Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

The Penn State Research Foundation

Hajime Goto

Jun Sasahara

Tadahiro Kubota

Mitsuya Hosoe

Izuru Kanoya

Yoshiya Fujiwara

Terumi Furuta

Takanori Suzuki

Peter C Eklund

Avetik R Harutyunyan

James H Adair

Toshiyuki Ohashi

Takashi Fukui

Ryogo Sakamoto

Bhabendra K Pradhan

Junichi Motohisa

Jennifer A Nelson

Kishore Sreenivasan

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a multi-junction solar cell which makes it possible to implement a 4-junction solar cell and to increase the area of a device. A nucleus generation site is disposed on a substratemade of a first semiconductor. A first material gas is fed to the nucleus generation site to form a wire-like semiconductorin the nucleus generation site. A third material gas and a fourth material gas are fed to form a wire-like semiconductoron the semiconductorand a wire-like semiconductoron the semiconductor. A nucleus generation site is disposed on a substrate. The first material gas is fed to the nucleus generation site to form a wire-like semiconductorin the nucleus generation site. A second material gas to the fourth material gas are fed to form the wire-like semiconductoron the semiconductor, the wire-like semiconductoron the semiconductor, and the wire-like semiconductoron the semiconductor. The bandgaps of the semiconductors decrease and increase consistently with the distance to the substrateor. The nucleus generation site is made of catalytic particles such as Au. The semiconductorsandare Ge, the semiconductoris InGaAs, the semiconductoris GaAs, and the semiconductoris AlGaAs.

Method for manufacturing multi-junction solar cell

There is provided a method for producing a multijunction solar cell having four-junctions, the method allowing the area of a device to be increased. On a nucleation site formed on a substrateis grown a semiconductorcomprising the same material as the substratein the shape of a wire. On the semiconductorare successively grown semiconductorsandwith a narrower band gap in the shape of a wire. The semiconductormay be directly grown in the shape of a wire on the nucleation site formed on the substrateIt is preferred to form the nucleation site by forming an amorphous SiOcoatingon the substrateand etching a part of the amorphous SiOcoatingFurther, it is preferred to form an insulating filmin the region except the nucleation sites on the substrateby allowing the amorphous SiOcoatingto remain therein. The semiconductoris GaP; the semiconductoris AlGaAs; the semiconductoris GaAs; the semiconductoris InGaAs; and the semiconductoris InGaAs.

Method for producing multijunction solar cell

A hydrogen storage tank comprises a hydrogen adsorbent accommodated in a pressure-resistant container. The hydrogen adsorbent is capable of adsorbing and retaining hydrogen gas of a volume exceeding an occupation volume occupied by the hydrogen adsorbent itself. As for the hydrogen adsorbent, the amount of endothermic heat, which is generated when the adsorbed hydrogen gas is released, is not more than 16 kJ per mol of hydrogen molecules. The hydrogen adsorbent is prevented from leaking outside of the pressure-resistant container by a filter.

Hydrogen storage tank

A hydrogen storage material includes a nano size material that can be formed in a multi-layered core/shell structure and/or in a nanotabular (or platelet) form.

Hydrogen storage material based on platelets and/or a multilayered core/shell structure

There is provided a method of purifying single wall carbon nanotubes so as to be able to remove impurities such as a metal catalyst to obtain the single wall carbon nanotubes with high purity. The method includes the first oxidizing step of oxidizing the single wall carbon nanotubes sootcontaining an impurity with a metal catalystthe first refluxing step of refluxing the single wall carbon nanotubes sootobtained by the first oxidizing step in an acid solution, the second oxidizing step of oxidizing the single wall carbon nanotubes sootobtained by the first refluxing step, and the second refluxing step of refluxing the single wall carbon nanotubes obtained sootby the second oxidizing step in an acid solution. The single wall nanotubesare synthesized by an arc discharge with a carbon electrode containing a metal catalystThe carbon electrode contains a metal catalyst which consists of Ni, Y, and Ti. The first oxidizing step is performed by heating at a temperature between 350 and 600&#xb0; C. or by a wet-oxidization in hydrogen peroxide solution. The first refluxing step is performed by refluxing in nitric acid. The second oxidizing step is performed by wet-oxidizing in hydrogen peroxide. The second refluxing step is performed by refluxing in hydrochloric acid.

