Honeycomb-like bio-based carbon framework decorated with ternary tantalum-based compounds as efficient and durable electrocatalysts for triiodide reduction reaction

Finding an inexpensive and effective clean energy electrocatalyst is highly important for the new generation of photovoltaic devices. Herein, we report a facile and universal in situ co-precipitation strategy to load three novel tantalum-based compounds (NiTa₂O₆, MnTa₂O₆, and AlTaO₄) on honeycomb-like bio-based carbon (HBC) frameworks. The HBC framework with unique honeycomb-like network structure serves as a support material in nanohybrids that can provide rich surface active sites and rapid electron transport channels for triiodide reduction reaction. The adoption of widely available and abundant biomass-derived carbon into tantalum-based compounds markedly boosts electrocatalytic properties of nanohybrids and exhibits robust corrosion resistance because nanohybrids adequately utilize the synergistic effects of different components. The photovoltaic devices fabricated with NiTa₂O₆/HBC, MnTa₂O₆/HBC, and AlTaO₄/HBC counter electrode catalysts demonstrate the brilliant power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.09%, 7.39%, and 7.86%, respectively, outperforming the Pt-based cells (6.80%). This work offers a strategy for the further rational design of efficient, inexpensive, and durable electrocatalysts for advanced energy technology applications.     

MoSe2 nanoflowers as a counter electrode for quantum dots sensitized solar cells

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Layered transition metal dichalcogenides hold tunable and promising photoelectrochemical properties. MoSe2 is a potential candidate of the...     

Ground plane impact on quadrifilar helix antenna performance with respect to deployment heights

Quadrifilar helix antenna (QHA) has its applications in satellite communications. This paper presents the performance optimisation of input and radiation characteristics of QHA in the presence of infinite and finite metallic ground planes. For the infinite ground plane, it has been observed that input parameters such as impedance and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) are stable, and the antenna has broader half power beamwidth (HPBW). Smaller metallic platforms that act as finite ground planes produce better 3‐dB axial ratio beamwidth and boresight axial ratio. Deployment of QHA on smaller metallic platforms such as nanosatellites and CubeSats enhances the circularly polarised beamwidth of the antenna with improved boresight axial ratio. However, on large low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, stable input characteristics and broader HPBW have been achieved at the cost of narrow circularly polarised beamwidth and degraded boresight axial ratio.     

Four‐band electromagnetic energy harvesting with a dual‐layer metamaterial structure

A four‐band metamaterial harvester for harvesting 0.9 GHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 5.8 GHz signals is proposed by a dual‐layer structure. 0.9 GHz and 1.8 GHz bands are harvested by the resistors in front layer, whereas harvesting of 2.6 GHz is achieved by the resistors in second layer. All resistors in front and back layer contribute to harvesting at 5.8 GHz. Numerical calculations are verified by two different full‐wave electromagnetic solvers based on finite‐integration and finite‐element techniques. Power dissipation ratios at 0.9 GHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequencies concentrated at the resistors are found as 82.3%, 82.8%, 74.6%, and 83.6%, respectively, by the finite‐integration‐based solver. Besides, the finite‐element method‐based solver results in harvesting efficiencies of 79.6%, 93.4%, 73.7%, and 93.8%. The efficiency of the harvester is investigated for different oblique incidences. The proposed metamaterial harvester can be a good candidate for multi‐band absorption and harvesting applications.     

Mapping past,current and future energy research trend in Pakistan: a scientometric assessment

This work describes the contribution of researchers in the field of the energy from Pakistan in the period 1990–2016. A scientometric approach was applied to analyze the scientific publications in the field using the Scopus Elsevier database. Different aspects of the publications were analyzed, such as publication type, major research areas, journals, citations, authorship pattern, affiliations as well as the keyword occurrence frequency. The present research trends are analyzed and future research directions are outlined. The impact factor, h-index and number of citations were used to investigate the strength of active institutes, authors, and journals in the field of the energy in Pakistan. From 1990 to 2016, 991 articles have been published by 2139 authors from 213 research institutes. The total number of citations and impact factor are 10,287 and 2301 respectively, corresponding to 10 citations per paper and an impact factor of 2.32 per publication. The research articles originate primarily from COMSATS, NUST, PIEAS, and PINSTECH. Pakistan has published 60% of publication with the collaboration of the foreign institutes, mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. The core research activities in the field are mainly focused on resource assessment, energy policy, energy efficiency, feasibility study, energy economics, and performance assessment. The most productive journal, author, institution, are renewable & sustainable energy review, Shahbaz M., and COMSATS, respectively.     

Single-molecule devices: materials,structures and characteristics

This review article provides a brief survey of materials, structures and current state-of-the-art techniques used to measure the charge conduction characteristics of single molecules. Single molecules have been found to exhibit several unique functionalities including rectification, negative differential resistance and electrical bistable switching, all of which are necessary building blocks for the development and configuration of molecular devices into circuits. Conjugated organic molecules have received considerable interest for their low fabrication cost, three dimensional stacking and mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, the ability of molecules to self-assemble into well-defined structures is imperative for the fabrication of molecule based circuits. The theoretical formalisms are presented for studying single-molecule Coulomb blockade effects, ballistic transport in a molecular chain and electromagnetic coupling between a surface-plasmon field and a single molecule. Moreover, the experimental current–voltage results are discussed using basic principles of carrier transport mechanisms.     

Standard potentials of the silver-silver iodide electrode in aqueous mixtures of ethanol and propan-2-ol at different temperatures. Free energies and entropies of transfer of hydroiodic acid at 25°

Standard potentials of E^θ of the silver-silver iodide electrode in ethanol + water and propan-2-ol + water mixtures have been determined from the emf of the cell Pt, H₂ (g, 1 atm)|HI(itm), solvent| Agl-Ag at seven temperatures ranging from 10 to 40° for ethanol and from 5 to 35° for propan-2-ol. Free energies ΔS^gq_itt of transfer HI obtained therefrom have been briefly discussed in the light of ion-solvent interactions and solvent structure.     

An Improved Harmonic Load Flow Formulation

Abstract

The paper contributes an improved harmonic load flow formulation with fewer convergence problems but the same accurate results as traditional formulations. The proposed formulation approaches the harmonic load flow problem as a single nonlinear equation system where the harmonic bus voltage influence on nonlinear load behavior is considered and harmonic bus voltages at linear buses are not included as unknowns. This formulation allows any sort of nonlinear load to be considered and uses the Newton-Raphson method with true Jacobian matrix to reduce the inherent increase in the number of iterations caused by the presence of highly distorted bus voltages. The numerical results obtained when solving a three-bus network operating under highly distorted bus voltages using traditional harmonic load flow formulations and the improved formulation are comparatively discussed.     

Generation of electrical energy using lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) piezoelectric material: Analytical,numerical and experimental verifications

Energy harvesting is the process of attaining energy from the external sources and transforming it into usable electrical energy. An analytical model of piezoelectric energy harvester has been developed to determine the output voltage across an electrical circuit when it is forced to undergo a base excitation. This model gives an easy approach to design and investigate the behavior of piezoelectric material. Numerical simulations have been carried out to determine the effect of frequency and loading on a Lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) piezoelectric material. It has been observed that the output voltage from the harvester increases when loading increases whereas its resonance frequency decreases. The analytical results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental and numerical simulation results.