International Business Machines Corporation

Talia S Gershon

Teodor Krassimirov Todorov

Devendra K Sadana

Ning Li

Yun Seog Lee

Richard Alan Haight

Supratik Guha

Theodore Gerard Van Kessel

Oki Gunawan

Jeehwan Kim

Kevin W Brew

Nestor Alexander Bojarczuk, Jr

Seyoung Kim

Dennis Merton Newns

Byungha Shin

Ghavam G Shahidi

Joel Pereira De Souza

James Bowler Hannon

Marinus Hopstaken

Saurabh Singh

Paul Michael Solomon

Damon B Farmer

Matthew Warren Copel

Mahadevaiyer Krishnan

Priscilla D Antunez

Marinus J P Hopstaken

Ravin Mankad

Liang-Yi Chang

Jerry D Tersoff

Pouya Hashemi

Bahman Hekmatshoartabari

Guy M Cohen

Josephine B Chang

Michael S Gordon

Ali Afzali-Ardakani

Hendrik F Hamann

Yu Zhu

Glenn John Martyna

Bruce A Ek

Jiaxing Liu

Techniques for mechanically stabilizing metallic nanowire meshes using encapsulation are provided. In one aspect, a method for forming a mechanically-stabilized metallic nanowire mesh is provided which includes the steps of: forming the metallic nanowire mesh on a substrate; and coating the metallic nanowire mesh with a metal oxide that encapsulates the metallic nanowire mesh to mechanically-stabilize the metallic nanowire mesh which permits the metallic nanowire mesh to remain conductive at temperatures greater than or equal to about 600° C. A mechanically-stabilized metallic nanowire mesh is also provided.

Stabilization of metallic nanowire meshes via encapsulation

Methods for setting a resistance include applying a voltage across a memristive device, that exceeds a threshold based on a difference in chemical potential between a first material and a second material, to change a resistance of the memristive device. The memristive device includes a barrier layer of the second material that is formed between two metastable layers of the first material.

Two-terminal metastable mixed-conductor memristive devices

A photovoltaic device that includes a p-n junction of first type III-V semiconductor material layers, and a window layer of a second type III-V semiconductor material on the light receiving end of the p-n junction, wherein the second type III-V semiconductor material has a greater band gap than the first type III-V semiconductor material, and the window layer of the photovoltaic device has a cross-sectional area of microscale.

Focused energy photovoltaic cell

Memristive devices and methods for setting the resistance of a memristive device include a first mixed conducting layer formed from a first material having a resistance that changes depending on an ion concentration and having multiple coexisting phases from concentration-dependent metastability. A second metastable, mixed conducting layer is formed from the first material. A barrier layer between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer is formed from a second mixed conducting material having a chemical potential that prevents thermal ion diffusion between the first and second layer. The barrier layer provides an electrical threshold, above which ions are transferred between the first and second layer and below which the resistance of the device is read.

A method for fabricating a photovoltaic device includes forming a polycrystalline absorber layer including Cu&#x2014;Zn&#x2014;Sn&#x2014;S(Se) (CZTSSe) over a substrate. The absorber layer is rapid thermal annealed in a sealed chamber having elemental sulfur within the chamber. A sulfur content profile is graded in the absorber layer in accordance with a size of the elemental sulfur and an anneal temperature to provide a graduated bandgap profile for the absorber layer. Additional layers are formed on the absorber layer to complete the photovoltaic device.

Bandgap grading of CZTS solar cell

Zinc oxide compositions and methods for applying anti-reflective coating on oxide particles for sunscreen applications are provided herein. A composition includes multiple zinc oxide particles suspended within a medium forming sunscreen composition, and coating materials applied to each of the multiple zinc oxide particles in distinct layers via a gradation based on refractive index, wherein each of the coating materials has a refractive index that is between the refractive index of air and the refractive index of zinc oxide, and wherein the coating materials comprise a combination of (i) silicon dioxide, (ii) magnesium fluoride, (iii) one or more fluoropolymers, (iv) aluminum oxide, (v) zinc sulfide, and (vi) titanium dioxide.

