Les travaux présentés s'inscrivent dans les thèmes de l'électronique moléculaire et de la conversion photovoltaïque. Nous étudierons plus précisément les interactions électroniques à l'interface entre l'électrode anodique et une fine couche de polyoxométallates, POM. Nous dédirons le premier chapitre à une structure de POM qui sera étudiée en détail. Nous démontrerons que dans des conditions de concentration, recuit thermique appropriées la couche atteint un haut degré d'organisation la rendant conductrice. Après une analyse XPS/UPS fine nous montrons que les mécanismes de conduction prennent place sur la couche externe du POM dans les oxygènes lacunaires. De plus ces lacunes d'oxygène génèrent des états autorisés dans le gap interdit sous le niveau de Fermi. Une deuxième étape du travail consistera a étudié les effets des contreions sur la structure électronique précédemment décrite. Dans ce chapitre démontrons que les contreions, souvent décrits comme des espèces spectatrices, influence grandement le comportement électronique d'une espèce de POM. Puis nous étudierons l'impact de la nature du métal constituant le polyoxométallate. Enfin nous ferons dans un dernier chapitre une synthèse des résultats obtenus qui nous permettrons de conclure au regard des hypothèses formulées en présentant des tests de validation photovoltaïques. / In this work, the main objective were to understand the electronic processes of polyoxometalates solid films at an indium tin oxide interface. A well-organized polyoxometalate film was deposited onto ITO and with an appropriate annealing process a highly ordered conductive surface was observed. The anisotropic morphology has been proved to be able to optimize electrical/electronic properties and further improve hole transport in organic photovoltaic devices by inserting as anode interfacial layer. We demonstrated the conductivity took place at the outer shell of the polyoxometalate due to oxygen vacancies which generate very localized gap state. We pursue the study by investigating the counter-ions (K+, Li+ and H+) effect on the identical polyoxoanion [P2W18O62]6-. We show it can not only influence the film aggregation mechanism, but allow tuning the density of gap states. The substitution of tungsten, especially by molybdenum, result in a more favorable energy level alignment from ITO and P3HT, i.e. desirable position and higher density of gap states. In a last we integrated the polyoxometalate in organic solar cells to prove the previous demonstration.

The electricity cost is one of the largest components of operating costs on a belt conveyor system. This dissertation introduces a unique Conveyor Electricity Cost Efficiency Audit Methodology (CECEAM). In the CECEAM the conveyor system is evaluated from a high to detail level in order to identify opportunities to improve electricity costs. The CECEAM includes methodologies and tools developed to analyze not only the conveyor belt alone, but also the materials handling system as a whole. The outline of the dissertation is structured as follows: Chapter 1 includes the background and problem identification by means of a literature study. The main objective, as well as specific objectives, is defined in this chapter. In chapter 2, the CECEAM is introduced and an overview of the total methodology is discussed. The data acquisition part of the CECEAM; documentation, personnel, walk, technical audit as well as the conveyor database is discussed in chapter 3. Chapter 4 concentrates on the Conveyor Energy Conversion Model (CECM) and the verification thereof. The Integrated Conveyor Energy Model (ICEM) methodology is introduced (in chapter 5) and the economic evaluation concepts and energy management basics needed in the CECEAM are covered. Chapter 6 covers a CECEAM case study where the practical application of the CECEAM is illustrated with ICEM simulations, opportunity identification and recommendations. The conclusion and recommendations for further studies is proposed in chapter 7. / Dissertation (MSc (Electrical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted

A Comprehensive review of literature on electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries is provided in Chapter 1 of the thesis. Chapter 2 deals with the studies on porous, sub-micrometer size LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 as a positive electrode material for Li-ion cells synthesized by inverse microemulsion route and polymer template route. The electromechanical characterization studies show that carbon-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 samples exhibit improved rate capability and cycling performance. Furthermore, it is anticipated that porous LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 could be useful for high rates of charge-discharge cycling. Synthesis of sub-micrometer size, porous particles of LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 using a tri-block copolymer as a soft template is carried out. LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 sample prepared at 900ºC exhibits a high rate capability and stable capacity retention of cycling. The electrochemical performance of LiNi1/3Co1/3O2 prepared in the absence of the polymer template is inferior to that of the sample prepared in the presence of the polymer template. Chapter 4 involves the synthesis of sub-micrometer size particles of LiMn2O4 in quaternary microemulsion medium. The electrochemical characterization studies provide discharge capacity values of about 100 mAh g-1 at C/5 rate and there is moderate decrease in capacity by increasing the rate of charge-discharge cycling. Studies also include charge-discharge cycling as well as ac impedance studies in temperature range from -10 to 40º C. Chapter 5 reports the synthesis of nano-plate LiFePO4 by polyol route starting from two reactants, namely, FePO42H2O and LiOH.2H2O. The electrodes fabricated out of nano-plate of LiFePO4 exhibit a high electrochemical activity. A stable capacity of about 155 mAh g-1 is measured at 0.2 C over 50 charge-discharge cycles. Mesoporous LiFePO4/C composite with two sizes of pores is prepared for the first time via solution-based polymer template technique. The precursor of LiFePO4/C composite is heated at different temperatures in the range from 600 to 800ºC to study the effect of crystalllinity, porosity and morphology on the electrochemical performance. The compound obtained at 700ºC exhibits a high rate capability and stable capacity retention on cycling with pore size distribution around 4 and 46nm. In Chapter 6, the electrochemical characterization of LiMn2O4 in an aqueous solution of 5 M LiNO3 is reported. A typical cell employing LiMn2O4 as the positive electrode and V2O5 as the negative electrode was assembled and the characterized by charge-discharge cycling in 5 M LiNO3 aqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, it is shown that Li+-ion in LiMn2O4 can be replaced by other divalent ions resulting in the formation of MMn2O4 (M = Ca, Mg, Ba and Sr) in aqueous M(NO3)2 electrolytes by subjecting LiMn2O4 electrodes to cyclic voltametry. Cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry studies suggest that MMn2O4 can undergo reversible redox reaction by intercalation/deintercalation of M2+-ions in aqueous M(NO3)2 electrolytes.

