The global increase in energy demand has put an emphasis on the need for a transition to renewable energies. This transition is only achievable by developing technologies that are both innovative and cost effective. This project aims to increase the power conversion efficiency of transparent photovoltaics (TPVs) by coupling together dynamic windows based on reversible metal electrodeposition, offering electronically tunable transmission between clear and dark states. In the dynamic windows, I explored the use of polymer additives in a zinc electrolyte to increase the smoothness of the zinc electrodeposits and promote the reflectance of ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) light. UV and NIR light that reflects off the windows in their dark state will increase the efficiency of the TPVs by doubling the path length for light absorbance.

Although most polymers are amorphous materials, some polymers like ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) have a mixture of crystalline and amorphous phases. In this presentation we will discuss the origin of crystalline phase in UHMWPE and we will present the method for calculating percentage of crystallinity using X-Ray diffraction (XRD) data. Although, it is known for long time that the origin of the crystalline phase is in the existence of lamellae, we will discuss how these lamellas are related to the XRD features. We will compare UHMWPE films to powders and we will discuss how selecting fitting function (Gaussian, Lorentzian, Voigt) affects the results.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are materials made of metal clusters and organic ligands that can be made to form one, two, or three-dimensional structures. By changing the metal ion, organic ligand, or the reaction conditions, the MOF can be altered for different applications, such as gas capture, drug delivery, and light harvesting. There is an increased interest in liquefying gas molecules for electrochemical devices that can function at low temperatures due to their low freezing point. By confining gas molecules in the nanoscale environment within the MOF can lead to dramatic changes of their physical and chemical properties. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane gas (CH4) are two types of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere and are heat trapping gases that hurt the ozone layer. By adsorbing these gases into the pores of our MOF we can help reduce the amount in the Earth’s atmosphere. In this work we will be using a computational approach to predict the phase transition (capillary condensation) conditions for CO2 and CH4 inside UiO66 (one type of MOFs) based on their diffusion properties. With the analyzation of the adsorbed molecule’s dynamics inside MOFs, we will have better understanding for MOFs and confined-molecule properties, which provides insights for further studies.

The production of hydrogen fuel via water splitting will be critical for the large-scale utilization of intermittent renewable energy resources, such as solar power. In particular, visible light-photocatalysis to drive the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen offers a direct route for the conversion of solar to chemical energy. Current methods for water splitting are not environmentally sustainable due to the use of expensive and rare metals as catalysts, and thus more efficient systems based on earth abundant materials are needed. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting that require further exploration to reach their full potential. The inorganic and organic building blocks of MOFs can be easily varied, which allows for the rational tuning of different MOF properties including pore size, surface area, and topology. It is this impressive tunability that makes MOFs attractive for the development of new photocatalysts. In this paper, we review recent critical advancements in this field and discuss the theoretical and practical requirements for MOFs to be used as photocatalysts for efficient water splitting. By highlighting optimization strategies and remaining challenges, we aim to create a template to guide future designs of improved photocatalytic MOF materials. While more research will be needed in order for photocatalytic MOFs to be successfully implemented for water splitting on an industrial scale, there are many potential opportunities to make important contributions to this field.