Fabrication, characterization, TD-DFT, optical and electrical properties of poly (aniline – co – para nitroaniline)/ZrO2 composite for solar cell applications

Experimental investigation of a nano coating efficiency for dust mitigation on photovoltaic panels in harsh climatic conditions

Dust accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) panels in arid regions diminishes solar energy absorption and panel efficiency. In this study, the effectiveness of a self-cleaning nano-coating thin film is evaluated in reducing dust accumulation and improving PV Panel efficiency. Surface morphology and elemental analysis of the nano-coating and dust are conducted. Continuous measurements of solar irradiances and ambient temperature have been recorded. SEM analysis of dust revealed irregularly shaped micron-sized particles with potential adhesive properties, causing shading effects on the PV panel surface. Conversely, the coating particles exhibited a uniform, spherical shape, suggesting effective prevention of dust adhesion. Solar irradiance ranged from 120 W/m² to a peak of 720 W/m² at noon. Application of the self-cleaning nano-coating thin film consistently increased short circuit current (Isc), with the coated panel averaging 2.8 A, which is 64.7% higher than the uncoated panel's 1.7 A. The power output of the coated panel ranged from 7 W to 38 W, with an average of approximately 24.75 W, whereas the uncoated panel exhibited a power output between 3 W and 23 W, averaging around 14 W. These findings highlight the substantial potential of nano-coating for effective dust mitigation, particularly in dusty environments, thus enhancing PV system reliability.

Promotion of hydrogen evolution from seawater via poly(aniline-co-4-nitroaniline) combined with 3D nickel nanoparticles

This work reports the synthesis of poly (aniline-co-4-nitroaniline) deposited on a three-dimensional nanostructured nickel (3D-Ni) film, where both layers were fabricated via potentiostatic electrodeposition. The obtained electrocatalyst exhibited excellent electrochemical activity for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) with small overpotentials of - 195 and - 325 mV at - 10 and - 100 mAcm-2, respectively, and a low Tafel slope of 53.3 mV dec-1 in seawater. Additionally, the electrocatalyst exhibited good stability after 72 h operation under a constant potential of - 1.9 V vs. RHE. The efficient HER performance of the as-prepared catalyst was found to originate from the synergy between the conducting polymer and three-dimensional nickel nanoparticles with a large electrochemical active surface area. Moreover, the results obtained from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements revealed that the presence of 3D-Ni layer improved the kinetics of HER by reducing the charge transfer resistance for the electrocatalyst.

Experimental and TDDFT materials simulation of thermal characteristics and entropy optimized of Williamson Cu-methanol and Al2O3-methanol nanofluid flowing through solar collector

Current investigation emphasizes the evaluation of entropy in a porous medium of Williamson nanofluid (WNF) flow past an exponentially extending horizontal plate featuring Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTSC). Two kinds of nanofluids such as copper-methanol (Cu-MeOH) and alumina-methanol (Al2O3-MeOH) were tested, discussed and plotted graphically. The fabricated nanoparticles are studied using different techniques, including TDDFT/DMOl3 method as simulated and SEM measurements as an experimental method. The centroid lengths of the dimer are 3.02 Å, 3.27 Å, and 2.49 Å for (Cu-MeOH), (Al2O3-MeOH), and (Cu-MeOH-αAl-MOH), respectively. Adequate similarity transformations were applied to convert the partial differential equation (PDEs) into nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the corresponding boundary constraints. An enhancement in Brinkmann and Reynolds numbers increases the overall system entropy. WNF parameter enhances the heat rate in PTSC. The thermal efficiency gets elevated for Cu-MeOH than that of Al2O3-MeOH among 0.8% at least and 6.6% in maximum for varying parametric values.