<div>Recently, energy crisis and environment pollution has become global issues and there is a great demand for developing green and renewable energy system. At the same time, advancements in materials production, device fabrication, and flexible circuit has led to the huge prosperity of wearable devices, which also requires facile and efficient approaches to power these ubiquitous electronics. Piezoelectric nanogenerators and triboelectric nanogenerators have attracted enormous interest in recent years due to their capacity of transferring the ambient mechanical energy into desired electricity, and also the potential of working as self-powered sensors. However, there still exists some obstacles in the aspect of materials synthesis, device fabrication, and also the sensor performance optimization as well as their application exploration.</div><div>Here in this research, several different materials possessing the piezoelectric and triboelectric properties (selenium nanowires, tellurium nanowires, natural polymer hydrogel) have been successfully synthesized, and also a few novel manufacturing techniques (additive manufacturing) have been implemented for the fabrication of wearable sensors. The piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators developed could effectively convert the mechanical energy into electricity for an energy conversion purpose, and also their application as self-powered human-integrated sensors have also been demonstrated, like achieving a real-time monitoring of radial artery pulses. Other applications of the developed sensors, such as serving as electric heaters and infrared cloaking devices are also presented here. This research is expected to have a positive impact and immediate relevance to many societally pervasive areas, e.g. energy and environment, biomedical electronics, and human-machine interface.</div><div><br></div>

This thesis gives an approach how to develop newperovskite and nanocomposite cathode material for low temperature solid oxidefuel cells on the basis of nanocomposite approach to lower the operatingtemperature of SOFC. BaxCa1-xCoyFe1-yO3-δ(BCCF) and BSCF perovskite or nanocomposite oxides have been synthesized andinvestigated as catalytically potential cathode materials for low temperaturesolid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFC). Some single component materials have been alsosynthesized for new energy conversion device or EFFC. These nanocomposite andperovskite electrical conductors were synthesized by wet chemical, sol gel,co-precipitation and solid state reaction methods. Comparison with that ofcommercial Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ(BSCF) cathode material, BCCF and locally prepared BSCF exhibit higher electricalconductivities as compared to that of commercial BSCF at same setup andconditions. In particular, novel Ba0.3Ca0.7Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δhas shown the maximum conductivity of 143 S/cm in air and local BSCF withconductivity of 313 S/cm in air at 550°C were measured by DC 4 probe method. Anadditional positive aspect of BCCF is that it is cost effective and works atroom temperature but with small output which will lead SOFC to operate atextremely low temperatures. XRD patterns of the samples reveal perovskite andnanocomposite structures of the said materials. Microstructure studies give thehomogeneous structure and morphology of the nanoparticles by using HighResolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Cell resistance has beendetermined by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Devised materialshave shown very good mechanical strength and stability proving their importancein advanced fuel cell technology. Power density of devices from 126 to 192 mWcm-2hasbeen achieved.

Traditional sources of electrical energy are finite and can produce significant pollution. Solar cells produce clean energy from incident sunlight, and will be an important part of our energy future. A new nanostructured extremely thin absorber solar cell with 0.98% power conversion efficiency and maximum external quantum efficiency of 61% at 650 nm has been fabricated and characterized. This solar cell is composed of a fluorine-doped tin oxide base layer, n-type aluminum doped zinc oxide nanowires, a cadmium selenide absorber layer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) as a p-type layer, and thermally evaporated gold as a back contact. Zinc oxide nanowire electrodeposition has been investigated for different electrical environments, and the role of a zinc oxide thin film layer has been established. Cadmium selenide nanoparticles have been produced and optimized in-house and compared to commercially produced nanoparticles. Argon plasma cleaning has been investigated as a method to improve electronic behavior at cadmium selenide interfaces. The thermal anneal process for cadmium selenide nanoparticles has been studied, and a laser anneal process has been investigated. It has been found that the most efficient solar cells in this study are produced with a zinc oxide thin film, zinc oxide nanowires grown under constant -1V bias between the substrate material and the anode, cadmium selenide nanoparticles purchased commercially and annealed for 24 hours in the presence of cadmium chloride, and high molecular weight poly(3-hexylthiophene) spin-coated in a nitrogen environment.

