Nanostructured Oxide (SnO, FTO) Thin Films for Energy Harvesting: A Significant Increase in Thermoelectric Power at Low Temperature.

Previous studies have shown that undoped and doped SnO thin films have better optical and electrical properties. This study aims to investigate the thermoelectric properties of two distinct semiconducting oxide thin films, namely SnO and F-doped SnO (FTO), by the nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. An X-ray diffraction study reveals that the synthesized films exhibit a tetragonal structure with the (200) preferred orientation.

Effect of Nanographene Coating on the Seebeck Coefficient of Mesoporous Silicon.

Nanographene-mesoporous silicon (G-PSi) composites have recently emerged as a promising class of nanomaterials with tuneable physical properties. In this study, we investigated the impact of nanographene coating on the Seebeck coefficient of mesoporous silicon (PSi) obtained by varying two parameters: porosity and thickness. To achieve this, an electrochemical etching process on p + doped Si is presented for the control of the parameters (thicknesses varying from 20 to 160 µm, and a porosity close to 50%), and for nanographene incorporation through chemical vapor deposition.

Absolute and real time experimental radiative loss measurements of spherical expanding free flames: FAIRS (Fast Absolute InfraRed Sensor)-An innovative technique.

An innovative technique was developed for the direct measurement of the absolute radiant flux emitted from transient flames. The design of the experimental device, called FAIRS (Fast Absolute Infra-Red Sensor), is detailed in this work. The main concept of FAIRS is based on the combination of a carbon nano-tube-based black body as a sensitive element, coupled to a fast IR HgCdTe detector via an achromatic optical setup.

Polystyrene Thin Films Nanostructuring by UV Femtosecond Laser Beam: From One Spot to Large Surface.

In this work, direct irradiation by a Ti:Sapphire (100 fs) femtosecond laser beam at third harmonic (266 nm), with a moderate repetition rate (50 and 1000 Hz), was used to create regular periodic nanostructures upon polystyrene (PS) thin films. Typical Low Spatial Frequency LIPSSs (LSFLs) were obtained for 50 Hz, as well as for 1 kHz, in cases of one spot zone, and also using a line scanning irradiation. Laser beam fluence, repetition rate, number of pulses (or irradiation time), and scan velocity were optimized to lead to the formation of various periodic nanostructures.

Laser synthesis: a solvent-free approach for the preparation of phenylthiazolo[5,4-]pyridine derivatives.

We describe here a rapid and straightforward solvent-free method to access phenylthiazolo[5,4-]pyridines using a Nd-YAG laser NANO-NY81-10 ( = 355 nm, 10 Hz pulse frequency; 8 ns pulse duration). This newly presented method successfully brings several improvements to the laser assisted synthesis of ,-heterocycles. We are able to provide a solvent-, metal- and base-free method with good yield and a substantial reduction in reaction time.

Laser-based setup for simultaneous measurement of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity for bulk and thin film thermoelectrics.

In this paper, an original homemade system is presented in detail for the electrical and thermoelectrical characterizations of several types of materials from bulk to thin films. This setup was built using a modulated CO laser beam to probe the thermoelectric properties at different depths below the surface. It allows a simultaneous measurement of the electrical conductivity () and the Seebeck coefficient (), from room temperature up to 250 °C.