A targeted review of bio-derived plasticizers with flame retardant functionality used in PVC

Journal of Materials Science - For decades, a wide variety of products have benefitted from the use of flexible PVC, ranging from healthcare to cable to packaging & household items. The...     

Recent advances in carbon nanotube-based electronics

CNT-electronics is a field involving synthesis of carbon nanotubes-based novel electronic circuits, comparable to the size of molecules, the practically fundamental size possible. It has brought a new paradigm in science as it has enabled scientists to increase the device integration density tremendously, hence achieving better efficiency and speed. Here we review the state-of-art current research on the applications of CNTs in electronics and present recent results outlining their potential along with illustrating some current concerns in the research field. Unconventional projects such as CNT-based biological sensors, transistors, field emitters, integrated circuits, etc. are taking CNT-based electronics to its extremes. The field holds a promise for mass production of high speed and efficient electronic devices. However, the chemical complexity, reproducibility and other factors make the field a challenging one, which need to be addressed before the field realizes its true potential.     

Growth of 1‐eV GaNAsSb‐based photovoltaic cell on silicon substrate at different As/Ga beam equivalent pressure ratios

We report the performance of 1‐eV GaNAsSb‐based photovoltaic samples grown on a Si substrate using molecular beam epitaxy at different As/Ga beam equivalent pressure (BEP) ratios. The light current–voltage curve and spectral response of the samples were measured. The sample grown at an As/Ga BEP ratio of 10 showed the highest energy conversion efficiency with an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.529 V and a short circuit current density of 17.0 mA/cm². This measured V_OC is the highest ever reported value in GaNAsSb 1‐eV photovoltaic cell, resulting in the lowest ever reported E_g/q‐V_OC of 0.50 eV. The increase in the As/Ga BEP ratio also resulted in an increase in the bandgap‐voltage offset value (E_g/q‐V_OC) and a decrease in quantum efficiency up to As/Ga BEP ratio of 18. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.