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Full-Text Articles in Power and Energy
Developing Positive Thermal Coefficient (Ptc) Heaters For Solar Electric Cooking, Katarina Ivana Brekalo, Andrew Shepherd
Developing Positive Thermal Coefficient (Ptc) Heaters For Solar Electric Cooking, Katarina Ivana Brekalo, Andrew Shepherd
Physics
Positive Thermal Coefficients, PTCs, are materials that abruptly change in resistance in response to changes in temperature. The purpose of this experiment is to explore the viability of using the switching type ceramic PTC thermistor as a replacement for current resistive heaters. These types of PTCs have a nonlinear change in resistance with increases in temperature. This device will be used as a temperature-controlling heating element intended to power an Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC). The ISEC is designed to cook meals throughout the day for impacted communities as an alternative cooking method that doesn’t require biofuel as an energy …
Morphology Changes In Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And P3ht:Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And Its Effect On Polymer Solar Cell Performance, Galen David Cauble
Morphology Changes In Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And P3ht:Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And Its Effect On Polymer Solar Cell Performance, Galen David Cauble
Physics
Polymer solar cell morphology is sensitive to both heat and time. By thermally annealing polymer solar cells the morphology of the devices can be altered causing immediate changes in device performance. Blending PCPDTBT:PCBM with P3HT:PCPDTBT combines the absorption characteristics of each to create a more even absorption spectrum. Subjecting PCPDTBT:PCBM, and P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM polymer solar cells to thermal annealing as well as recording device performance through time has shown that P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM devices react positively to thermal annealing (increasing from 0.8% to 1.4%) while PCPDTBT:PCBM devices have varied reactions. Furthermore, the P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM devices have achieved efficiencies of 1.6% in AM 1.5 compared …