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This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 7683, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, and the Conference Committee listing.
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Advanced Energy Storage Technologies: Battery and Fuel Cells I
Nanostructured materials have triggered a great excitement in recent times due to both fundamental interest as well as
technological impact relevant for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Size reduction in nanocrystals leads to a variety of
unexpected exciting phenomena due to enhanced surface-to-volume ratio and reduced transport length. We will consider
a few examples of nanostructured electrode materials in the context of lithium batteries for achieving high storage and
high rate performances: 1) LiFePO4 nanoplates synthesized using solvothermal method could store Li-ions comparable to its theoretical capacity at C/10, while at 30C, they exhibit storage capacity up to 45 mAh/g. Size reduction (~30 nm) at the b-axis
favors the fast Li-ion diffusion. In addition to this, uniform ~5 nm carbon coating throughout the plates provides excellent electronically conducting path for electrons. This nano architecture enables fast insertion/extraction of both Li-ions as well as electrons; 2) Mesporous-TiO2 with high surface area (135m2/g) synthesized using soft-template method exhibits high
volumetric density compared to commercial nanopowder (P25), with excellent Li-storage behavior. C16 meso-TiO2 synthesized from CTAB exhibits reversible storage capacity of 288mAh/g at 0.2C and 109 mAh/g at 30C; 3) Zero strain Li4Ti5O12 anode material has been synthesized using several wet chemical routes. The best condition has been optimized to achieve storage capability close to theoretical limit of 175mAh/g at C/10. At 10C, we could retain lithium storage up to 88 mAh/g; 4) We report our recent results on α-Fe2O3 and γ-Fe2O3 using conversion reaction, providing insight for a better storage capability in γ-phase than the α-phase at 2C resulting solely from the nanocrystallinity.
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Recent work in our laboratory has been directed towards development of mixed layered transition metal oxides
with general composition Li[Ni, Co, M, Mn]O2 (M=Al, Ti) for Li ion battery cathodes. Compounds such as
Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 (often called NMCs) are currently being commercialized for use in consumer electronic batteries,
but the high cobalt content makes them too expensive for vehicular applications such as electric vehicles (EV), plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). To reduce materials costs, we have explored partial
or full substitution of Co with Al, Ti, and Fe. Fe substitution generally decreases capacity and results in poorer rate and
cycling behavior. Interestingly, low levels of substitution with Al or Ti improve aspects of performance with minimal
impact on energy densities, for some formulations. High levels of Al substitution compromise specific capacity,
however, so further improvements require that the Ni and Mn content be increased and Co correspondingly decreased.
Low levels of Al or Ti substitution can then be used offset negative effects induced by the higher Ni content. The
structural and electrochemical characterization of substituted NMCs is presented in this paper.
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Advanced Energy Storage Technologies: Battery and Fuel Cells II
High-power and high-energy lithium-ion cells are being studied at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) as part of the
U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCar and Vehicle Technologies (FCVT) program. Cells ranging in capacity from 1
mAh to 1Ah, and containing a variety of electrodes and electrolytes, are examined to determine suitable material
combinations that will meet and exceed the FCVT performance, cost, and safety targets. In this article, accelerated aging
of 18650-type cells, and characterization of components harvested from these cells, is described. Several techniques that
include electrochemical measurements, analytical electron microscopy, and x-ray spectroscopy were used to study the
various cell components. Data from these studies were used to identify the most likely contributors to property
degradation and determine mechanisms responsible for cell capacity fade and impedance rise.
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Reducing battery materials to nano-scale dimensions may improve battery performance while maintaining the use of
low-cost materials. However, we need better characterization tools with atomic to nano-scale resolution in order to
understand degradation mechanisms and the structural and mechanical changes that occur in these new materials during
battery cycling. To meet this need, we have developed a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based platform for
performing electrochemical measurements using volatile electrolytes inside a transmission electron microscope (TEM).
This platform uses flip-chip assembly with special alignment features and multiple buried electrode configurations. In
addition to this platform, we have developed an unsealed platform that permits in situ TEM electrochemistry using ionic
liquid electrolytes. As a test of these platform concepts, we have assembled MnO2 nanowires on to the platform using
dielectrophoresis and have examined their electrical and structural changes as a function of lithiation. These results
reveal a large irreversible drop in electronic conductance and the creation of a high degree of lattice disorder following
lithiation of the nanowires. From these initial results, we conclude that the future full development of in situ TEM
characterization tools will enable important mechanistic understanding of Li-ion battery materials.
