Continuous Preparation of Carbon Nanotube Film and Its Applications in Fuel and Solar Cells.

So far, simultaneously realizing the continuous, controllable, and scalable preparation of carbon nanotube (CNT) film has remained a big challenge. Here, we report a scalable approach to continuously prepare CNT film with good control of film size and thickness. This is achieved through the layer-by-layer condensation and deposition of a cylindrical CNT assembly that is continuously produced from a floating catalyst CVD reactor on a paper strip.

Continuous Preparation of Copper/Carbon Nanotube Composite Films and Application in Solar Cells.

Realizing the continuous and large scale preparation of particle/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites with enhanced functionalities, and broad applications in energy conversion, harvesting, and storage systems, remains as a big challenge. Here, we report a scalable strategy to continuously prepare particle/CNT composite films in which particles are confined by CNT films. This is achieved by the continuous condensation and deposition of a cylindrical assembly of CNTs on a paper strip and the in situ incorporation of particles during the layer-by-layer deposition process.

Direct Methylation of Amines with Carbon Dioxide and Molecular Hydrogen using Supported Gold Catalysts.

The N-methylation of amines with CO2 and H2 is an important step in the synthesis of bioactive compounds and chemical intermediates. The first heterogeneous Au catalyst is reported for this methylation reaction with good to excellent yields. The average turnover frequency (TOF) based on surface Au atoms is 45 h(-1) , which is the highest TOF value ever reported for the methylation of aniline with CO2 and H2 .

Boosting the Open Circuit Voltage and Fill Factor of QDSSCs Using Hierarchically Assembled ITO@Cu2S Nanowire Array Counter Electrodes.

The key challenges in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) are efficiently achieving charge separation at the photoanode and improving the charge transfer, which is limited by the interface between the electrolyte and the counter electrode (CE). Here, hierarchically assembled ITO@Cu2S nanowire arrays with conductive single-crystalline ITO cores and Cu2S nanocrystal shells were designed as efficient QDSSCs CEs. These arrays not only provided an efficient three-dimensional charge transport network but also allowed for the effective deposition of more Cu2S nanocrystals as active sites to catalyze the electrolyte reaction.

Influence of preferred orientation on the electrical conductivity of fluorine-doped tin oxide films.

Current development of high-performance transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films is limited with tradeoff between carrier mobility and concentration since none of them can be improved without sacrificing the other. In this study, we prepare fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) films by chemical vapor deposition with inclusions of different additives and report that the mobility can be varied from 0.65 to 28.