Malladi Satyanarayana

The role of crystallinity of the Nb2O5 blocking layer on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

The prevention of back electron transfer by inserting an energy barrier layer at the interface of a photo-anode is an effective method for improving the photovoltaic parameters in dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, phase a modified Nb2O5 blocking layer was inserted at the fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)/TiO2 interface via a Rf magnetron sputtering process. For a critical tunnelling distance of ∼40 nm, the crystalline Nb2O5 blocking layer improved the efficiency close to 7% and outperformed the amorphous blocking layer by about 68%. The longer electron lifetime observed in DSSCs containing an inhomogeneous Nb2O5 layer indicates that trapping/de-trapping impedes the discharge of electrons to the TiO2 band edge. The origin of the longer electron lifetime is explained by formulating a theory from photovoltage decay measurements.

Lidar investigations on the optical and dynamical properties of cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere regions at a tropical station, Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E)

Abstract High altitude cirrus clouds are composed mainly of ice crystals with a variety of sizes and shapes. They have a large influence on Earth’s energy balance and global climate. Recent studies indicate that the formation, dissipation, life time, optical, and micro-physical properties are influenced by the dynamical conditions of the surrounding atmosphere like background aerosol, turbulence, etc. In this work, an attempt has been made to quantify some of these characteristics by using lidar and mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar. Mie lidar and 53 MHz MST radar measurements made over 41 nights during the period 2009 to 2010 from the tropical station, Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E). The optical and microphysical properties along with the structure and dynamics of the cirrus are presented as observed under different atmospheric conditions. The study reveals the manifestation of different forms of cirrus with a preferred altitude of formation in the 13 to 14 km altitude. There are considerable differences in the properties obtained among 2009 and 2010 showing significant anomalous behavior in 2010. The clouds observed during 2010 show relatively high asymmetry and large multiple scattering effects. The anomalies found during 2010 may be attributed to the turbulence noticed in the surrounding atmosphere. The results show a clear correlation between the crystal morphology in the clouds and the dynamical conditions of the prevailing atmosphere during the observational period.

Optical properties of cirrus clouds at a tropical Indian station Gadanki, Tirupati (13.5°N, 79.2°E)

The optical properties of the cirrus clouds over a tropical inland station Gadanki, Tirupati were studied using a dual polarization lidar. The extinction coefficient, backscatter coefficient, optical depth and linear depolarization of the cirrus clouds are derived using the range dependent lidar ratio. This work reports the results obtained during the period of December 2006 to July 2007 which covers the three prominent seasons of the year in the Indian subcontinent. A variety of ice crystals like hexagonal thin plate, thick plate, columns, dendrites and aggregates were observed within the cloud. The geometrical and optical thicknesses of the clouds show strong seasonal variations. The occurrence frequency of thin cirrus clouds was found to be relatively high as compared to sub-visible and dense clouds. In almost all the cases, the cloud contains smaller ice crystals in the top part, larger crystals in the middle portion and mixed phase in the bottom portion. Compared to the winter and summer seasons the horizontally oriented ice crystals were observed more in monsoon period. The lidar ratio and linear depolarization ratio of the cirrus clouds were in the range of 3-40 sr and 0.1-1.5 respectively. The maximum linear depolarization ratio was observed for the clouds containing randomly oriented ice crystal with temperature below -80°C. The lidar ratio was found to be maximum for the thin plate crystals and minimum for thick clouds with horizontally oriented ice crystals. The extinction and backscattering coefficients of the clouds were in the range of 0.3x10 -4 to 6 x10 -4 m -1 and 0.12x10 -4 to 3x10 -4 m -1 sr -1 respectively during the observation period.

