Search

The use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with anchoring groups was considered as an effective approach for interface engineering in perovskite solar cells with metal oxide charge transporting layers. However, the coating of SAM layers in PSMs by means of a slot-die is a challenging process due to the low viscosity of the solutions and the low wettability of the films. In this study, we integrate a triphenylamine-based polymer, pTPA-TDP, blended with SAM based on 5-[4-[4-(diphenylamino) phenyl] thiophene-2-carboxylic acid (TPATC), to address the challenges of uniform slot-die coating and interface passivation in large-area modules. We fabricated p-i-n oriented PSMs on 50x50 mm2 substrates (12-sub-cells) with NiO hole transport layer (HTL) and organic interlayers for surface modification. Wetting angle mapping demonstrated that ununiform regions of the slot-die coated SAM have hydrophobicity with contact angle values up to 90{\deg}, causing fluctuations in absorber thickness and the presence of macro-defects at buried interfaces. The incorporation of the blended interlayer to NiO/perovskite junction homogenized the surface wettability (contact angle=40{\deg}) and mitigated lattice strain in the absorber. This enabled the effective use of SAM properties on a large-area surface, improving energy level alignment and enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the modules from 13.98% to 15.83% and stability (ISOS-L-2, T80 period) from 500-1000 hours to 1630 hours. Investigation of PSMs upon cooling till -5 {\deg}C showed that the PCE increased by +0.19%/{\deg}C for samples with NiO HTL, while using SAM and blended interlayers raised the coefficient to ~0.40%/{\deg}C due to changes in activation energy and trap contributions to device performance across a wide temperature range.

The High Intensity Proton Accelerator (HIPA) cyclotron at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) delivers 590 MeV CW proton beam with a maximum power of 1.42 MW. After extraction, the beam is transferred in a 120 m long channel towards two target stations (TgM and TgE) for surface muon production before depositing its remaining power at the spallation target SINQ for neutron production. As part of the High Intensity Muon Beamline (HIMB) feasibility study, the first of these targets will be replaced with a thicker one thereby increasing the rate of surface muon production. However, a key challenge for HIMB is to maintain the proton beam losses to the lowest possible levels which requires improving our understanding of the distributed losses along the MW-class beamline. To this end, a new approach was developed where the aim is to relate the experimental values of the temperature, beam profile measurements as well as beam current measurements to the combined power deposition calculations and primary beam losses using Monte Carlo simulation tools.

Inclusive electron scattering from nuclear targets has been measured to extract the nuclear dependence of the inelastic cross section in Hall C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator facility. Results are presented for 2H, 3He, 4He, 9B, 12C, 63Cu and 197Au at an incident electron beam energy of 5.77 GeV for a range of momentum transfer from Q^2 = 2 to 7 (GeV/c)^2. These data improve the precision of the existing measurements of the EMC effect in the nuclear targets at large x, and allow for more detailed examinations of the A dependence of the EMC effect., Comment: 28 pages, 23 figures, archival paper for Jefferson Lab experiment E03-103

Dynamic Electrochemical Strain Microscopy (ESM) response of mixed ionic-electronic conductors is analysed in the framework of the Thomas-Fermi screening theory and Vegard law with accounting of the steric effects. The emergence of dynamic charge waves and nonlinear deformation of the surface as result of applying probing voltage is numerically explored. 2D maps of the strain and concentration distribution across the mixed ionic-electronic conductor and bias-induced surface displacements for ESM microscopy were calculated. Obtained numerical results can be of applied to quantify ESM response of Li-based solid electroytes, materials with resistive switching and electroactive ferroelectric polymers, which are of potential interest for flexible and high-density non-volatile memory devices., Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, supplementary materials

A measurement of beam helicity asymmetries in the reaction 3He(e,e'n)pp has been performed at the Mainz Microtron in quasielastic kinematics in order to determine the electric to magnetic form factor ratio of the neutron, GEn/GMn, at a four momentum transfer Q2 = 1.58 GeV2. Longitudinally polarized electrons were scattered on a highly polarized 3He gas target. The scattered electrons were detected with a high-resolution magnetic spectrometer, and the ejected neutrons with a dedicated neutron detector composed of scintillator bars. To reduce systematic errors data were taken for four different target polarization orientations allowing the determination of GEn/GMn from a double ratio. We find mu_n GEn/GMn = 0.250 +/- 0.058(stat.) +/- 0.017 (sys.).

For the first time, the workshop on High-Intensity and High-Brightness Hadron Beams (HB2010), held at Morschach, Switzerland and organized by the Paul Scherrer Institute, included a Working group dealing with the interaction between beam and material. Due to the high power beams of existing and future facilities, this topic is already of great relevance for such machines and is expected to become even more important in the future. While more specialized workshops related to topics of radiation damage, activation or thermo - mechanical calculations, already exist, HB2010 provided the occasion to discuss the interplay of these topics, focusing on components like targets, beam dumps and collimators, whose reliability are crucial for a user facility. In addition, a broader community of people working on a variety of issues related to the operation of accelerators could be informed and their interest sparked., Comment: 3 pp. 46th ICFA Advanced Beam Dynamics Workshop HB2010, Sep 27 - Oct 1 2010: Morschach, Switzerland

We present new measurements of electron scattering from high-momentum nucleons in nuclei. These data allow an improved determination of the strength of two-nucleon correlations for several nuclei, including light nuclei where clustering effects can, for the first time, be examined. The data also include the kinematic region where three-nucleon correlations are expected to dominate., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Results from JLab E02-019

We present new data on electron scattering from a range of nuclei taken in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. For heavy nuclei, we observe a rapid falloff in the cross section for $x>1$, which is sensitive to short range contributions to the nuclear wave-function, and in deep inelastic scattering corresponds to probing extremely high momentum quarks. This result agrees with higher energy muon scattering measurements, but is in sharp contrast to neutrino scattering measurements which suggested a dramatic enhancement in the distribution of the `super-fast' quarks probed at x>1. The falloff at x>1 is noticeably stronger in ^2H and ^3He, but nearly identical for all heavier nuclei., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be submitted to physical review

The electric form factor of the neutron was determined from studies of the reaction He3(e,e'n)pp in quasi-elastic kinematics in Hall A at Jefferson Lab. Longitudinally polarized electrons were scattered off a polarized target in which the nuclear polarization was oriented perpendicular to the momentum transfer. The scattered electrons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer in coincidence with neutrons that were registered in a large-solid-angle detector. More than doubling the Q2-range over which it is known, we find GEn = 0.0225 +/- 0.0017 (stat) +/- 0.0024 (syst), 0.0200 +/- 0.0023 +/- 0.0018, and 0.0142 +/- 0.0019 +/- 0.0013 for Q2 = 1.72, 2.48, and 3.41 GeV2, respectively., Comment: submitted to PRL

New Jefferson Lab data are presented on the nuclear dependence of the inclusive cross section from 2H, 3He, 4He, 9Be and 12C for 0.3