Liu Xiaoyu

NbN superconducting nanowire single photon detector with efficiency over 90% at 1550 nm wavelength operational at compact cryocooler temperature

The rapid development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors over the past decade has led to numerous advances in quantum information technology. The record for the best system detection efficiency at an incident photon wavelength of 1550 nm is 93%. This performance was attained from a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector made of amorphous WSi; such detectors are usually operated at sub-Kelvin temperatures. In this study, we first demonstrate superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made of polycrystalline NbN with system detection efficiency of 90.2% for 1550-nm-wavelength photons at 2.1 K, accessible with a compact cryocooler. The system detection efficiency saturated at 92.1% when the temperature was lowered to 1.8 K. We expect the results lighten the practical and high performance superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to quantum information and other high-end applications.

Advances of graphene application in electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

The demands for better energy storage devices due to fast development of electric vehicles (EVs) have raised increasing attention on lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with high power and energy densities. In this paper, we provide an overview of recent progress in graphene-based electrode materials. Graphene with its great electrical conductivity and mechanical properties have apparently improved the performance of traditional electrode materials. The methods and electrochemical properties of advanced graphene composite as cathode and anode for LIBs are reviewed. Two novel kinds of graphene hybrid materials are specially highlighted: three-dimensional porous and flexible binder-free graphene-based materials. Challenges for LIBs and future research trend in the development of high-performance electrode materials are further discussed.

Environmentally-friendly solvent processed fullerene-free organic solar cells enabled by screening halogen-free solvent additives

Though the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of organic solar cells (OSCs) have been boosted to 12%, the use of highly pollutive halogenated solvents as the processing solvent significantly hinders the mass production of OSCs. It is thus necessary to achieve high-efficiency OSCs by utilizing the halogen-free and environmentally-friendly solvents. Herein, we applied a halogen-free solvent system (oxylene/1-phenylnaphthalene, XY/PN) for fabricating fullerene-free OSCs, and a high PCE of 11.6% with a notable fill factor (FF) of 72% was achieved based on the PBDB-T:IT-M blend, which is among the top efficiencies of halogen-free solvent processed OSCs. In addition, the influence of different halogen-free solvent additives on the blend morphology and device performance metrics was studied by synchrotron-based tools and other complementary methods. Morphological results indicate the highly ordered molecular packing and highest average domain purity obtained in the blend films prepared by using XY/PN co-solvent are favorable for achieving increased FFs and thus higher PCEs in the devices. Moreover, a lower interaction parameter (χ) of the IT-M:PN pair provides a good explanation for the more favorable morphology and performance in devices with PN as the solvent additive, relative to those with diphenyl ether and N-methylpyrrolidone. Our study demonstrates that carefully screening the non-halogenated solvent additive plays a vital role in realizing the efficient and environmentally-friendly solvent processed OSCs.摘要虽然近年来有机太阳能电池的能量转换效率已经超过13%, 但是加工高效率有机太阳能电池的溶剂大多数是含卤溶剂, 这些溶剂体系阻碍了有机太阳能电池的进一步发展. 因此, 探索使用绿色溶剂制备高效率电池具有重要意义. 本文在非卤溶剂邻二甲苯作为主溶剂的前提下,通过筛选不同非卤溶剂作为添加剂制备高效有机太阳能电池, 在PBDB-T:IT-M共混材料体系中, 取得了11.6%的能量转换效率, 该效率是使用非卤溶剂加工有机太阳能电池的最高效率之一. 我们通过一系列形貌测试将共混薄膜形貌的相区尺寸, 相区纯度以及结晶性等重要形貌参数与器件性能进行关联, 这对非富勒烯有机太阳能电池的性能优化具有指导意义. 本研究表明, 通过细致筛选非卤溶剂添加剂调节共混薄膜的形貌, 从而可以获得高性能的有机太阳能电池.

Application of three-dimensional discrete element face-to-face contact model with fissure water pressure to stability analysis of landslide in Panluo iron mine

Three-dimensional discrete element face-to-face contact model with fissure water pressure is established in this paper and the model is used to simulate three-stage process of landslide under fissure water pressure in the opencast mine, according to the actual state of lands lide in Panluo iron mine where landslide happened in 1990 and was fathered in 1999. The calculation results show that fissure water pressure on the sliding surface is the main reason causing landslide and the local soft interlayer weakens the stability of slope. If the discrete element method adopts the same assumption as the limit equilibrium method, the results of two methods are in good agreement; while if the assumption is not adopted in the discrete element method, the critical ϕ numerically calculated is less than the one calculated by use of the limit equilibrium method for the same C. Thus, from an engineering point of view, the result from the discrete element model simulation is safer and has more widely application since the discrete element model takes into account the effect of rock mass structures.