Enhancing NIR Shielding Properties of Au/CsWO3 Composite via Physical Mixing and Solvothermal Processes.

This research aims to enhance the near-infrared (NIR) shielding ability of cesium tungsten bronze (CsWO3) by increasing the spectral absorption in this region through the incorporation of gold nanorods (AuNR). Two approaches were used to prepare the composite materials: physical mixing and solvothermal process. The effects of gold nanorods content on the crystalline size, particle size, shape, and optical properties of the composite were investigated systematically using DLS, TEM, XRD, and UV-Vis spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The physical mixing process synergizes AuNR and CsWO3 into a composite which has better NIR absorption than that of neat AuNR and CsWO3 nanorods. A composite with 10 mol% of AuNR shows the highest NIR absorption ability due to the surface plasmon resonance and energy coupling between Au and CsWO3. With the solvothermal process, the CsWO3 nanorods grow up to 4-7 microns when the AuNR content increases to 0.8 mol% due to the incorporation of the Au atoms. The microsized CsWO3 rods have superior NIR shielding property compared to other conditions, including the AuNR+CsWO3 nanocomposite with 10 mol% of AuNR from the physical mixing process.

Improved Performance of Ternary Solar Cells by Using BODIPY Triads.

Two boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) triads, namely BODIPY-1 and BODIPY-2, were synthesized and incorporated with poly-3-hexyl thiophene: (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) P3HT:PCBM. The photovoltaic performance of BODIPY:P3HT:PCBM ternary solar cells was increased, as compared to the control binary solar cells (P3HT:PCBM). The optimized power conversion efficiency (PCE) of BODIPY-1:P3HT:PCBM was improved from 2.22% to 3.43%. The enhancement of PCE was attributed to cascade charge transfer, an improved external quantum efficiency (EQE) with increased short circuit current (Jsc), and more homogeneous morphology in the ternary blend.

Mechanical and antibacterial properties of the chitosan coated cellulose paper for packaging applications: Effects of molecular weight types and concentrations of chitosan.

Chitosan with low (25 kDa) and high molecular weight (2100 kDa) were used to enhance performances of paper made from steam-exploded bamboo fibers and nanofibrillated cellulose. Chitosan solutions with concentrations of 0-1.0 wt% were manually applied on paper surface using a facile coating approach with a wire bar. Effects of chitosan coatings on morphology, thermal stability, wettability, mechanical performances and antibacterial properties of the paper were investigated. The larger improvement in the mechanical properties and wettability of the chitosan coated paper was observed with increasing concentrations of chitosan due to the disappearance of empty pores between fibers within a cellulose network by the formed chitosan matrix. These improvements were significantly higher when high molecular weight chitosan was applied. Yet, the addition of chitosan slightly decreased the thermal stability of the coated paper, and the chitosan coating did not improve the antimicrobial properties of the paper. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) was found to be diminished when a chitosan solution was entrapped within paper. Together with the overall migration of the paper in food simulants, the results suggested that the chitosan coated paper could be applied for non-food-direct-contact packaging materials.

Preparation, Characterizations and Oxidation Stability of Polyethylene Coated Nanocrystalline VO2 Particles and the Thermo-Chromic Performance of EVA/VO2@PE Composite Film.

In this study, an alternative approach is presented for developing thermo-chromic film, based on ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and vanadium dioxide (VO2) composite, with enhanced oxidation stability and compatibility. The neat monoclinic nanocrystalline VO2 particles were firstly prepared via a hydrothermal process, using citric acid as a reducing agent. After that, the synthesized VO2 particles were characterized, prior to mixing with maleic anhydride grafted PE. The crystalline structure, morphology and thermochromic performance of the polyethylene coated vanadium dioxide (VO2@PE) particles were then verified by SEM, TEM, DSC, XRD, FTIR techniques. After coating, a better oxidation stability of the VO2 particles was noted while the thermo-chromic performance of the VO2@PE was also maintained. After mixing with EVA, the percentage strain and tensile toughness of the VO2@PE based EVA films was the highest, followed by those of the uncoated VO2-based EVA films and the neat EVA, respectively. The VO2@PE-based films also maintained the thermochromic behavior of the monoclinic VO2. The above improvements were achieved at the expense of percentages of visible light transmittance and gel content of the EVA. This is the first report of the EVA/VO2-based thermo-chromic film, which is tougher and more stable toward oxidation than the prior state of the art. This composite film has the potential to be used as a kind of a specialty lamination material for smart windows and energy efficiency in buildings.