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For over 10 years Sandia Labs have been involved in an US DOE-funded program aimed at developing electric vehicle
batteries for transportation applications. Currently this program is called "Advanced Battery Research (ABR)." In this
effort we were preparing 18650 cells with electrodes supplied by or purchased from private companies for thermal abuse
and electrical characterization studies. Lately, we are coating our own electrodes, building cells and evaluating
performance. This paper describes our extensive in-house facilities for slurry making, electrode coating, cell winding etc.
In addition, facilities for electrical testing and thermal abuse will be described. This facility allows us to readjust our
focus quickly to the changing demands of the still evolving ABR program. Additionally, we continue to make cells for
our internal use. We made several 18650 cells both primary (Li-CFx) and secondary (Li-ion) and evaluated performance.
For example Li-CFx cells gave ~2.9Ahr capacity at room temperature. Our high voltage Li-ion cells consisting of carbon
anode and cathode based on LiNi 0.4Mn 0.3Co 0.3O2 in organic electrolytes exhibited reproducible behavior and gave
capacity on the order of 1Ahr. Performance of Li-ion cells at different temperatures and thermal abuse characteristics
will be presented.
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Ionic liquid has been utilized as safe electrolyte solution for lithium-ion batteries. Reversible charge / discharge cycling of the graphite electrode in the ionic liquid has been achieved with polyacrylic acid polymer binder, which can suppress the organic cation intercalation to the graphite. Cycleability of the graphite-silicon composite electrodes prepared with polyacrylate binder was significantly improved in comparison to the conventional PVdF binder, and it has been demonstrated that the reversible cycling with 1000 mAh g-1 for 30 cycling test is possible in ionic liquid. The possibility of the safe and high-energy lithium-ion battery is discussed through the preliminary study on Li2MnO3-LiCo1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 based positive electrode and graphite-silicon-polyacrylate composite negative electrode with the ionic liquid electrolyte.
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Advanced Energy Storage Technologies and Applications
Several different cathode materials for Li-ion batteries with a general formula Li2MXO4 (M= Fe, Mn, Ni, V and X= Si,
Ti) were synthesized and characterized. Generally those materials can be classified into the group of silicates with
tetrahedral coordinated cations and into titanates with a rock-salt structure. The common characteristic of these two
families of new cathode materials is two lithium cations in the structure and at lest theoretical possibility to exchange
more than one electron per transition metal and consequently enable much higher specific capacity of battery. Detailed
structural and electrochemical characterization (including some in-situ characterization techniques, like X-ray absorption
and Mössbauer spectroscopy) are discussed in this paper. Influence of the structural stability and particle size is
discussed based on the obtained electrochemical results. Finally we show for the first time operation of Li2FeSiO4 with graphite electrode at 60°C.
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Advances in lithium primary battery technology, which serves as the gold standard power source for the
dismounted soldier, have not kept pace with the ever increasing power and energy requirements of modern
military electronic equipment. Fuel cells have long been touted as the solution to the dismounted soldier's
power and energy problems, but until recently, have largely failed to live up to that promise. There is still a
pressing need for better power sources at the Watt or sub-Watt level, especially in applications requiring nontraditional
form factors (thin, prismatic) or those having special requirements like flexibility or conformability,
where existing battery technology falls short. To address these needs, Honeywell is developing a Self
Regulating Fiber Fuel Cell, which utilizes a novel fuel chemistry and regulation mechanism and micro
fabrication techniques to create a flexible, conformal power source with substantially better energy density
and specific energy compared to state of the art lithium primary batteries. This paper will cover Honeywell's
progress on the Fiber Fuel Cell Project.
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Solar energy is the only renewable energy source that could largely replace the burning of fossil fuels and is the most
rapidly deployable energy source, but because of its high cost, makes up only 1% of the world's energy production.
Concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) requires the least land and by far the least semiconductor material of any photovoltaic
technology, but is the most expensive. Its high cost arises from the need to approximately lattice match the substrate and
III-V materials in the three-junction CPV solar cells to maximize minority-carrier recombination times and hence cell
efficiencies. Lattice-matching forces the use of Ge substrates, which are very expensive and fragile, making the cells
very expensive. We give experimental evidence and theoretical arguments that, unlike III-V cells, CdTe-based
multijunction cells need not be lattice-matched and could be grown on Si by high-throughput molecular beam epitaxy,
reducing the cost an order of magnitude. That would allow the use of much lower solar concentrations, greatly reducing
the tracking and optics costs. Also, efficiency calculations, assuming lattice matching not to be required for II-VI
materials, indicate that the highest-efficiency three-junction II-VI cells should have efficiencies 3-8% (absolute) higher
than those of the highest-efficiency three-junction III-V cells. We have fabricated and tested single-junction and twojunction
CdZnTe/Si solar cells, concentrating on the value of the open-circuit voltage Voc because it measures the
absorber-material limitations on cell efficiencies. We found Voc ≥ 90% of its thermodynamic limit, equivalent to the best
reported results for single-junction III-V cells.
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Higher efficiency solar cells are required to reduce solar array mass, stowed volume, and cost
for numerous commercial and military applications. Conventional solar cell made of thin-film
or crystal-Si (c-Si) or other thin films have limited conversion efficiency of 10 to 20% with
the cost of $3-$5/Wp. Current state-of-the-art crystalline multijunction solar cells are ~30 %
efficient with the cost of $30 to $40 /Wp. Increasing conversion efficiency of > 30% will
enable to reduce the cost < $1/Wp and useful for various power platforms supporting mobile
wireless, laptop, tent applications. Solar cell comprises with three dimensional blocks are
shown to be higher conversion-efficiency than standard flat-type solar cell. Incorporating
nano-scaled blocks in solar cell structures are shown to be increased performances due to (i)
increase of the surface area to volume ratio, (ii) brining the junction closer to the carrier
generation region which eliminate the carrier recombination , (iii) absorption of all incident
photon flux, and (iv) broadening the absorption spectrum. Our activities on next generation
high performance solar cells based on micro-nano scaled structures and various material
systems will be presented. Details fabrication process of micro-nano scaled solar cell friendly
to mass scale manufacturing will be also be described. We have achieved more than 20x
optical performance enhancement for the solar cell based on micro-scaled structures, than that of flat-type (standard) solar cell, fabricated on the same Si substrate and same process.
Simulation results showed that significant improvement in conversion efficiency more than
30% is possible for even c-Si solar cell based on the micro-nano scaled structures. Key issues
and challenges for bringing it to the manufacturing will be discussed.
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Quantum-well based solar cells have the potential to deliver ultra-high efficiencies in single-junction devices,
efficiencies that in theory can approach 45% in un-concentrated sunlight over a wide range of environmental conditions.
In this work, thin-film GaAs-based quantum well solar cells are demonstrated that operate at voltages higher than
previous state-of-the-art GaAs devices. Higher open circuit voltages result from the use of a novel structure
incorporating a wide band gap barrier layer within a heterojunction depletion region. Ultra-low dark current is observed
from this structure as result of the simultaneous reduction of carrier diffusion and space charge recombination. Efficient
carrier extraction of photogenerated carries over the potential barriers within the structure is achieved by increasing the
field strength and tailoring the barrier profile to enhance thermionic emission and tunneling. High open circuit voltages
(>1.1 V @ 25 A/cm2) and fill factors (> 80%) are demonstrated in multi-layer depletion region structures incorporating
both an extended region of wide band gap material and an InGaAs quantum well within a GaAs base layer. These
ground breaking results indicate that it is possible to simultaneously increase both the current and voltage output of
GaAs-based solar cells.
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Nitride semiconductors possess a number of unique material properties applicable to energy harvesting photovoltaic
devices, including a large range of energy gaps, superior radiation resistance, and tolerance to high temperatures. We
present here our experimental results related to the self-assembled InN quantum dots formed on Si substrates. We have
been successful at synthesizing InN quantum dots using the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)
process. We demonstrate the synthesis of a high density of InN dots exhibiting excellent structural and optical
properties. An unprecedented range of absorption energies, ranging from the infrared to the ultraviolet, can be obtained
by embedding InN-based quantum dots in a wide band gap GaN barrier. The combination of energy-gaps accessible to
III-V nitride materials may be used to reap the benefits of advance quantum dot device concepts involving hot carrier
effects or multiple carrier generation processes.
