Most gas sensors suffer from the cross sensitivity to environmental temperature, which significantly reduces the accuracy and reliability of measurements. Current solutions require the fabrication of a thermometer in close proximity to the gas sensor or an identical reference sensor to compensate for the sensor drift due to temperature. This increases the device size, fabrication cost, and the power required to operate the sensor; and also adds to the complexity of the device circuit for signal processing. Here, we demonstrate a single resonant gas sensor, based on a microbeam uniformly coated with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), capable of simultaneously measuring environmental temperature and gas concentration (water vapor). Using the electrostatic harmonic voltage, we actuate the microbeam simultaneously near the first and second vibration modes. The frequency shifts of these two modes due to physical stimuli changes are monitored in real time. The lower electrode of the clamped-clamped microbeam resonator is perforated to reduce the effect of squeeze film damping, thereby allowing operation under atmospheric pressure. We demonstrate experimentally the effectiveness of this technique to measure the environmental temperature and gas concentration.

Bifacial solar cells are receiving increased attention in the PV market due to their higher energy yield compared to conventional monofacial modules thanks to additional light conversion through their back surface. This additional rear side energy gain creates a potential for significant reduction of the overall levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Despite this fact, wide deployment of bifacial PV modules is very limited because of the high unpredictability of their power output due to various factors such as ground reflectance, module elevation angle, orientation and tilt angle. Due to this complexity, modelling of bifacial modules and systems is currently not developed at the same level of maturity as monofacial ones, where established commercial tools have been developed for PV system designers. In this regard, a customized 2D device model has been developed to simulate bifacial PV structures based on the numerical solution of the transport equations by the finite element method. The model was used to simulate actual PV performance and energy yield based on measured outdoor environmental parameters including solar radiation spectrum and temperature. Bifacial device output was also compared with a monofacial one based on the industrial standard Al-BSF structure. Simulated results were also compared and validated with outdoor experimental data based on IV measurements of monofacial and bifacial modules installed at various tilt angles at a location near the Western coast of Saudi Arabia.

The efficiency of state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells is limited by carrier recombination at defects and interfaces. Thus, understanding these losses and how to reduce them is the way forward toward the Shockley-Queisser limit. Here, we demonstrate that ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy can directly probe hole extraction and recombination dynamics at perovskite/hole transport layer (HTL) interfaces. To illustrate this, we employed PDPP-3T as HTL because its ground-state absorption is at lower energy than the perovskite's photobleach, enabling direct monitoring of interfacial hole extraction and recombination. Moreover, by fitting the carrier dynamics using a diffusion model, we determined the carrier mobility. Afterwards, by varying the perovskite thickness, we distinguished between carrier diffusion and carrier extraction at the interface. Lastly, we prepared device-like structures, TiO2/perovskite/PDPP-3T stacks, and observed reduced carrier recombination in the perovskite. From PDPP-3T carrier dynamics, we deduced that hole extraction is one order faster than recombination of holes at the interface.

This study aims to demonstrate the use of metagenomics to assess groundwater quality. Metagenomics revealed a lower alpha diversity for both bacteria and virus in wastewater-exposed groundwater compared to the upstream controls. An increase in the relative abundance of Planctomycetes and Picornaviridae was also observed in wastewater-exposed groundwater. However, comparison of antibiotic resistome cannot clearly differentiate wastewater-exposed groundwater from control. Findings suggest that metagenomics can detect selected microbial signatures indicative of treated wastewater discharge.

In this work, three dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrol fused-ring electron acceptors (IPT-2F, IPTT-2F, and IPTTT-2F) have been successfully developed as efficient asymmetric nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) for organic solar cells (OSCs). The molecular conformation of these NFAs can be subtly tuned by extending the donating cores with thiophene rings. Experimental and theoretical studies indicate the crucial role of the conformation change in asymmetric NFAs played in the aggregation of their blend films with PBDB-T. Indeed, the blend films with S-shaped IPT-2F and IPTTT-2F reveal less trap-Assisted recombination and better microphase separation compared with C-shaped IPTT-2F. Decent power conversion efficiency (PCE) values of 14% and 12.3% were achieved for IPT-2F-and IPTTT-2F-based OSCs, respectively. Our results indicate the S-shaped conformation of asymmetric NFAs locked via S⋯O interactions is advantageous to fine-Tune the morphology in the active layer for more efficient OSCs.

