Materials Concepts for Solar Cells Thomas Dittrich
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Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells: Physical Principles of Materials and Operation Michael Eikerling and Andrei Kulikovsky CRC Press, 2014 582 pages, $152.96 ISBN 9781439854051
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his is a great book for people who are interested in learning how fuel cells work from electrochemical, polymer physics, and transport perspectives. The authors have organized these areas in an integrated way and with a balance between science and design. The first chapter presents a general introduction to fuel cells, including design and structures, working principles, and current research focus. This is an excellent chapter for those who do not have a sufficient background in these subjects, or those who are interested in learning some basics. The second chapter presents a deep discussion of polymer electrolyte membranes, a central part of fuel cells. The functions of the membrane are to separate the reactive gases and keep them in
their own compartments, and to allow only hydrogen ions to migrate through the membrane and form an internal electric current. Proton transport is discussed in terms of water—proton interactions, hydrogel physics, and ionic fibrillary structures. A soliton theoretical model, water swelling of hydrogel, and modeling studies are introduced at proper levels. The third chapter describes catalyst layers. It provides a nice treatment of the relationships among microporous structures of the catalyst layers, electrochemical kinetics, and transport processes. This part explains the link between electrochemical reactions and polarization behavior that is key to understanding how chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. The reaction kinetics is related to the voltage of the battery. Discussions
Materials Concepts for Solar Cells Thomas Dittrich Imperial College Press, 2014 552 pages, $118.00 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-78326-444-5
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earning about renewable sources of energy is very pertinent in today’s context. This textbook is targeted to students interested in the principles and applications of solar cells. It is divided into two parts, with the first part providing the basic principles of solar cells. This section is complemented by a second section where a more practical approach for materials used in the design and architecture of solar cells is presented. The index is comprehensive, and symbols, abbreviations, and
acronyms are clearly provided at the beginning of the book. Each chapter contains a summary where the author recapitulates important points. Furthermore, the tasks or problems at the end of each chapter assist in assimilating concepts. The solutions to the tasks are also provided and serve as an auto-evaluation tool. Morever, equations and diagrams are abundant and useful. The bibliography is ample for further reading, and an index with keywords is also provided at the end of the book. MRS BULLETIN
are included for a few subjects such as oxygen reduction reactions. The fourth chapter discusses modeling studies of catalyst layer performance, many of which were performed by the authors and their
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