- Michigan Technological University, Materials Science and Engineering, Department Memberadd
- Environmental Sustainability, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, Materials Science and Engineering, 3D printing, Energy Policy, and 30 morePhotovoltaics, Solar Cell, Appropriate Technology, Open Source Hardware, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Plasmonics, 3d Printer, Off-grid Electricity, Metamaterials, Photovoltaics Research, Additive Manufacturing, Open-Source Hardware, Distributed Generation, Distributed Manufacturing, TCO thin film, Rapid Prototyping, Solar Energy Technology, Photovoltaic Materials, Solar Energy, ITO - Tin doped Indium Oxide, Opensource Hardware, ZnO (Zinc Oxide), Alternative Energy, Open Source Appropriate Technology, RepRap, STEM Education, Photovoltaic Cell, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, and Thin Filmsedit
- Prof. Jephias Gwamuri is a lecturer in the Applied Physics Department, at the National University of Science and Tech... moreProf. Jephias Gwamuri is a lecturer in the Applied Physics Department, at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He obtained his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University. His current research activities includes; low cost Open-Source 3D printing, and Solar PV devices fabrication and characterization, novel transparent conducting oxides / electrodes and energy storage materials. He is a current member of OSA, SPIE and TMS among other profession societies. Prof Gwamuri is also affiliated to the Open Sustainability Technology Research Group (MOST) at Michigan Technological University and the lead investigator on the Solar Cell Research Group at NUST.
Prof. Jephias Gwamuri specialises in Materials Science and Engineering, and is an Associate Professor in the Applied Physics Department. His research focusses on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies. He has led and collaborated in various solar PV and 3D printing projects including; Open – Source 3D printers for development, solar PV Microgrids, 3D Printers for education, PV systems optimisation, among others. Notably among the grants/funding (both external and internal) attracted are; (Co-PI)- NUST Inter-faculty Solar PV grant (2019 - 2022), BIUST PV devices development Research grant (2019) – Collaboration, UNESCO-ICTP ALOP Workshop grant (2018), AFRA Regional project RAF/8/040 – IAEA, and the Zimbabwe-Mutoko Biofuels project - RAEIN – Africa (2009 – 9 months) among others. Prof Gwamuri is currently a member of; the International Network on Appropriate Technology (INAT), Society of Photonics Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), Optical Society of America (OSA), among others. Currently he is an active Reviewer (Journals and Conferences) and has been invited to chair various conferences among them; SPIE 10452, 14th Conference on Education and Training in Optics and Photonics: ETOP 2017, 20 – 31 May 2017, Hangzhou, China. Conference reviews include; Africa Computer-Human Interface (AfriCHI’16), 7th International Conferences on Appropriate Technology (ICAT 7), 8th International Conferences on Appropriate Technology (ICAT 8) and journals include; Elsevier’s Thin Solid films, Futures, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Optics Communications, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, MRS Advances, Materials Today: Proceedings among others. He has also supervised students research projects (BSc, MSc, MPhil, and PhD) and examined students thesis (BSc, MSc, MPhil, and PhD) mostly as an external examiner. Prof Gwamuri has vast hands-on device fabrication and characterization experience mainly earned from; Wright Center for Photovoltaic Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC labs, Physics Dept, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA where he was a research affiliate, Michigan Tech’s Microfabrication and Semiconductor fabrication Laboratory, Michigan Tech’s Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory (ACMAL) (Fulbright Science & Technology Award – U.S Department of State (2012 – 3 years)), as well as from various research collaborations in various labs around the Globe notable, The International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, The Laser and Fibre Optics Centre (LAFOC), University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and The Fibre Optics Centre, Nelson Mandela, Metropolitan University, South Africa.edit - Prof Joshua M Pearceedit
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The recent introduction of RepRap (Self-Replicating Rapid Prototyper) 3-D printers and the resultant open source technological improvements have resulted in affordable 3-D printing, enabling low-cost distributed manufacturing for... more
The recent introduction of RepRap (Self-Replicating Rapid Prototyper) 3-D printers and the resultant open source technological improvements have resulted in affordable 3-D printing, enabling low-cost distributed manufacturing for individuals. This development and others such as the rise of open source-appropriate technology (OSAT) and solar powered 3-D printing are moving 3-D printing from an industry specific technology to one that could be used in the developing world for sustainable development. In this paper, we explore some specific technological improvements and how distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can provide sustainable development by creating wealth for developing world communities through the ability to print less expensive and customized products. Conclusions on the technical viability of 3-D printing to assist in development and recommendations on how developing communities can fully exploit this technology have been outlined.
