Influence of aluminium electrode preparation on PCE values of polymeric solar cells based on P3HT and PCBM

The main goal of the paper was investigation of influence of aluminum electrode preparation via thermal evaporation (TE) and the magnetron sputtering (MS) on power conversion efficiency (PCE) of polymeric solar cells. The photovoltaic properties of such three kinds devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) as ITO/P3HT/Al, ITO/P3HT:PCBM (1:1, w/w)/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM (1:1, w/w)/Al were investigated. For the constructed devices impedance spectroscopy were analyzed. For devices lack of PEDOT:PSS layer or lack of PCBM, photovoltaic parameters were very low and similar to the parameters obtained for device with Al electrode prepared by magnetron sputtering. The devices comprising PEDOT:PSS with P3HT:PCBM showed the best photovoltaic parameters such as a V_OC of 0.60 V, J_SC of 4.61 mA/cm², FF of 0.21, and PCE of 5.7 × 10^?1%.     

Highly efficient CO2 sorbents: development of synthetic, calcium-rich dolomites

The reaction of CaO with CO(2) is a promising approach for separating CO(2) from hot flue gases. The main issue associated with the use of naturally occurring CaCO(3), that is, limestone, is the rapid decay of its CO(2) capture capacity over repeated cycles of carbonation and calcination. Interestingly, dolomite, a naturally occurring equimolar mixture of CaCO(3) and MgCO(3), possesses a CO(2) uptake that remains almost constant with cycle number. However, owing to the large quantity of MgCO(3) in dolomite, the total CO(2) uptake is comparatively small. Here, we report the development of a synthetic Ca-rich dolomite using a coprecipitation technique, which shows both a very high and a stable CO(2) uptake over repeated cycles of calcination and carbonation. To obtain such an excellent CO(2) uptake characteristic it was found to be crucial to mix the Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) on a molecular level, that is, within the crystalline lattice. For sorbents which were composed of mixtures of microscopic crystals of CaCO(3) and MgCO(3), a decay behavior similar to natural limestone was observed. After 15 cycles, the CO(2) uptake of the best sorbent was 0.51 g CO(2)/g sorbent exceeding the CO(2) uptake of limestone by almost 100%.     

DFT study of trichloroethene reaction with permanganate in aqueous solution

The mechanism of the environmentally important reaction between permanganate anion and trichloroethene (TCE) has been studied theoretically using modern DFT functional. It has been shown that IEFPCM/M05-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ theory level yields activation parameters and carbon isotopic fractionation factor in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Obtained results indicate that this reaction proceeds via the 3+2 mechanism with a very early transition state, in which the new C-O bonds are formed only in about 20%. An alternative, stepwise mechanism that involves initial formation of a single new C-O bond and a C-Mn bond, followed by rearrangement to the permanganate-TCE adduct, has been found to be more energetically demanding and in disagreement with the experimental isotopic fractionation.     

Acrylamide in potato crisp—the effect of raw material and processing

Reducing sugars and free amino acids were analysed in slices from three potato cultivars before and after blanching (0-3 min). The potato crisps were deep fried at 185 °C for different times (3-8.5 min), and analysed for the concentration of acrylamide (AA) and moisture. Potato cultivar and the temperature during processing were important parameters for AA formation in potato crisps. The amount increased with an increase in the processing time. Blanching before deep-frying reduced the concentration of free asparagine and reducing sugar in the raw material. We found no effect of blanching as pretreatment on the concentration of AA in the potato crisps. Any relationship was not detected between the levels of asparagine in the different cultivars, before and after blanching, and the formation of AA in the crisp products. However, it was shown that the content of reducing sugars determined the level of AA after frying.     

Crowding as an Agronomic Factor Determining the Development of Plants and the Productivity of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

ABSTRACT

Nine sowing densities of linseed were compared in a two-year experiment. Self-regulation of the density of a linseed stand resulted in a differentiated branching of the plants. The number of capsules on a linseed shoot, as well as seeds in the capsule, and the number of seeds from the shoot were highly varied from year to year, and there is even a stronger differentiation in the weight of 1000 seeds. Linear relationships were noted between the mass of seeds from the linseed plant and the number of capsules. The yield of linseed was affected by both factors. An increasing sowing rate reduced the seed yield from the shoot and the plant. At lower seeding rates, the lateral shoots contributed in the seeds yield of the plant to a higher degree compared to the main ones.     

Tracing enteric viruses in the European berry fruit supply chain

In recent years, numerous foodborne outbreaks due to consumption of berry fruit contaminated by human enteric viruses have been reported. This European multinational study investigated possible contamination routes by monitoring the entire food chain for a panel of human and animal enteric viruses.