In this thesis, the basics of electromagnetic theory for wave-energy conversion are reviewed, some of the characteristics of the ocean wave are investigated, some of the power take-off (PTO) systems are introduced, and details about linear permanent magnetic machines, in particular, are discussed.  The thesis aims to model the novel linear transverse flux machine designed by Anders Hagnestål and to build hysteresis current controller for power factor correc- tion. Although this machine is expected to have high performance in terms of efficiency, it also exhibits a strong mutual interaction between the three phases of the machine. Thus, simplification of the actual model of the machine is im- posed to mitigate the complexity of the machine and facilitate the Simulink model. Four cases of the double band hysteresis control are studied. The cur- rents seem to be responding properly to the control scheme; however, software and hardware programming of a microprocessor would be preferable to ensurethe applicability of the control strategy in a real environment. / I detta examensarbete undersöks elektromagnetisk teori och havsvågors egenskaper. Några energiomvandlingssystem introduceras och permanentmagnetiserade maskiner diskuteras i detalj. Syftet med avhandlingen är att modelleraen ny linjär transversalflödesmaskin som är designad av Anders Hagnestål och att bygga en hysteresbaserad strömkontroll för denna. Även om maskinen förväntas prestera bra, uppvisar den också en stark ömsesidig magnetisk interaktion mellan de tre faserna. För att kunna hantera detta problem och därmed kunna genomföra simuleringar införs en förenklad elektromagnetisk modell av maskinen. En strömkontroller har implementerats i Simulink, där fyra fall av dubbelbandshystereskontroll studerats. Resultaten från simuleringarna visar att strömkontrollern fungerar. Nästa steg i projektet är att utföra mjukvaru och hårdvaruprogrammering av en mikrokontroller för att testa systemet i enverklig miljö.

This thesis report investigates the effects of low Reynolds number on the power performance of a 3.74 m diameter horizontal axis wind turbine. The small wind turbine was field tested at the Cal Poly Wind Power Research Center to acquire its coefficient of performance, C­p, vs. tip speed ratio, λ, characteristics. A description of both the wind turbine and test setup are provided. Data filtration and processing techniques were developed to ensure a valid method to analyze and characterize wind power measurements taken in a highly variable environment. The test results demonstrated a significant drop in the wind turbine’s power performance as Reynolds number decreased. From Re = 2.76E5 to Re = 1.14E5, the rotor’s Cp_max changed from 0.30 to 0.19. The Cp vs. λ results also displayed a clear change in shape with decreasing Reynolds number. The analysis highlights the influence of the rotor’s Cl /Cd characteristics on the Cp vs. λ curve’s Reynolds number dependency. By not accounting for the effects of varying Reynolds number below the critical value for a rotor operating at constant λ, the design of the rotor planform may overestimate the actual performance of the turbine in real-world conditions. This problem is more evident in distributed-scale wind turbines, compared to utility-scale ones, because of the significantly shorter chord lengths, and therefore increased wind speed range where this effect occurs. Lastly, the wind turbine’s future control method and annual energy production are evaluated using the test results.

Many industrial processes have low-temperature waste heat sources that cannot be efficiently recovered. Low grade waste heat has generally been discarded by industry and has become an environmental concern because of thermal pollution. This has led to the lookout for technologies which not only reduce the burden on the non-renewable sources of energy but also take steps toward a cleaner environment. One approach which is found to be highly effective in addressing the above mentioned issues is the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), which can make use of low- temperature waste heat to generate electric power. Similar in principle to the conventional cycle, ORC is found to be superior performance-wise because of the organic working fluids used in the cycle. The focus of this study is to examine the ORC using different types of organic fluids and cycle configurations. These organic working fluids were selected to evaluate the effect of the fluid boiling point temperature and the fluid classification on the performance of ORCs. The results are compared with those of water under similar conditions. In order to improve the cycle performance, modified ORCs are also investigated. Regenerative ORCs are analyzed and compared with the basic ORC in order to determine the configuration that presents the best thermal efficiency with minimum irreversibility. The evaluation for both configurations is performed using a combined first and second law analysis by varying certain system operating parameters at various reference temperatures and pressures. A unique approach known as topological method is also used to analyze the system from the exergy point of view. Effects of various components are studied using the exergy-wheel diagram. The results show that ORCs using R113 as working fluid have the best thermal efficiency, while those using Propane demonstrate the worse efficiency. In addition, results from these analyses demonstrate that regenerative ORCs produce higher efficiencies compared to the basic ORC. Furthermore, the regenerative ORC requires less waste heat to produce the same electric power with a lower irreversibility.

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