This work uses the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS-1D) to comprehensively investigate and optimize a lead-free inorganic tin-halide perovskite solar cell (PSC) based on CsSnI 3 . The optimization-guided device architecture is then experimentally realized. SnO 2 electron transport material (ETM) and Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport material (HTM) are positioned between a CsSnI 3 absorber layer in the PSC. The impacts of absorber thickness, absorber defect density, ETM and HTM thicknesses, and donor and acceptor concentrations in the ETM and HTM, respectively, were methodically examined. The physical parameters needed for the numerical simulations were found in the literature. A simulated power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 28.84% is produced by the optimized parameter set derived from SCAPS-1D, as opposed to 27.17% for the corresponding unoptimized model. Using SnO 2 and Spiro-OMeTAD as the ETM and HTM, respectively, CsSnI 3 -based PSCs were experimentally created based on the simulated device architecture. The maximum PCE obtained from the experimentally fabricated optimized device was 10.76%, while that from the unoptimized device was 8.98%. Although the absolute experimental efficiency is still below the idealized calculated value, the experimental results show an improvement in photovoltaic performance after the simulated optimization. The findings emphasize the significance of charge-transport-layer characteristics and absorber defect density in influencing the photovoltaic performance of CsSnI 3 -based PSCs.
This exploratory work evaluates the potential of combining Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy as a non-invasive diagnostic approach for the detection of early-stage symptoms associated with Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) infection in potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) leaves. The pathogen P. infestans (Mont.) is the causal agent of late blight, a devastating disease that significantly impacts potato production. In this study, both healthy leaves and those at different stages of infection, ranging from early symptoms to advanced necrosis, were analysed using FORS and THz spectroscopic techniques. Measurements were performed on a single cultivar (cv. Agata), with both techniques applied at the same measurement locations of the same leaves. Both resolve quantitatively the alterations present in visually asymptomatic tissue at 2 days post-inoculation: the red edge position shifts from 717 ± 1 to 704 ± 4 nm and the terahertz absorbance at 1.0 THz decreases from 1.97 ± 0.26 to 1.13 ± 0.13, differences of 4.56 and 3.8 pooled within-group standard deviations respectively, whereas a broad absorption band centred at 0.663 ± 0.071 THz is detected only in necrotic tissue at 4 days post-inoculation. Since the pathogen load was not quantified at the measured locations, these alterations are to be understood as infection-associated rather than as a direct detection of the pathogen, and no diagnostic model is proposed. Benchmarked against FORS, these findings indicate that contactless spectroscopic methods could serve as a valuable tool for disease monitoring in precision agriculture, potentially enabling timely intervention and minimizing crop losses.
This exploratory work evaluates the potential of combining Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy as a non-invasive diagnostic approach for the detection of early-stage symptoms associated with Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) infection in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) leaves. The pathogen P. infestans (Mont.) is the causal agent of late blight, a devastating disease that significantly impacts potato production. In this study, both healthy leaves and those at different stages of infection, ranging from early symptoms to advanced necrosis, were analysed using FORS and THz spectroscopic techniques. Measurements were performed on a single cultivar (cv. Agata), with both techniques applied at the same measurement locations of the same leaves. Both resolve quantitatively the alterations present in visually asymptomatic tissue at 2 days post-inoculation: the red edge position shifts from 717 ± 1 to 704 ± 4 nm and the terahertz absorbance at 1.0 THz decreases from 1.97 ± 0.26 to 1.13 ± 0.13, differences of 4.56 and 3.8 pooled within-group standard deviations respectively, whereas a broad absorption band centred at 0.663 ± 0.071 THz is detected only in necrotic tissue at 4 days post-inoculation. Since the pathogen load was not quantified at the measured locations, these alterations are to be understood as infection-associated rather than as a direct detection of the pathogen, and no diagnostic model is proposed. Benchmarked against FORS, these findings indicate that contactless spectroscopic methods could serve as a valuable tool for disease monitoring in precision agriculture, potentially enabling timely intervention and minimizing crop losses.