Method of purifying single wall carbon nanotubes

To produce a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder which is an aggregate of alloy particles each including a metal matrix and added-components, an aggregate of metal matrix particles and an aggregate of added-component particles are used, and mechanical alloying is carried out. In this case, the relationship between the particle size D of the metal matrix particles and the particle sizeof the added-component particles is set at d&#x2266;D/6. Thus, the milling time can be shortened remarkably.

Hydrogen absorbing alloy powder and hydrogen storing tank for mounting in a vehicle

Carbon structures, e.g. carbon nano-fibers, suitable for absorbing hydrogen at low pressures and low temperatures are produced by a selective oxidation and/or acid reflux process. The process includes heating an impure mixture containing a crystalline form of carbon in the presence of an oxidizing gas at a temperature and time sufficient to selectively oxidize and remove a substantial amount of any amorphous carbon impurities from the mixture. Metal containing impurities can be removed from the mixture by exposing the desired carbon and accompanying impurities to an acid to produce a carbon fiber that is substantially free of both non-fiber carbon impurities and metal impurities. Another aspect of the present invention includes purified carbon structures that can store hydrogen at low pressures and temperatures.

Purification of carbon filaments and their use in storing hydrogen

To produce a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder which is an aggregate of alloy particles each including a metal matrix and added-components, an aggregate of metal matrix particles and an aggregate of added-component particles are used, and mechanical alloying is carried out. In this case, the relationship between the particle size D of the metal matrix particles and the particle size of the added-component particles is set at d&lE;D/6. Thus, the milling time can be shortened remarkably.

Process for producing hydrogen absorbing alloy powder, hydrogen absorbing alloy powder, and hydrogen-storing tank for mounting in vehicle

An adhesive member is used to bond one member to another member to form an adhesive layer whose internal defection can be detected by utilizing a magneto-mechanical property of a soft magnetic material. The adhesive member is comprised of a main body formed of an uncured adhesive, and a plurality of soft magnetic materials embedded in the main body and restrained in an external force-applied state after curing of the main body.

Adhesive member for forming an adhesive layer between two members and

In measuring the stress of a ferromagnetic linear metal member, an alternating current is supplied to flow between a pair of terminals mounted to the ferromagnetic linear metal member to measure an impedance .vertline.Z.vertline. of the ferromagnetic linear metal member between the terminals by an analyzer. Then, a stress .sigma. is determined based on the measured value of the impedance .vertline.Z.vertline. from an impedance .vertline.Z.vertline.-stress .sigma. relationship possessed by the ferromagnetic linear metal member. The stress distribution in a sheet-like sensor can be likewise measured by inserting into the sensor a plurality of intersecting ferromagnetic linear metal members. The stress .sigma. is determined for each individual member as described above, and then the stress distribution in the sheet-like sensor is determined by summing up the stresses of mutually intersecting members.

Method for measuring stress of ferromagnetic metal member, method for

In measuring a stress of a soft magnetic metal wire, an A.C. magnetic field exceeding a coercive force of the metal wire is applied to the soft magnetic metal wire with a tensile load applied thereto, using an exciting coil, thereby inducing an A.C. electromotive force through a detecting coil. An effective value of one or more higher harmonic wave components including a stress information of the soft magnetic metal wire in the waveform of the A.C. electromotive force is determined as a measurement amount. By taking higher harmonic wave components as an amount in this manner, the stress of the soft magnetic metal wire 4 can be measured correctly.

Process for measuring stress of magnetic materials, FRP member whose

The detection of an internal damage in an FRP member constituted by reinforcing fibers, a matrix resin and magnetic members having a magneto-mechanical property is conducted by disposing the magnetic members in the FRP member, and measuring a change in the magnetic properties of the magnetic members by a non-destructive inspection method.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Hajime Goto