Zhifeng Ren

Bio: Zhifeng Ren is an academic researcher from Texas Center for Superconductivity. The author has contributed to research in topics: Thermoelectric effect & Thermoelectric materials. The author has an hindex of 122, co-authored 695 publications receiving 71212 citations. Previous affiliations of Zhifeng Ren include Massachusetts Institute of Technology & University of Cincinnati.

High performance mid-temperature selective absorber based on titanium oxides cermet deposited by direct current reactive sputtering of a single titanium target

Abstract: This article reports the design and fabrication of a new double cermet-based low-mid temperature solar selective absorber based on TiOx cermet layers, which were deposited with a single Ti target by varying O2 partial pressure in sputtering chamber as reactive gas. High metal volume fraction cermet 1 and low metal volume fraction cermet 2 were deposited with O2 partial pressure of 0.15 mTorr and 0.25 mTorr, respectively, with direct current power density of 6.58 W cm−2. The complex refractive indices from ellipsometry were used to design solar selective absorber. The reflectance, thermal stability, and morphology were studied in absorbers on Cu and stainless steel. The effect of TiO2 and SiO2 as anti-reflective coating layers was investigated. The absorber on Cu substrate has high absorptance of 90.8% and low emittance of 4.9% (100 °C), and changed to 96.0% and 6.6%, respectively, after annealing at 300 °C for 4 days.

Defect Engineering for Realizing p-Type AgBiSe2 with a Promising Thermoelectric Performance

Abstract: Realization of ambipolar doping (n- and p-type) in thermoelectric materials is highly critical for module design. However, many thermoelectric materials can only be doped into one type, due to the ...

The Effects of Excess Co on the Phase Composition and Thermoelectric Properties of Half-Heusler NbCoSb.

Abstract: NbCoSb with nominal 19 valence electrons, and is supposed to be metallic, has recently been reported to also exhibit the thermoelectric properties of a heavily doped n-type semiconductor. In this study, we prepared Co-rich NbCo1+xSb samples (x = 0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5), and their phase compositions, microstructures and thermoelectric properties were investigated. The Seebeck coefficient increased a great deal with increasing x, due to decreasing carrier concentration, and the total thermal conductivity reduced mainly because of declining κe. Finally, a peak thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, was about 0.46 for NbCo1.3Sb at 973 K. This enhancement was mainly attributed to the reduction of electric thermal conductivity and the increase of Seebeck coefficient. The excess Co had effects on the carrier concentration, deformation potential Edef and DOS effective mass m*. Adding an excessive amount of Co leads to a very high Edef, which was detrimental for transport characteristics.

High ambipolar mobility in cubic boron arsenide revealed by transient reflectivity microscopy

Abstract: Semiconducting cubic boron arsenide (c-BAs) has been predicted to have carrier mobility of 1400 square centimeters per volt-second for electrons and 2100 square centimeters per volt-second for holes at room temperature. Using pump-probe transient reflectivity microscopy, we monitored the diffusion of photoexcited carriers in single-crystal c-BAs to obtain their mobility. With near-bandgap 600-nanometer pump pulses, we found a high ambipolar mobility of 1550 ± 120 square centimeters per volt-second, in good agreement with theoretical prediction. Additional experiments with 400-nanometer pumps on the same spot revealed a mobility of >3000 square centimeters per volt-second, which we attribute to hot electrons. The observation of high carrier mobility, in conjunction with high thermal conductivity, enables an enormous number of device applications for c-BAs in high-performance electronics and optoelectronics. Description Swift carriers Boron arsenide is a semiconductor with several interesting properties, including a high thermal conductivity. Theoretical calculations also suggest that it has high ambipolar mobility, a measure of the mobility of electrons and holes. Yue et al. and Shin et al. used different types of measurements to observe a high ambipolar mobility in very pure cubic boron arsenide. Shin et al. were able to simultaneously measure the high thermal and electrical transport properties in the same place in their samples. Yue et al. found even higher ambipolar mobility than the theoretical estimates at a few locations. Boron arsenide’s combination of transport properties could make it an attractive semiconductor for various applications. —BG Boron arsenide is a semiconductor with high thermal conductivity and electron-hole mobility.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

Carbon Nanotubes--the Route Toward Applications

Abstract: Many potential applications have been proposed for carbon nanotubes, including conductive and high-strength composites; energy storage and energy conversion devices; sensors; field emission displays and radiation sources; hydrogen storage media; and nanometer-sized semiconductor devices, probes, and interconnects. Some of these applications are now realized in products. Others are demonstrated in early to advanced devices, and one, hydrogen storage, is clouded by controversy. Nanotube cost, polydispersity in nanotube type, and limitations in processing and assembly methods are important barriers for some applications of single-walled nanotubes.