The reliability and long-term durability of two bifacial photovoltaic modules, a glass-transparent backsheet (GB) module and a glass-glass (GG) module, were compared. The output degradations after UV, damp heat (DH) and thermal cycle tests for GB modules were similar to those for GG modules in the case of using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant. In addition, GB modules using polyolefin encapsulant exhibited much higher reliability in a further extended DH test than GG modules using EVA encapsulant. It was also shown from an outdoor exposure test that the temperature of the GB module was clearly lower than that of the GG module, leading to a higher open-circuit voltage for the GB module. GB modules, even those using EVA encapsulant, had long-term durability similar to that of GG modules in addition to the advantages of a light weight, easy fabrication, and lower module temperature in a hot ambient.

A pseudoternary system Li 2 O-Cr 2 O 3 -TiO 2 was investigated in the temperature range from 800 to 1100°C. A new compound with ramsdellite structure was discovered. The ramsdellite-type phase was obtained alone at temperatures above 1000°C in the composition range x р 1.5 of Li 8/7(2Ϫx/3) Cr 8x/7 Ti 8/7(3Ϫ2x/3) O 8 . The ramsdellite structure showed reversible extraction and insertion cycles of lithium at the potential of ca. 4.0 V vs. Li/Li ϩ as well as 1.5 V. The former potential was attributed to a redox couple of Cr 3ϩ /Cr 4ϩ and the latter to Ti 3ϩ /Ti 4ϩ . The crystal structure was maintained against the electrochemical extraction and insertion of lithium, and the cell volume was almost unchanged in the processes.The ramsdellite structure has a three-dimensional 2 ϫ 1 tunnel framework that allows Li ϩ diffusion. A three-dimensional framework is expected to be preferable to a layered one due to its structural durability against Li ϩ insertion and extraction.In the lithium titanium oxide system some well-known phases such as spinel 1-4 and ramsdellite have been found. 5,6 These two phases have 3D frameworks and show reversible Li ϩ intercalation in lithium batteries. 7 The redox couple in them is Ti 3ϩ /Ti 4ϩ , having a potential of ca. 1.5 V vs. Li/Li ϩ . This potential seems adequate for a negative electrode in lithium batteries. For example, it was reported that Li 4/3 Ti 5/3 O 4 with spinel structure exhibited excellent reversibility due to its durable framework and had little charges of the lattice dimensions during the electrode reaction. 1 Such high reversibility makes us expect that the partial substitution of alternative cations for Ti 4ϩ might give a new positive electrode material with high redox potential and high reversibility. In this study, Li ϩ and the Ti 4ϩ ions in the ramsdellite structure are partially replaced with Cr 3ϩ ions, and the electrochemical properties of the products are examined for application to positive electrode materials in a lithium secondary battery. ExperimentalLithium-chromium-titanium oxides were synthesized using solid-state reaction. Li 2 CO 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , and TiO 2 were mixed together in an agate mortar so as to be x ϭ 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, and 1.75 in Li 8/7(2Ϫx/3) ϩ Cr 8x/7 3ϩ Ti 8/7(3Ϫ2x/3) 4ϩ O 8 . Each mixture was pressed into a pellet and then preheated at 750°C for 5 h in air to decompose the Li 2 CO 3 component and promote mixing of the cations. After that, the obtained pellet was crushed and repelletized to be well homogenized. Pellets were finally heated at calcination temperatures from 800 to 1100°C for 20 h followed by furnace cooling. The preheating temperature at which Li 2 CO 3 was completely decomposed was determined from the result of thermogravimetricdifferential thermal analysis ͑TG-DTA͒ analysis of a mixture of starting materials.Powder X-ray diffraction ͑XRD͒ patterns were collected using Cu K␣ radiation on an X-ray diffractometer ͑Rigaku, RINT-2200͒. Chemical compositions were determined by inductively coupled plasma ͑ICP͒ analysis. El...

A novel flexible active-matrix organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) display fabricated on planarized stainless-used-steel substrates with a resolution of 85 dpi in a 4.7-in. active area has been demonstrated. Amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistors were used as the backplane for the OLED display with high device performance, high electrical stability, and long lifetime. A full-color moving image at a frame frequency of 60 Hz was also realized by using a flexible color filter directly patterned on a plastic substrate with a white OLED as the light source.