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Category: solar power – Page 2

How bigger molecules can help quantum charge flow last longer

A team at EPFL and the University of Arizona has discovered that making molecules bigger and more flexible can actually extend the life of quantum charge flow, a finding that could help shape the future of quantum technologies and chemical control. Their study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the emerging field of attochemistry, scientists use to trigger and steer electron motion inside . This degree of precision could one day let us design chemicals on demand. Attochemistry could also enable real-time control over how break or form, lead to the creation of highly targeted drugs, develop new materials with tailor-made properties, and improve technologies like solar energy harvesting and quantum computing.

But the big roadblock is decoherence: Electrons lose their quantum “sync” within a few femtoseconds (a millionth of a billionth of a second), especially when the molecule is large and floppy. Researchers have tried different methods to sustain coherence—using heavy atoms, freezing temperatures etc. Because quantum coherence vanishes at macroscopic scales, most approaches to sustaining coherence operate on the same assumption: larger and more flexible molecules were assumed to lose coherence more rapidly. What if that assumption is wrong?

Artificial Photosynthesis: Current Advancements and Future Prospects

Artificial photosynthesis is a technology with immense potential that aims to emulate the natural photosynthetic process. The process of natural photosynthesis involves the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy, which is stored in organic compounds. Catalysis is an essential aspect of artificial photosynthesis, as it facilitates the reactions that convert solar energy into chemical energy. In this review, we aim to provide an extensive overview of recent developments in the field of artificial photosynthesis by catalysis. We will discuss the various catalyst types used in artificial photosynthesis, including homogeneous catalysts, heterogeneous catalysts, and biocatalysts.

Why We’re Trying To Colonize Space

This docu-series covers all three of Earth’s next landing options – Asteroids, the Moon and Mars. The programmes explore the scientific reasons for and against each celestial body’s case to be the next that humans might colonise. They explore the technical and logistical problems and benefits of each – EG temperature at night and day, ability or inability to harness solar power and more.

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Sierra Space Awarded Lunar Logistics Contract by NASA

Notably in April, Sierra Space announced the completion of successful hypervelocity impact trials conducted at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to optimize the structural integrity of Sierra Space’s LIFE habitat space station technology. This included the use of NASA’s .50 caliber two-stage light gas gun to replicate micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impacts to LIFE’s outer shield, to prepare the space station of use in orbit.

About Sierra Space.

Sierra Space is a leading commercial space company and emerging defense tech prime that is building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth. With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, the company is reinventing both space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and the future of space destinations with the company’s expandable space station technology. Using commercial business models, the company is also delivering orbital services to commercial, DoD and national security organizations, expanding production capacity to meet the needs of constellation programs. In addition, Sierra Space builds a host of systems and subsystems across solar power, mechanics and motion control, environmental control, life support, propulsion and thermal control, offering myriad space-as-a-service solutions for the new space economy.

Crystal-modifying agent piracetam provides scalable strategy for high-efficiency all-perovskite tandem solar cells

All-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs) are a class of solar cells comprised of two or more sub-cells that absorb light with different wavelengths, all of which are made of perovskites (i.e., materials with a characteristic crystal structure known to efficiently absorb light). These solar cells have been found to be highly promising energy solutions, as they could convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently than existing silicon-based solar cells.

Despite their potential, most all-perovskite TSCs developed to date only perform well when they are small and their performance rapidly declines as their size increases. This has ultimately prevented them from being manufactured and deployed on a large-scale.

Researchers at Wuhan University and other institutes in China recently introduced a new strategy for enhancing the performance of all-perovskite TSCs irrespective of their size, which could in turn contribute to their future commercialization. Their proposed approach for fabricating these cells, outlined in a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, entails the use of piracetam, a chemical additive that can help to control the initial phase of crystal formation (i.e., nucleation) in wide-bandgap perovskites.

Rooftop solar and EV batteries could supply 85% of Japan’s electricity needs

A new study led by Tohoku University has revealed that rooftop solar panels, when combined with electric vehicles (EVs) as batteries, could supply 85% of Japan’s electricity demand and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 87%. The research provides a promising pathway for Japan’s local governments to achieve carbon neutrality by taking advantage of existing infrastructure—rooftops and vehicles—rather than relying solely on large-scale energy systems.

“Japan Traps the Impossible”: Scientists Develop Breakthrough Method to Extract Ammonia From Air and Water With Unmatched Precision

IN A NUTSHELL 🌱 Researchers at the University of Tokyo developed a method to produce ammonia using artificial photosynthesis. 🔬 The process mimics natural nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria, utilizing atmospheric nitrogen, water, and sunlight. ⚙️ This method uses a combination of iridium and molybdenum catalysts to enhance reaction efficiency. 🌍 The innovation promises to reduce

Scientists Develop New Solar Device That Squeezes Water From Air

A new sponge-like material uses sunlight to harvest water from air, offering an efficient, low-cost solution for water scarcity. Engineers from Australia and China have developed a sponge-like device that captures moisture from the air and releases it into a cup using solar energy. Unlike other t

Advancements in (Ca, Ba)ZrS₃ solar cells using innovative spinel hole transport layers

Solar power has long been a beacon of hope in our pursuit of clean energy. However, the road to sustainable, high-efficiency photovoltaics has been riddled with roadblocks such as toxicity and instability in widely used lead halide perovskites. Could we engineer a solar cell that delivers not just high performance, but also durability, stability and environmental safety?

That question led us to (Ca, Ba)ZrS3, a chalcogenide perovskite with immense promise. Unlike its lead-based counterparts, this material boasts strong thermal and chemical stability. More importantly, its bandgap can be finely tuned down to 1.26 eV with less than 2% calcium doping, placing it squarely within the Shockley-Queisser limit for optimal photovoltaic conversion.

For the first time, my research team at the Autonomous University of Querétaro explored an innovative idea of pairing (Ca, Ba)ZrS3 with next-generation inorganic spinel hole transport layers (HTLs). We integrated NiCo2O4, ZnCo2O4, CuCo2O4, and SrFe2O4 into solar cells and simulated their performance using SCAPS-1D.

TEMPO molecule enhances stability and performance of perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells are among the most promising candidates for the next generation of photovoltaics: lightweight, flexible, and potentially very low-cost. However, their tendency to degrade under sunlight and heat has so far limited widespread adoption. Now, a new study published in Joule presents an innovative and scalable strategy to overcome this key limitation.

A research team led by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES⁠-⁠SO) and the Politecnico di Milano, has developed a bulk passivation technique that involves adding the molecule TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) to the perovskite film and applying a brief infrared heating pulse lasting just half a second.

This approach enables the repair of near-invisible crystalline defects inside the material, boosting solar cell efficiency beyond 20% and maintaining that performance for several months under operating conditions. Using positron annihilation spectroscopy—a method involving antimatter particles that probe atomic-scale defects—the researchers confirmed a significant reduction in vacancy-type defects.