Anti-reflective coating on oxide particles for sunscreen applications

Zinc oxide compositions as well as techniques for plasmonic enhancement of zinc oxide light absorption for sunscreen applications are provided herein. One example method includes selecting one or more metal particles to be used in conjunction with one or more zinc oxide particles in a sunscreen composition, wherein said selecting is based on the plasmon resonance frequency associated with each of the metal particles, and blending the metal particles and the zinc oxide particles within a medium to create the sunscreen composition.

Plasmonic enhancement of zinc oxide light absorption for sunscreen applications

Zinc oxide compositions as well as techniques for plasmonic enhancement of zinc oxide light absorption for sunscreen applications are provided herein. One example method includes selecting one or more metal particles to be used in conjunction with one or more zinc oxide particles in a sunscreen composition, wherein said selecting is based on the plasmon resonance frequency associated with each of the metal particles; and coating at least one portion of the surface of each of the one or more zinc oxide particles with the metal particles. Another example method includes selecting one or more metal particles to be used in conjunction with one or more zinc oxide particles in a sunscreen composition, wherein said selecting is based on the plasmon resonance frequency associated with each of the metal particles; and blending the metal particles and the zinc oxide particles within a medium to create the sunscreen composition.

Zinc oxide compositions and methods for applying anti-reflective coating on oxide particles for sunscreen applications are provided herein. A composition includes multiple zinc oxide particles suspended within a medium forming sunscreen composition, and two or more coating materials applied to each of the multiple zinc oxide particles in distinct layers via a gradation based on refractive index, wherein each of the coating materials has a refractive index that is between the refractive index of air and the refractive index of zinc oxide, and wherein the two or more coating materials comprise zinc sulfide and titanium dioxide.

Low power combustible gas sensors using a thermocouple design are provided. In one aspect, a combustible gas sensor includes: at least one first electrode; at least one second electrode formed from a dissimilar material from the first electrode; and a catalytic material at an active reaction junction between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the active reaction junction between the first electrode and the second electrode forms a thermocouple. A sensing device is including, e.g., multiple sensors, and a method for sensing combustible gas using the present sensors are also provided.

Low power combustible gas sensing

Zinc oxide compositions and methods for applying anti-reflective coating on oxide particles for sunscreen applications are provided herein. A composition includes multiple zinc oxide particles suspended within a medium forming sunscreen composition, and two or more coating materials applied to each of the multiple zinc oxide particles in distinct layers via a gradation based on refractive index, wherein each of the coating materials has a refractive index that is between the refractive index of air and the refractive index of zinc oxide, and wherein the two or more coating materials comprise one or more fluoropolymers and aluminum oxide.

Zinc oxide compositions and methods for applying anti-reflective coating on oxide particles for sunscreen applications are provided herein. A composition includes multiple zinc oxide particles suspended within a medium forming sunscreen composition, and two or more coating materials applied to each of the multiple zinc oxide particles in distinct layers via a gradation based on refractive index, wherein each of the coating materials has a refractive index that is between the refractive index of air and the refractive index of zinc oxide.

Silver-containing absorbers for photovoltaic devices and techniques for fabrication thereof are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming an ink includes: mixing a silver halide and a solvent to form a first solution; mixing a metal, sulfur, and the solvent to form a second solution; combining the first solution and the second solution to form a precursor solution; and adding constituent components for an absorber material to the precursor solution to form the ink. Methods of forming an absorber film, a photovoltaic device, and the resulting photovoltaic device are also provided.

Solution-phase inclusion of silver into chalcogenide semiconductor inks

Techniques for solar thermal water purification by recycling photovoltaic reflection losses are provided. In one aspect, a solar thermal water purification system includes: a water purification component for desalinating salt water, the water purification component having multiple stages through which the salt water passes, and condensers in each of the stages; and a photovoltaic component configured to heat the salt water prior to the salt water entering a first stage of the water purification component, wherein desalinated water evaporates and condenses in each of the stages to be collected as pure water. A system using reverse osmosis and a heat-driven water pump is also provided. Methods for water purification are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

White Plains, NY, United States of America

Talia S Gershon