Chemical Engineering March 2017 - 12

tive maintenance for production sites
by identifying the weak signals that
precede a malfunction. Algorithms
devised by Air Liquide engineers are
used to fine-tune equipment adjustments
in plants in order to optimize
energy consumption, leveraging
nearly 15 years of data gathered
from all industrial sites. In the plants,
new technologies (touch tablets, 3-D
scanning, video tutorials and so on)
are also being introduced to simplify
maintenance and inspection management
operations and the organization
of daily tasks for operators.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Catexel (www.catexel.com) has secured
two patents to protect manganese
and iron complexes capable
of generating chlorine dioxide
from chloride salts. The technology
could enable more efficient onsite
generation of ClO2 for the prevention
of bacterial contamination and
biofilm formation. The technology
is said to have the potential to reduce
the chemical load and deliver
significant energy savings in wastewater
treatment.
CMS-5622 Productivity CE Mar2017.pdf 1 2/10/17 8:57 AM
❑
New technique simplifies doping for
organic semiconductors
A
new solution-based method for
introducing doping into organic
semiconductor films could simplify
the manufacture of efficient
single-layer photovoltaic cells and move
them closer to a commercial reality. Beyond
solar cells, the doping technique
could be more broadly used in other areas
of organic electronics.
Developed by a team of researchers
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
(Atlanta;
www.gatech.edu),
along
with partners at three other institutions,
the technique could expand the potential
applications for this technology, such as
wearable electronics and small-scale, distributed
power generation.
The process involves immersing organic
semiconductor films into nitromethane
solutions of polyoxometalates, which are
polyanions containing transition metals
(tungsten or molybdenum atoms, in this
case). When exposed to the solution for
several minutes, the metal atoms diffuse
into the organic film, leading to efficient ptype
(electron hole) electrical doping to a
depth of 10-20 nm from the surface of the
film, the researchers say.
" The p-doped regions show increased
electrical conductivity and high work
function, reduced solubility in the processing
solvent, and improved photo-oxidation
stability in air, " says the Georgia
Tech team.
Electrical doping of organic semiconductors
is traditionally accomplished using
vacuum-based techniques, which require
costly equipment. This solution immersion
method provides a simpler alternative to airsensitive
molybdenum oxide layers used in
the most efficient polymer solar cells, the
researchers say.
Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research
(Arlington, Va.; www.onr.navy.mil),
the work was reported in a recent issue
of Nature Materials. The research also
involved scientists from the University of
California at Santa Barbara, Kyushu University
(Japan), and the Eindhoven University
of Technology (the Netherlands). n
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12
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MARCH 2017
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Chemical Engineering March 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering March 2017