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Douglas S. Dudis, John B. Ferguson, Michael Check, Joel E. Schmidt, Evan R. Kemp, Thomas Robbins, Joseph A. Shumaker, Chenggang Chen, Harry A. Seibel II
Proceedings Volume Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications, 76830S (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.852182
The advantages of thermoelectric energy conversion technologies are briefly summarized. Recent material
advances are discussed, with the focus on one-dimensional (1-D) self-assembled molecular materials as building
blocks for new thermoelectric materials. The preparation, doping, and thermal characterization of phthalocyanine
based materials are presented. The thermal conductivity of the doped material is lower than the undoped material
even though the electrical conductivity of the doped material is orders of magnitude higher than the undoped
material. This is counter intuitive against the backdrop of the Wiedemann-Franz treatment of thermal conductivity
in electrical conductors from which one would expect thermal and electrical conductivity to both increase with
introduction of additional charge carriers. These unusual results can be understood as a competition between the
generation of an increased number of charge carriers and enhanced phonon scattering resulting from the
introduction of chemical dopants. The thermal conductivity of the undoped phthalocyanines has been found to be
small and only modestly temperature dependent in the 50-300 C range, but it is larger than a previous, indirect
measurement.
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In this paper, deposition of CdS thin films by thermal evaporation was made using high purity CdS powders as the
source material. It is found that the electrical conductivity of thermal evaporated CdS thin films is very sensitive to heat.
The change of surface temperature of this material leads to the significant increase in its electrical conductivity as shown
by the relationship of temperature and electrical resistance. It is concluded that such a temperature-sensitive conductive
behavior comes from the thermally-activated electron ejection in CdS.
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Advanced Thermoelectric and Novel Energy Generation Technologies
Efficiency of thermoelectric materials is generally discussed in terms of the dimensionless figure-of-merit, ZT
= S2σT/κ, Many researchers have found that it is possible to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity by
incorporating nanostructures (i.e. nanoparticles or heterobarriers) into materials, thereby scattering phonons.
At the same time, it has been theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated that barriers can be
used to "filter" the distribution of carriers which contribute to conduction. By doing so, it is possible to
significantly increase the Seebeck coefficient while only modestly decreasing the electrical conductivity. As a
result of this energy-dependent scattering of carriers, the thermoelectric power factor is increased. We present
theoretical and experimental results for metal/semiconductor nanocomposites consisting of metallic rareearth-
group V nanoparticles within III-V semiconductors (e.g. ErAs:InGaAlAs) demonstrating both an
increase in thermoelectric power factor and a decrease in thermal conductivity, resulting in a large figure of
merit. We also discuss metal/semiconductor superlattices made of lattice-matched nitride materials for
electron filtering and the prospects of these materials for efficient thermoelectrics, especially at high
temperatures. Finally, we will discuss both various synthesis techniques for these materials, including the
prospects for bulk growth, and also devices fabricated from these materials.
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There is increasing need for self-sufficient power sources for wireless sensors and electronics that can extend device
performance beyond what is available from conventional batteries. Thermoelectric approaches for developing such
power sources using geothermal and body heat are attractive. RTI has developed a prototype "thermal ground stake"
wireless sensor node powered by thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesting that lends itself to unattended ground sensors for
covert military and intelligence operations where TE powered sensors are concealed in the ground. In another
application, RTI International and QUASAR are jointly developing an integrated body-worn biosensor system powered
by body heat thermoelectric energy harvesting.
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Thermoelectric energy harvesting has increasingly gained acceptance as a potential power source that can be used for
numerous commercial and military applications. However, power electronic designers have struggled to incorporate
energy harvesting methods into their designs due to the relatively small voltage levels available from many harvesting
device technologies. In order to bridge this gap, an ultra-low input voltage power conversion method is needed to
convert small amounts of scavenged energy into a usable form of electricity. Such a method would be an enabler for
new and improved medical devices, sensor systems, and other portable electronic products.
This paper addresses the technical challenges involved in ultra-low-voltage power conversion by providing a solution
utilizing novel power conversion techniques and applied technologies. Our solution utilizes intelligent power
management techniques to control unknown startup conditions. The load and supply management functionality is also
controlled in a deterministic manner. The DC to DC converter input operating voltage is 20mV with a conversion
efficiency of 90% or more. The output voltage is stored into a storage device such as an ultra-capacitor or lithium-ion
battery for use during brown-out or unfavorable harvesting conditions. Applications requiring modular, low power,
extended maintenance cycles, such as wireless instrumentation would significantly benefit from the novel power
conversion and harvesting techniques outlined in this paper.