Silver nanoparticles-incorporated Nb 2 O 5 surface passivation layer for efficiency enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells

Guiding and capturing photons at the nanoscale by means of metal nanoparticles and interfacial engineering for preventing back-electron transfer are well documented techniques for performance enhancement in excitonic solar cells. Drifting from the conventional route, we propose a simple one-step process to integrate both metal nanoparticles and surface passivation layer in the porous photoanode matrix of a dye-sensitized solar cell. Silver nanoparticles and Nb2O5 surface passivation layer are simultaneously deposited on the surface of a highly porous nanocrystalline TiO2 photoanode, facilitating an absorption enhancement in the 465 nm and 570 nm wavelength region and a reduction in back-electron transfer in the fabricated dye-sensitized solar cells together. The TiO2 photoanodes were prepared by spray pyrolysis deposition method from a colloidal solution of TiO2 nanoparticles. An impressive 43% enhancement in device performance was accomplished in photoanodes having an Ag-incorporated Nb2O5 passivation layer as against a cell without Ag nanoparticles. By introducing this idea, we were able to record two benefits - the metal nanoparticles function as the absorption enhancement agent, and the Nb2O5 layer as surface passivation for TiO2 nanoparticles and as an energy barrier layer for preventing back-electron transfer - in a single step.

Investigations on the physical and optical properties of cirrus clouds and their relationship with ice nuclei concentration using LIDAR at Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E)

Cirrus cloud measurements over the tropics are receiving much attention recently due to their role in the Earths radiation budget. The interaction of water vapor and aerosols plays a major role in phase formation of cirrus clouds. Many factors control the ice supersaturation and microphysical properties in cirrus clouds and, as such, investigations on these properties of cirrus clouds are critical for proper understanding and simulating the climate. In this paper we report on the evolution, microphysical, and optical properties of cirrus clouds using the Mie LIDAR operation at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki, India (13.5°N, 79.2°E), an inland tropical station. The occurrence statistics, height, optical depth, depolarization ratio of the cirrus clouds, and their relationship with ice nuclei concentration were investigated over 29 days of observation during the year 2002. Cirrus clouds with a base altitude as low as 8.4 km are observed during the month of January and clouds with a maximum top height of 17.1 km are observed during the month of May. The cirrus has a mean thickness of 2 km during the period of study. The LIDAR ratio varies from 30 to 36 sr during the summer days of observation and 25 to 31 sr during the winter days of observation. Depolarization values range from 0.1 to 0.58 during the period of observation. The ice nuclei concentration has been calculated using the De Motts equation. It is observed that during the monsoon months of June, July, and August, there appears to be an increase in the ice nuclei number concentration. From the depolarization data an attempt is made to derive the ice crystal orientation and their structure of the cirrus. Crystal structures such as thin plates, thick plates, regular hexagons, and hexagonal columns are observed in the study. From the observed crystal structure and ice nuclei concentration, the possible nucleation mechanism is suggested.

Electro chemical impedance spectrscopic analysis of Nb 2 O 5 blocking layer in dye sensitised solar cells

Back electron transfer can be reduced by inserting an energy barrier layer at the interfaces of a photoanode is an effective method for improving the photovoltaic parameters in dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). In this work phase modified Nb₂O₅ blocking layer was inserted at the fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) /TiO₂ interface by Rf magnetron sputtering process. For a tunnelling distance of ~40 nm, crystalline Nb₂O₅ blocking layer improved the efficiency close to 7% and outperformed the amorphous blocking layer. Longer electron lifetime in DSSCs having inhomogeneous Nb₂O₅ layer indicates that trapping de-trapping impedes the discharge of electrons to the TiO₂ band edge.

Lidar studies on climate sensitivity characteristics of tropical cirrus clouds

The cirrus clouds play an important role in the Earth’s radiation budget due to their high frequency of occurrence, non-spherical ice crystal formations, and variability in the scattering/absorption characteristics. Mostly, the tropical cirrus clouds are considered as greenhouse modulators. Thus the parameterization of tropical cirrus clouds in terms of the micro- physical properties and the corresponding radiative effects are highly important for the climate studies. For characterizing the radiative properties of cirrus clouds, which depend on the size, shape and number of the ice crystals, the knowledge of extinction coefficient (σ) and optical depth (τ) are necessary. The σ provides information needed for understanding the influence of the scatterers on the radiative budget whereas the τ gives an indication on the composition and thickness of the cloud. Extensive research on the tropical cirrus clouds has been carried out by using a ground based and satellite based lidar systems. In this work, the characteristics of tropical cirrus cloud derived by using the data from the ground based lidar system over the tropical site Gadanki [13.5°N, 79.2°E], India during 2010 are presented. Some of the results are compared with those obtained by us from satellite based CALIOP lidar observations of the CALIPSO mission. It is observed that there is a strong dependence of the some of the physical properties such as occurrence height, cloud temperature and the geometrical thickness on the microphysical parameters in terms of extinction coefficient and optical depth. The correlation of both the σ and τ with temperature is also observed.

