-efficiencies-via-a-2lwj3yarfe.pdf

Polymer photovoltaic cells : enhanced efficiencies via a network of internal donor-acceptor heterojunctions

Energy harvested directly from sunlight offers a desirable approach toward fulfilling, with minimal environmental impact, the need for clean energy. Solar energy is a decentralized and inexhaustible natural resource, with the magnitude of the available solar power striking the earth’s surface at any one instant equal to 130 million 500 MW power plants.1 However, several important goals need to be met to fully utilize solar energy for the global energy demand. First, the means for solar energy conversion, storage, and distribution should be environmentally benign, i.e. protecting ecosystems instead of steadily weakening them. The next important goal is to provide a stable, constant energy flux. Due to the daily and seasonal variability in renewable energy sources such as sunlight, energy harvested from the sun needs to be efficiently converted into chemical fuel that can be stored, transported, and used upon demand. The biggest challenge is whether or not these goals can be met in a costeffective way on the terawatt scale.2

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cr1002326

Solar Water Splitting Cells

Evidence for photoinduced electron transfer from the excited state of a conducting polymer onto buckminsterfullerene, C(60), is reported. After photo-excitation of the conjugated polymer with light of energy greater than the pi-pi* gap, an electron transfer to the C(60) molecule is initiated. Photoinduced optical absorption studies demonstrate a different excitation spectrum for the composite as compared to the separate components, consistent with photo-excited charge transfer. A photoinduced electron spin resonance signal exhibits signatures of both the conducting polymer cation and the C(60) anion. Because the photoluminescence in the conducting polymer is quenched by interaction with C(60), the data imply that charge transfer from the excited state occurs on a picosecond time scale. The charge-separated state in composite films is metastable at low temperatures.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/258/5087/1474.full.pdf

Photoinduced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene.

The interest in heterogeneous photocatalysis is intense and increasing, as shown by the number of publications on this theme which regularly appear in this journal, and the fact that over 2000 papers have been published on this topic since 1981. This article is an overview of the field of semiconductor photocatalysis : a brief examination of its roots, achievements and possible future. The semiconductor titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) features predominantly in past and present work on semiconductor photocatalysis; as a result, in the most of the examples selected in this overview to illustrate various points the semiconductor is TiO 2 .

An overview of semiconductor photocatalysis

Preface Acknowledgements Notation Part I. Overview and Background Topics: 1. Introduction 2. Overview 3. Theoretical background 4. Periodic solids and electron bands 5. Uniform electron gas and simple metals Part II. Density Functional Theory: 6. Density functional theory: foundations 7. The Kohn-Sham ansatz 8. Functionals for exchange and correlation 9. Solving the Kohn-Sham equations Part III. Important Preliminaries on Atoms: 10. Electronic structure of atoms 11. Pseudopotentials Part IV. Determination of Electronic Structure, The Three Basic Methods: 12. Plane waves and grids: basics 13. Plane waves and grids: full calculations 14. Localized orbitals: tight binding 15. Localized orbitals: full calculations 16. Augmented functions: APW, KKR, MTO 17. Augmented functions: linear methods Part V. Predicting Properties of Matter from Electronic Structure - Recent Developments: 18. Quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) 19. Response functions: photons, magnons ... 20. Excitation spectra and optical properties 21. Wannier functions 22. Polarization, localization and Berry's phases 23. Locality and linear scaling O (N) methods 24. Where to find more Appendixes References Index.

Electronic Structure: Basic Theory and Practical Methods

Electrooptic Mach-Zehnder interferometers with active lengths as small as 350 mu m are discussed. These strip-loaded waveguide devices utilize the electrooptic effect in InGaAsP/InP quantum wells to achieve pi phase shift with single arm drive voltages of 12 V and 6 V drive in push-pull operation. >

Miniature Mach-Zehnder InGaAsP quantum well waveguide interferometers for 1.3 mu m

Aqueous Electrochemistry of Cuprate‐Based High T c Superconductors

Submicromolar analysis with rotating and hydrodynamically modulated disk electrodes

We report the first demonstration of broadly electrically tunable (215 A), narrow‐band (∼20 A full width at half maximum), wavelength selective, grating‐assisted coupling between vertically stacked buried rib InGaAsP/InP channel waveguides. This current injection tuned device is suitable for integration in a variety of photonic devices and integrated circuits including broadly tunable extended cavity lasers, amplifier/filter, and demultiplexer/detector circuits.

Broadly tunable InGaAsP/InP buried rib waveguide vertical coupler filter

We report lasing at temperatures as high as 144 °C in long‐wavelength InGaAsP vertical cavity lasers. The devices are optically pumped and employ a novel cavity design using GaAs/AlAs quarter‐wavelength stacks for one mirror. The characteristic temperature T0 of the device increases from 42 K at room temperature to 81 K at temperatures above 80 °C as the gain peak moves into resonance with the longer wavelength cavity mode.

Barry Miller

Papers

Miniature Mach-Zehnder InGaAsP quantum well waveguide interferometers for 1.3 mu m

Aqueous Electrochemistry of Cuprate‐Based High T c Superconductors

Submicromolar analysis with rotating and hydrodynamically modulated disk electrodes

Broadly tunable InGaAsP/InP buried rib waveguide vertical coupler filter

144 °C operation of 1.3 μm InGaAsP vertical cavity lasers on GaAs substrates