PREDICTIVE MODELING OF MIXED HALIDE PEROVSKITE CELL USING HYBRID L27 OA TAGUCHI-BASED GA-MLR-GA APPROACH

Perovskite photovoltaic cell is regarded as an alternative configuration for the conventional photovoltaic cells predominantly due to its high efficiency. In this paper, a predictive modeling using a hybrid L27 orthogonal array (OA) Taguchi-based Grey relational analysis (GRA), multiple linear regression (MLR) and genetic algorithm (GA) was proposed to optimize the device parameters for better overall performance. The Perovskite photovoltaic cell model is initially constructed and simulated using solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS). The final results reveal that the proposed hybrid L27 OA Taguchi-based GRA-MLR-GA approach has effectively optimized the device parameters in which SnO2:F thickness, SnO2:F donor density, ZnO thickness, ZnO donor density, CH3NH3PbI3-xClx thickness, CH3NH3PbI3-xClx donor density, Spiro-OMeTAD thickness and Spiro-OMeTAD acceptor density are predictively tuned at 0.198 μm, 8.973 x 1018 cm-3, 0.039 μm, 8.827 x 1017 cm-3, 0.386 μm, 1.929 x 1013 cm-3, 0.233 μm and 8.984 x 1018 cm-3 respectively. After the predictive modeling, both FF and PCE of the perovskite photovoltaic cell have been improved for ~5.93% and ~5.78% respectively.

A dynamic clamp protocol to artificially modify cell capacitance

Dynamics of excitable cells and networks depend on the membrane time constant, set by membrane resistance and capacitance. Whereas pharmacological and genetic manipulations of ionic conductances are routine in electrophysiology, experimental control over capacitance remains a challenge. Here, we present capacitance clamp, an approach that allows to mimic a modified capacitance in biological neurons via an unconventional application of the dynamic clamp technique. We first demonstrate the feasibility to quantitatively modulate capacitance in a mathematical neuron model and then confirm the functionality of capacitance clamp in in vitro experiments in granule cells of rodent dentate gyrus with up to threefold virtual capacitance changes. Clamping of capacitance thus constitutes a novel technique to probe and decipher mechanisms of neuronal signaling in ways that were so far inaccessible to experimental electrophysiology.

Simulation of a perovskite sandwich solar cell with the p-CZTS / p-CH3NH3PbCI3 / p-CZTS absorber layers

Perovskite solar cells attract the attention because of their unique properties in photovoltaic cells. Numerical simulation to the structure of Perovskite on p-CZTS/p-CH3NH3PbCI3/p-CZTS absorber layers is performed by using a program solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D), with changing absorber layer thickness. The effect of thickness p-CZTS/p-CH3NH3PbCI3/p-CZTS, layers at (3.2μm, 1.8 μm, 1.1 μm) respectively are studied. The obtained results are short circuit current density (Jsc ), open circuit voltage (V oc), fill factor (F. F) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) equal to (28 mA/cm2, 0.83 v, 60.58 % and 14.25 %) respectively at 1.1 μm thickness. Our findings revealed that the dependence of current - voltage characteristics on the thickness of the absorbing layers, an increase in the amount of short circuit current density with an increase in the thickness of the absorption layers and thus led to an increase in the conversion efficiency and improvement of the cell by increasing the thickness of the absorption layers.

Dielectrophoresis as a Tool to Reveal the Potential Role of Ion Channels and Early Electrophysiological Changes in Osteoarthritis

Diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) are commonly characterized at the molecular scale by gene expression and subsequent protein production; likewise, the effects of pharmaceutical interventions are typically characterized by the effects of molecular interactions. However, these phenomena are usually preceded by numerous precursor steps, many of which involve significant ion influx or efflux. As a consequence, rapid assessment of cell electrophysiology could play a significant role in unravelling the mechanisms underlying drug interactions and progression of diseases, such as OA. In this study, we used dielectrophoresis (DEP), a technique that allows rapid, label-free determination of the dielectric parameters to assess the role of potassium ions on the dielectric characteristics of chondrocytes, and to investigate the electrophysiological differences between healthy chondrocytes and those from an in vitro arthritic disease model. Our results showed that DEP was able to detect a significant decrease in membrane conductance (6191 ± 738 vs. 8571 ± 1010 S/m2), membrane capacitance (10.3 ± 1.47 vs. 14.5 ± 0.01 mF/m2), and whole cell capacitance (5.4 ± 0.7 vs. 7.5 ± 0.3 pF) following inhibition of potassium channels using 10 mM tetraethyl ammonium, compared to untreated healthy chondrocytes. Moreover, cells from the OA model had a different response to DEP force in comparison to healthy cells; this was seen in terms of both a decreased membrane conductivity (782 S/m2 vs. 1139 S/m2) and a higher whole cell capacitance (9.58 ± 3.4 vs. 3.7 ± 1.3 pF). The results show that DEP offers a high throughput method, capable of detecting changes in membrane electrophysiological properties and differences between disease states.

Enhancement of the Efficiency of the CZTS/Cds/Zno/ITO Solar Cell By Back Reflection and Buffer Layers Using SCAPS -1D

CZTS / CdS / ZnO / ITO solar cell was studied using Solar Cell Capacitance Simulato-1D (SCAPS-1D) program. We performed an improvement on the theoretical cell by increasing the doping and thickness of some layers. As a result, the efficiency was shifted from 2.18% to 6.17% and several back reflection layers (BSL) were introduced on the enhanced cell until. We obtained a highest conversion efficiency of 13.99%. The best reflection layer (CZTSSe) was combined with the best buffer layer (CdSe), with thickness of 0.9µm, on the enhanced cell. Thereby, we obtained a cell with a conversion efficiency of 16.53%. A second improvement was made to the best obtained cell, where the CZTSSe with thickness of 0.05µm and the CdSe with thickness of 0.9µm were combined. Consequently, the efficiency was increased from 16.53% to 21.76%. By comparing the experimental results with those obtained with the program, it was found that the program simulates reality, i.e. the experimental and theoretical results matched.

Numerical simulation of inorganic Cs2AgBiBr6 as a lead-free perovskite using device simulation SCAPS-1D

Double perovskite, Cs2AgBiBr6, is introduced as a lead-free perovskite solar cell. Device modeling of Cs2AgBiBr6 (DP) was accomplished to obtain the optimum parameters using the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS). Two devices with two different hole transport layers (HTLs) were investigated, including P3HT and Cu2O. Please see manuscript .pdf for full abstract.

Estimating the effects of slicing on the electrophysiological properties of spinal motoneurons under normal and disease conditions

Although slice recordings from spinal motoneurons (MNs) are being widely used, the effects of slicing on the measured MN electrical properties under normal and disease conditions have not been assessed. Using high-fidelity cell models of neonatal WT and SOD cells, we examined the effects of slice thickness, soma position within the slice, and slice orientation to estimate the error induced in measured MN electrical properties from spinal slices. Our results show that most MN electrical properties are not adversely affected by slicing, except for cell time constant, cell capacitance, and Ca2+ PIC, which all exhibited large errors, regardless of the slice condition. Among the examined factors, soma position within the slice appears to be the strongest factor in influencing the magnitude of error in measured MN electrical properties. Transverse slices appear to have the least impact on measured MN electrical properties. Surprisingly, and despite their anatomical enlargement, we found that G85R-SOD MNs experience similar error in their measured electrical properties to those of WT MNs, but their errors are more sensitive to the soma position within the slice than WT MNs. Unless in thick and symmetrical slices, slicing appears to reduce motoneuron type differences. Accordingly, slice studies should attempt to record from MNs at the slice center to avoid large and inconsistent errors in measured cell properties and have valid cell measurements' comparisons. Our results, therefore, offer information that would enhance the rigor of MN electrophysiological data measured from the slice preparation under normal and disease conditions.