The effect of co-sensitization methods between N719 and boron dipyrromethene triads on dye-sensitized solar cell performance.

A boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) featuring triphenylamine triad, BD, has been synthesized as a co-sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The optical and electrochemical properties of BD have been characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. DSCs containing co-sensitizers, N719 and BD, have been prepared in two procedures using co-deposition and stepwise deposition. The influences of the staining processes, co-deposition and stepwise deposition on dye loading, dye dispersion on a TiO2 photoanode and DSC performance have been investigated using FTIR, SEM-EDS, I-V test and IPCE measurement, respectively. We found that stepwise co-sensitization provided higher solar cell efficiency, compared to those stained with a co-deposition method. N719/5% BD showed the highest power conversion efficiency of 5.14%. Interestingly, the enhanced device efficiency was 66% higher than that of a device containing the single N719 dye.

Preparation of Surlyn films reinforced with cellulose nanofibres and feasibility of applying the transparent composite films for organic photovoltaic encapsulation.

This research concerns the development of Surlyn film reinforced with micro-/nanofibrillated celluloses (MFC) for use as an encapsulant in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of fibre types and the mixing methods on the structure-properties of the composite films. Three types of cellulose micro/nanofibrils were prepared: the as-received MFC, the dispersed MFC and the esterified MFC. The fibres were mixed with Surlyn via an extrusion process, using two different mixing methods. It was found that the extent of fibre disintegration and tensile modulus of the composite films prepared by the master-batching process was superior to that of the composite system prepared by the direct mixing method. Using the esterified MFC as a reinforcement, compatibility between polymer and the fibre increased, accompanied with the improvement of the percentage elongation of the Surlyn composite film. The percentage of light transmittance of the Surlyn/MFC films was above 88, regardless of the fibre types and fibre concentrations. The water vapour transmission rate of the Surlyn/esterified MFC film was 65% lower than that of the neat Surlyn film. This contributed to the longer lifetime of the OPV encapsulated with the Surlyn/esterified MFC film.

Preparation, Characterization and Thermo-Chromic Properties of EVA/VO2 Laminate Films for Smart Window Applications and Energy Efficiency in Building.

Thermochromic films based on vanadium dioxide (VO2)/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) composite were developed. The monoclinic VO2 particles was firstly prepared via hydrothermal and calcination processes. The effects of hydrothermal time and tungsten doping agent on crystal structure and morphology of the calcined metal oxides were reported. After that, 1 wt % of the prepared VO2 powder was mixed with EVA compound, using two different mixing processes. It was found that mechanical properties of the EVA/VO2 films prepared by the melt process were superior to those of which prepared by the solution process. On the other hand, percentage visible light transmittance of the solution casted EVA/VO2 film was greater than that of the melt processed composite film. This was related to the different gel content of EVA rubber and state of dispersion and distribution of VO2 within the polymer matrix phase. Thermochromic behaviors and heat reflectance of the EVA/VO2 film were also verified. In overall, this study demonstrated that it was possible to develop a thermochromic film using the polymer composite approach. In this regard, the mixing condition was found to be one of the most important factors affecting morphology and thermo-mechanical properties of the films.

Effect of clay content on morphology and processability of electrospun keratin/poly(lactic acid) nanofiber.

This research work has concerned the development of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removal filters from biomaterials, based on keratin extracted from chicken feather waste and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (50/50%w/w) blend. Clay (Na-montmorillonite) was also added to the blend solution prior to carrying out an electro-spinning process. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of clay content on viscosity, conductivity, and morphology of the electrospun fibers. Scanning electron micrographs showed that smooth and bead-free fibers were obtained when clay content used was below 2 pph. XRD patterns of the electrospun fibers indicated that the clay was intercalated and exfoliated within the polymers matrix. Percentage crystallinity of keratin in the blend increased after adding the clay, as evidenced from FTIR spectra and DSC thermograms. Transmission electron micrographs revealed a kind of core-shell structure with clay being predominately resided within the keratin rich shell and at the interfacial region. Filtration performance of the electrospun keratin/PLA fibers, described in terms of pressure drop and its capability of removing methylene blue, were also explored. Overall, our results demonstrated that it was possible to improve process-ability, morphology and filtration efficiency of the electrospun keratin fibers by adding a suitable amount of clay.