Investigation of tropical cirrus cloud properties using ground based lidar measurements

Cirrus clouds play a significant role in the Earths radiation budget. Therefore, knowledge of geometrical and optical properties of cirrus cloud is essential for the climate modeling. In this paper, the cirrus clouds microphysical and optical properties are made by using a ground based lidar measurements over an inland tropical station Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The variation of cirrus microphysical and optical properties with mid cloud temperature is also studied. The cirrus clouds mean height is generally observed in the range of 9-17km with a peak occurrence at 13- 14km. The cirrus mid cloud temperature ranges from -81°C to -46°C. The cirrus geometrical thickness ranges from 0.9- 4.5km. During the cirrus occurrence days sub-visual, thin and dense cirrus were at 37.5%, 50% and 12.5% respectively. The monthly cirrus optical depth ranges from 0.01-0.47, but most (<80%) of the cirrus have values less than 0.1. Optical depth shows a strong dependence with cirrus geometrical thickness and mid-cloud height. The monthly mean cirrus extinction ranges from 2.8E-06 to 8E-05 and depolarization ratio and lidar ratio varies from 0.13 to 0.77 and 2 to 52 sr respectively. A positive correlation exists for both optical depth and extinction with the mid-cloud temperature. The lidar ratio shows a scattered behavior with mid-cloud temperature.

Investigation on the monthly variation of cirrus optical properties over the Indian subcontinent using cloud-aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite observation (Calipso)

Cirrus clouds have been identified as one of the atmospheric component which influence the radiative processes in the atmosphere and plays a key role in the Earth Radiation Budget. CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) is a joint NASA-CNES satellite mission designed to provide insight in understanding of the role of aerosols and clouds in the climate system. This paper reports the study on the variation of cirrus cloud optical properties of over the Indian sub - continent for a period of two years from January 2009 to December 2010, using cloud-aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite observations (Calipso). Indian Ocean and Indian continent is one of the regions where cirrus occurrence is maximum particularly during the monsoon periods. It is found that during the south-west monsoon periods there is a large cirrus cloud distribution over the southern Indian land masses. Also it is observed that the north-east monsoon periods had optical thick clouds hugging the coast line. The summer had large cloud formation in the Arabian Sea. It is also found that the land masses near to the sea had large cirrus presence. These cirrus clouds were of high altitude and optical depth. The dependence of cirrus cloud properties on cirrus cloud mid-cloud temperature and geometrical thickness are generally similar to the results derived from the ground-based lidar. However, the difference in macrophysical parameter variability shows the limits of space-borne-lidar and dissimilarities in regional climate variability and the nature and source of cloud nuclei in different geographical regions.

Lidar investigations on the structure and microphysical properties of cirrus at a tropical station Gadanki (13.5° N and 79.2° E), India

Cirrus clouds are mainly composed of ice crystals and are known to be the major natural contributors to radiative forcing in the Earth’s atmosphere system. Describing the formation and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds and their role in climate models remain a challenging study. Lidar is a unique instrument, which provides the information on the optical and microphysical properties of cirrus clouds with good spatial and temporal resolutions. In this study we present the microphysical properties of cirrus clouds and their temporal variability, obtained using the ground based dual polarisation lidar at the tropical station Gadanki (13.5° N and 79.2° E), India, during the period January2009 to March 2011. Using the method developed in house for deriving range dependent lidar ratio (LR), the lidar measurements are used for deriving the extinction coefficient and to obtain the nature of the scatterers present in the cloud. It is noted that lidar ratio plays an important role and its measurements indicate directly the type of the ice nucleating aerosol particles present in the cloud. The long term data obtained on the structure of the cirrus in this regard are useful in the climate modelling studies.