Kelebogile Maabong

Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Path to Synthesis of ZnO Microsausages from Aggregation of Elongated Double Tipped Nanoparticles

The versatile chemical spray pyrolysis was used to prepare elongated double tipped ZnO nanoparticles and microsausages on glass substrates. X-ray diffraction studies revealed several crystallographic plane orientations with the most predominant along the (002) direction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations indicated double tipped nanoparticles with an aspect ratio of 4.5-8.6 which coalesced in regular patterns to form microsized sausages of width ranging up to 1.2 µm. The absorption mechanism was through direct transitions with an absorption edge corresponding to a band gap of 3.18 eV.

Optical Properties of Flash Evaporated Amorphous Se 100-X In X Thin Films for CuInSe 2 Solar Cell Applications

Amorphous Se100-XIn X thin films were prepared by flash evaporation of the pre-melt quenched bulk samples. The samples were characterised and the suitability of each composition assessed towards applications as a buffer layers in CuInSe2 photovoltaic cells. XRD studies confirmed that all the samples were amorphous. There was a descending dependence of complex dielectric constant and refractive index on wavelength which levelled in the infra-red (IR) region. A red shift in the optical energy gap Eg opt from 1.76 eV for In = 5 at% to 1.46 eV for In = 20 at% was observed. The Eg opt values were in the range that is compatible with solar energy conversion.

Participation of Females in Physics Programs at the University of Botswana

The number of females enrolling in medical and health‐related fields is substantially higher than in engineering and technology. Females tend to express a preference for careers with a strong element of social services. The level of interest and achievement in science and technology between females and males is quite different. Much of the research argues that stereotyping influences the attitudes and beliefs of young children, and these attitudes and beliefs are reinforced at home and school to create a marked effect on participation of females and their subject choices in science and technology education. These attitudes affect the level of self‐confidence and enjoyment that females develop about science, especially physics. Girls tend to view physics in a negative way, claiming that it is difficult, time consuming, and masculine. They may believe that they can only understand a concept if they can put it into a broader world view, whereas males are pleased if there is internal coherence within the concept learned, and appear to enjoy physics more than biology and chemistry, viewing it as valuable in itself. The University of Botswana is facing this low participation and lower performance of females in physics programs compared with males.