Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained popularity as a potential substitute for traditional silicon-based photovoltaics owing to their low cost, ease of development, and excellent efficiency under conditions of low light. The present investigation focuses on fabricating a novel poly(2-ethylaniline)-nanocomposite-SiO2 (PEAN/SiO2) as an advanced material for next-generation DSSCs. PEAN/SiO2 was synthesized by the Emulsion polymerization method, achieving a yield of 90.24%, ensuring uniform dispersion of SiO2 nanoparticles within the polymer matrix. The structural, thermal and morphological properties of PEAN/SiO2 were evaluated using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), revealing the thermally stable, amorphous and emeraldine salt structure of PEAN/SiO2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies demonstrated improved charge transfer, contributing to better solar cell performance. In this study, the material properties were assessed for their potential as co-activating agents in DSSCs. The results showed an improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE). The PCE of the unmodified DSSC was 0.2%, which increased to 0.4% with co-activation. Notably, the PEAN/SiO2 composite yielded the highest efficiency improvement, highlighting its potential to enhance charge transport and light absorption. These findings suggest that co-activation strategies using PEAN-based materials could be further explored and can serve as an effective approach to improving DSSC performance, paving the way for more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable solar energy devices.
Activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) represents a significant advancement in reversible deactivation radical polymerization, offering substantially reduced catalyst loadings while maintaining precise control over molecular architecture. This study presents a comprehensive kinetic investigation of CuBr2/PPh3 catalytic ARGET ATRP of ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and butyl acrylate with particular emphasis on its application in the preparation of acrylate emulsions. The results demonstrate that increasing the ligand concentration effectively enhanced both monomer conversion and the apparent propagation rate constant. The polymerization rate reached a maximum at a catalyst to ligand molar ratio of 1 : 2. At a polymerization temperature of 90°C, both monomer conversion and apparent growth rate attained their peak values, yielding an apparent activation energy of 56.5 kJ/mol. Furthermore, increasing the reducing agent concentration resulted in concomitant increases in both monomer conversion and copolymerization rate. This catalytic system was successfully applied to the emulsion polymerization of three monomers and stability of the isolated emulsions was explored. It is demonstrated that pretty low catalyst loading CuBr2/PPh3-catalyzed ARGET ATRP could be a plausible practical method for the preparation of acrylate emulsions.
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained popularity as a potential substitute for traditional silicon-based photovoltaics owing to their low cost, ease of development, and excellent efficiency under conditions of low light. The present investigation focuses on fabricating a novel poly(2-ethylaniline)-nanocomposite–SiO2 (PEAN/SiO2) as an advanced material for next-generation DSSCs. PEAN/SiO2 was synthesized by the Emulsion polymerization method, achieving a yield of 90.24
Ring-opening alternating copolymerization (ROAC) represents a promising methodology for polyester synthesis, which faces the critical challenge of developing efficient catalytic systems to expand substrate applicability and enhance organocatalytic polymerization performance. In this investigation, a zinc glutarate (ZnGA)/CaH2 complex was implemented as an innovative Lewis acid-base pair catalyst for the ROAC of propylene oxide (PO) with phthalic anhydride (PA) and succinic anhydride (SA). Systematic examinations were conducted regarding the influences of reaction modalities, Lewis base classifications and proportions, and reactant stoichiometries on catalytic efficiency and selectivity. The successful synthesis of fully alternating poly(PO-alt-PA) and poly(PO-alt-SA) architectures was unequivocally verified through 1H NMR and 13C NMR analyses, demonstrating a 47.5
Two new catalyst systems for the synthesis of high molecular weight polyethylene and ethylene copolymers with linear 1-alkenes (1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-decene and 3-methyl-1-butene) are described. The catalysts are based on Ti(IV) complexes of the LTiX2 type with a tetradentate bis(phenolate)- piperazine ligand L and with X = Cl or Oi-Pr. The complexes are activated with a bicomponent cocatalyst, a combination of Al(C2H5)2Cl and Mg(C4H9)2 at an [Al]/[Mg] molar ratio of 3. The catalysts afford the synthesis of UHMW resins, both polyethylene and ethylene/1-alkene copolymers with a low 1-alkene content, as well as the synthesis of high molecular weight ethylene/1-alkene copolymers with the 1-alkene content of over 10 mol