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Harvesting energy from ambient vibration is a promising method for providing a continuous source of power for
wireless sensor nodes. However, traditional energy harvesters are often derived from resonant linear oscillators
which are capable of providing sufficient output power only if the dominant frequency of input vibrations closely
matches the device resonant frequency. The limited scope of such devices has sparked an interest in the use of
nonlinear oscillators as mechanisms for broadband energy harvesting. In this study, we investigate the harvesting
performance of an electromagnetic harvester sustaining oscillations through the phenomena of magnetic levitation.
The nonlinear behavior of the device is effectively modeled by Duffing's equation, and direct numerical
integration confirms the broadband frequency response of the nonlinear harvester. The nonlinear harvester's
power generation capabilities are directly compared to a linear electromagnetic harvester with similar dynamic
parameters. Experimental testing shows that the presence of both high and low amplitude solutions for the nonlinear
energy harvester results in a tendency for the oscillator to remain in a low energy state for non-harmonic
vibration inputs, unless continuous energy impulses are provided. We conclude by considering future applications
and improvements for such nonlinear devices.
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Fuel-based portable power systems, including combustion and fuel cell systems, take advantage of the 80x higher energy
density of fuel over lithium battery technologies and offer the potential for much higher energy density power sources -
especially for long-duration applications, such as unattended sensors. Miniaturization of fuel-based systems poses
significant challenges, including processing of fuel in small channels, catalyst poisoning, and coke and soot formation.
Recent advances in micro-miniature combustors in the 200Watt thermal range have enabled the development of small
power sources that use the chemical energy of heavy fuel to drive thermal-to-electric converters for portable
applications. CUBE Technology has developed compact Micro-Furnace combustors that efficiently deliver high-quality
heat to optimized thermal-to-electric power converters, such as advanced thermoelectric power modules and Stirling
motors, for portable power generation at the 10-50Watt scale. Key innovations include a compact gas-gas recuperator,
innovative heavy fuel processing, coke- & soot-free operation, and combustor optimization for low balance-of-plant
power use while operating at full throttle. This combustor enables the development of robust, high energy density,
miniature power sources for portable applications.
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Crystalline TiO2 film was formed on PET(polyethlene terephthalate) film by radio frequency sputter
deposition method using a sintered TiO2 target by adding H2O gas to Ar gas for sputtering. X-ray
diffraction analysis revealed that the crystal structure of the film of 100 nm thick was confirmed to be
anatase crystallites of TiO2. In order to elucidate the mechanism of low temperature crystallization thus
observed, direct measurement of surface temperature of growing films during sputter deposition was
carried out by two methods of an infrared thermometer from the outside of vacuum chamber and a
thermocouple attached to the growing film surface. Upon the beginning of sputter deposition in Ar gas,
film temperature increased rapidly and became constant at 120°C after 30 min. Addition of H2O gas to Ar
gas for sputtering resulted in further increase in film temperature and reached to 230 °C depending on the
deposition conditions. Furthermore, photocatalytic performance of decomposition of methylene blue was
examined to be enhanced remarkably as a result of crystallization of the film.
It was concluded that low temperature crystallization of TiO2 film by sputter deposition was explained in
terms of local heating of thin shallow surface region of growing film by kinetic energy deposition of
sputtered particles.
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Zinc nitride and zinc oxide can have wide range applications owing to their band-gap changes and controlling
capability of n-type to p-type behavior by impurity doping. Thus, zinc oxy-nitrides can be utilized to design novel
photonic devices such as solar cells, UV-Visible devices, and light emitting diodes. In this paper, feasibility of tuning the
optical and electronic properties of zinc oxynitride thin films in an rf magnetron sputtering deposition. It was found that
the change of gas composition such as Ar: N2: O2 can change the properties of zinc nitride films for a wide range. The absorption coefficient of zinc nitride films were larger than zinc oxide thin films in low photon energy range, in
particular visible region of the spectrum. These results indicated that the zinc nitride may find suitable applications in
solar cells and photonic devices.
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We report a simple sonochemical method for the seeding and synthesis of Zinc Oxide nanowire arrays that can be
formed on a number of substrates that are stable in alcohol and aqueous solution. Vertically aligned ZnO NWs were
synthesized from a single solution at room-ambient via ultrasonic excitation. Prior to the NW growth, a ZnO seed
layer was deposited using the same system with a different solution. The optimal conditions to produce a high
density of oriented wires along with their optical characteristics are presented for ZnO NWs with a significantly high
growth rate compared with traditional growth techniques such as evaporation, chemical vapor deposition and
sputtering. Our method promises a mass-manufacturable process for fast and inexpensive ZnO NW production for
practical low cost electronics, photonics and energy conversion applications.
