Quantum dot−sensitized solar cells (QDSSC) have been regarded as one of the most promising candidates for effective utilization of solar energy, but its power conversion efficiency (PCE) is still far from meeting expectations. One of the most important bottlenecks is the limited collection efficiency of photogenerated electrons in the photoanodes. Herein, we design QDSSCs with a dual−photoanode architecture, and assemble the dual photoanodes with black TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), which were processed by a femtosecond laser in the filamentation regime, and common CdS/CdSe QD sensitizers. A maximum PCE of 11.7% with a short circuit current density of 50.3 mA/cm2 is unambiguously achieved. We reveal both experimentally and theoretically that the enhanced PCE is mainly attributed to the improved light harvesting of black TiO2 due to the black TiO2 shells formed on white TiO2 NPs.
This study investigated the adaptations of traditional dwellings to the complex regional microclimate in southern Zhejiang, China. Typical traditional dwellings in a village in the foothills and a village on the mid-slopes of Zhejiang’s alpine region were selected to study traditional construction strategies for climate responsiveness and the comfort level of indoor environments during the very humid plum rain season in early summer. Fundamental analysis of the climate and architecture, a response analysis of the dwelling form, an occupants’ comfort satisfaction survey, and field measurements of indoor and outdoor thermal environmental parameters were performed. The traditional dwellings and their design strategies for various regional environmental factors were explored from the perspective of (1) regional climate-adaptive strategies, (2) the thermal, airflow, lighting, and acoustic qualities of the indoor environment, and (3) the occupants’ indoor environment satisfaction. The results indicated that traditional dwellings in southern Zhejiang incorporate strategies of various effectiveness in ensuring indoor comfort.
While transparent solar cells are highly desired for smart energy devices, the general fabrication method is to sacrifice the film thickness of an electrode in exchange for a certain light transmittance, which limits the device performance. In this work, we developed a facile and economic strategy to prepare transparent TiO2 films, which involved spin-coating n-butyl titanate on conductive FTO glass and sintering at suitable temperature. A transmittance up to [Formula: see text]% in the visible and infrared range could be achieved. With the transparent TiO2 film as photoanode of quantum dot sensitized solar cells, the highest power conversion efficiency was 2.92%. This work inspires new ways for the transparent electrode preparation of solar cells and provides a flexible and practical approach to anti-ultraviolet work, demonstrating its application potential in related fields.
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