In order to conquer the challenges in the current technology to couple a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with a photonic crystal (PC), we propose a novel design of PC-based photoanode, composed of a thick TiO 2 nanoparticle absorption layer and a thin TiO 2 nanotube photonic crystal (TiO 2 NT PC) membrane. In this architecture, the bandgap of TiO 2 NT PC can be precisely tailored by modulating the anodization parameters using the current-pulse anodization process. Owing to the selective reflectivity of TiO 2 NT PC, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the electrodes reveals a strong wavelength dependence. Strategies to enhance the efficiency of the newly designed DSSC and its relation to the selective reflection of the photoanode are discussed and evaluated by experimental and simulated results. Meanwhile, the functionality of TiO 2 NT PC, offering both PC and light-scattering effects, has also been clarified. The combined effects of PC and light-scattering yield the maximum enhancement in PCE (39.5%) when the tailored TiO 2 NT PC, with the best matching of its reflectance maximum to the dye absorption maximum, is integrated into a DSSC. The work presented here provides new insights into the design and tailoring of a photonic crystal to enhance the PCE of DSSCs for practical applications.
This study suggested that impairment of LTP induction and the damages of hippocampal structure, especially changes of synapses, might contribute to cognitive impairment after microwave exposure.
The refractive index sensing properties of plasmonic resonances in gold nanoparticles (nanorods and nanobipyramids) are investigated through numerical simulations. We find that the quadruple resonance in both nanoparticles shows much higher sensing figure of merit (FOM) than its dipolar counterpart, which is attributed mainly to the reduction in resonance linewidth. More importantly, our results predict that at the same sensing wavelength, the sensing FOM of the quadrupole mode can be significantly boosted from 3.9 for gold nanorods to 7.4 for gold nanobipyramids due to the geometry-dependent resonance linewidth, revealing a useful strategy for optimizing the sensing performance of metal nanoparticles.
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