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In this paper, we demonstrate an approach to simultaneously transfer single crystal devices in the shape of vertically
oriented 1-D silicon micropillars, while establishing a direct electrical and mechanical connection to a target surface of
any topology using an innovative harvest/lift-off process coupled with a conducting thermoplastic composing of
polyaniline (PAni) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) composite. The mixture acts as a stable anchoring layer and
as a conducting layer for the bottom electrode. The insulating layer comprised of PMMA while the top electrode can be
formed by evaporating thin metal films.
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In many commercial, industrial, and military applications, supplying power to electronics through a thick metallic
barrier without compromising its structural integrity would provide tremendous advantages over many existing
barrier-penetrating techniques. The Faraday shielding presented by thick metallic barriers prevents the use of
electromagnetic power-transmission techniques. This work describes the electrical optimization of continuouswave
power delivery through thick steel barriers using ultrasound. Ultrasonic channels are formed by attaching
pairs of coaxially-aligned piezoelectric transducers to opposite sides of thick steel blocks. The thickness of the steel
considered is on the order of, or greater than, one quarter wavelength of the acoustic power signal inside of steel,
requiring the use of wave propagation theory to properly analyze the system. A characterization and optimization
methodology is presented which measures the linear two-port electrical scattering parameters of the transducersteel-
transducer channel. Using these measurements, the simultaneous conjugate impedance-matching conditions
at both transducers are calculated, and electrical matching-networks are designed to optimize the power transfer
from a 50Ω power amplifier on one side of the steel block to a 50Ω load on the opposite side. In addition, the
impacts of, and interactions between, transducer and steel geometries are discussed, and some general guidelines
for selecting their relationships are presented. Measurements of optimized systems using transducers designed
to resonate at 1 MHz with diameters from 12.7 mm to 66.7 mm, and steel block thicknesses from 9.5 mm to
63.5 mm, reveal power transfer efficiencies as high as 55%, and linear delivery of 81 watts through an optimized
channel.
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Solar energy conversion concept based on nanostructured materials has attracted much attention as an avenue to develop
cheaper and more efficient solar cells. Both dye molecules and quantum dots can sensitize high band gap semiconductor
by injecting carriers to the conduction band (CB) or valence band (VB) of the high band gap material, if energy band
levels are in appropriate configuration and have a suitable bond between them. However, other physical properties of
dye anchored and quantum dot embedded nanostructured semiconductor films offers the possibility of designing hybrid
systems of higher efficiency. The low efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells is partly attributed to the poor electron
transport properties of the dye coated nanocrystalline matrix. Encapsulation of PbS quantum dots could enhance the
electronic conductivity of nanostructured ZnO films. PbS quantum dot sensitized ZnO films shows sensitizing response
to light absorption in ZnO, PbS QDs and dyes anchored to ZnO. As a result of the improvement of transport properties
by the QDs, photocurrent response of composite system due to light absorption by ZnO and dye are also enhanced.
Possibilities of adopting this concept in solar cells and multi-band photon detectors will be discussed.
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This paper describes hierarchically architectured development of an energy harvesting (EH) system that consists of
micro and/or macro-scale harvesters matched to multiple components of remote wireless sensor and communication
nodes. The micro-scale harvesters consist of thin-film MEMS piezoelectric cantilever arrays and power generation
modules in IC-like form to allow efficient EH from vibrations. The design uses new high conversion efficiency thin-film
processes combined with novel cantilever structures tuned to multiple resonant frequencies as broadband arrays. The
macro-scale harvesters are used to power the collector nodes that have higher power specifications. These bulk
harvesters can be integrated with efficient adaptive power management circuits that match transducer impedance and
maximize power harvested from multiple scavenging sources with very low intrinsic power consumption. Texas
MicroPower, Inc. is developing process based on a composition that has the highest reported energy density as compared
to other commercially available bulk PZT-based sensor/actuator ceramic materials and extending it to thin-film materials
and miniature conversion transducer structures. The multiform factor harvesters can be deployed for several military and
commercial applications such as underground unattended sensors, sensors in oil rigs, structural health monitoring, supply
chain management, and battlefield applications such as sensors on soldier apparel, equipment, and wearable electronics.
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