Two novel dithieno[3,2-b:2,3-d]pyrrol fused electron acceptors (FREAs) with branched alkyl side-chains have been developed. With 2-ethylhexyl and 2-butyloctyl introduced on the N-position of the pyrrol unit, the sidechain engineered acceptors (INPIC-EH and INPIC-BO) were evaluated for organic solar cells (OSCs) by comparison with our reference INPIC-4F bearing a linear octyl chain. The optoelectronic properties of the FREAs and their bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) with a PBDB-T donor for OSCs are systematically studied. All FREAs exhibit similar absorption spectra and energy levels. Notably, the charge dissociation process, charge mobility, and morphology of the BHJ films make a distinct difference. Consequently, the OSCs constructed with INPIC-EH and INPIC-BO delivered a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.9% and 11.2%, lower than that of INPIC-4F devices (13.1%). The lower short-circuit current density (JSC) and fill factor (FF) of INPIC-EH and INPIC-OB based devices are attributed to unfavorable morphology of the active layers and more bimolecular recombination and unbalanced charge transport. Our investigation demonstrates that side-chain engineering on FREAs has a great impact on the morphology of blends and thus the photovoltaic properties of their OSCs.

In this study at a full-scale desalination installation seven types of commercially available cartridge filter (CF) elements were evaluated in terms of: (i) water production volume (m3), (ii) produced water quality, and (iii) operational cost (€cent/m3). The cost of optimal CF replacement time relative to increased CF pressure drop was determined for three electricity tariffs (0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 €/kWh) to assess further cost reduction. CF 1 was able to achieve the highest water production rate, the lowest produced water SDI, and the lowest cost of operation. The total costs of cartridge filtration varied between 1.22 and 1.70 €cents/m3 produced water, depending on the CF type. Replacing the worst-performing CF type by the best-performing CF type would reduce operational CF costs by about 39.3%, enabling a cost saving of 0.48 €cents/m3 produced water, emphasizing that selection of the right CF enables a large reduction of cartridge filtration costs. Moreover, depending on the electricity tariff an additional 2–16% cost reduction can be achieved by replacing CFs at an optimal time. At high energy cost, it may be more economical to replace cartridge elements more often to reduce the increased cost associated with the required higher pressure.

We investigate modeling the dynamics of an electrostatically actuated resonator using the perturbation method of multiple time scales (MTS). First, we discuss two approaches to treat the nonlinear parallel-plate electrostatic force in the equation of motion and their impact on the application of MTS: expanding the force in Taylor series and multiplying both sides of the equation with the denominator of the forcing term. Considering a spring-mass-damper system excited electrostatically near primary resonance, it is concluded that, with consistent truncation of higher-order terms, both techniques yield same modulation equations. Then, we consider the problem of an electrostatically actuated resonator under simultaneous superharmonic and primary resonance excitation and derive a comprehensive analytical solution using MTS. The results of the analytical solution are compared against the numerical results obtained by long-time integration of the equation of motion. It is demonstrated that along with the direct excitation components at the excitation frequency and twice of that, higher-order parametric terms should also be included. Finally, the contributions of primary and superharmonic resonance toward the overall response of the resonator are examined.

The high crystallinity and ability to harvest near-infrared photons make diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers one of the most promising donors for high performing organic solar cells (OSCs). However, DPP-based OSC devices still suffer from the trade-off between energetic loss (Eloss) and maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax), which significantly hinders their potential. Thus far, the replacement of fullerenes with small molecule acceptors did not wisdom the performance development of DPP-donor-based solar cells due to severe charge recombination issues. In this work, efficient DPP-based solar cells are reported using low bandgap fused ring electron acceptor, IEICO-4F. PBDTT-DPP:IEICO-4F OSC devices deliver a champion power conversion efficiency of 9.66% with successful interface engineering along with low Eloss of 0.57 eV and a high EQEmax (>70%).

Sponges are found in virtually all marine habitats. The Red Sea is no exception, harboring a diverse community of sponge species. However, the state of knowledge of the Red Sea sponge fauna remains in early stages. Various taxonomic efforts have been initiated, starting with early explorers at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Subsequently, published work has focused on modern taxonomic approaches, potential bioactive molecules, microbiological associations of host sponges, and a variety of ecological topics. The majority of studies are restricted to few locations and/or small numbers of species. Overall, this collective knowledge represents a sound foundation but there remains great potential for Red Sea sponges to inform the broader context of sponge work throughout the tropics. This chapter aims to provide an overview of previous work in the region and identify fruitful areas of potential future work.