Research Interests: Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Optics, Development Studies, Community Development, and 15 moreOpen Source Software, Instrumentation and Measurement Science, Appropriate Technology, Environmental Sustainability, Experimental Physics, History of scientific instruments, Additive Manufacturing, Instrumentation, Opensource, Cultura Libre, Open Source Hardware, Distributed Manufacturing, OSAT, Opensource Hardware, and RepRap
Research Interests: Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Optics, Light Scattering, and 15 moreMetamaterials, Photonics, Nanomaterials, Nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Amorphous Materials, Optoelectronics, Nanoscience, Photovoltaic Cell, Photovoltaic, Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon, Optical physics, Nanosphere Lithography, Amorphous Silicon, and Electrical And Electronic Engineering
Research Interests: Engineering, Economics, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Energy, and 15 moreAirport Development, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Renewable Energy Systems, Airports, Airport Studies, Airport Engineering, Physical sciences, Glare, FAA, Airport Planning, Photovoltaic system, Photovoltaic Applications In Built Environment, Software Deployment, and ENERGIES
Research Interests: Engineering, Microelectronics And Semiconductor Engineering, Materials Engineering, Computer Science, Materials Science, and 15 moreElectronic Materials, Semiconductors, Materials, Electronic properties of materials, Materials Science and Engineering, Semiconductor Materials, Semiconductor, Hardware, Open Source Hardware, Conductivity, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Electrical Conductivity, Four Point Probe Technique, Opensource Hardware, and RepRap
Research Interests: Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Photovoltaics, Photovoltaic Materials, and 15 moreMaterials Science and Engineering, Material Science, Photovoltaics Research, Optoelectronics, Solar Energy, Thin Film, Physical sciences, Photovoltaic, TCO thin film, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Etching, Thin Film Physics, Amorphous Silicon, Plasmonic, and Indium tin oxide
Research Interests: Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Mechatronics, and 15 moreEnergy, Appropriate Technology, Energy and Environment, Renewable energy resources, Environmental Sustainability, Materials Science and Engineering, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Photovoltaic, Open Source Hardware, Distributed Manufacturing, Peer to Peer, Machines, Open Source Appropriate Technology, Opensource Hardware, and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Interests: Environmental Science, Photovoltaics, Renewable Energy, Energy, Building Integrated Solar Energy Technologies, and 14 moreEnergy and Environment, Solar, Renewable energy resources, Photovoltaics Research, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar PV, Solar PV Systems Installation, Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), Snow Cover, solar PV power plants, Photovoltaic Solar Systems, and Photovoltaic system
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Research Interests: Materials Science, Photovoltaics, Plasmonics, Metamaterials, Transparent Conducting Oxide Materials, and 14 morePhotovoltaic Materials, Photovoltaics Research, ITO - Tin doped Indium Oxide, Optoelectronics, Photovoltaic Solar Cells, Solar Energy, Thin Film, Photovoltaic Cell, ZnO (Zinc Oxide), TCO thin film, Transparent Conducting Oxides, Photovoltaic system, Amorphous Silicon, and Plasmon
Research Interests: Economics, Development Economics, Manufacturing, Open Source Software, Appropriate Technology, and 15 moreInternational Economic Relations, Additive Manufacturing, APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, National Economy, Developing Country, Manufacturing Engineering, Glasses, Open Source Hardware, Distributed Manufacturing, Eye Care, Open Source Appropriate Technology, Opthalmic Optics, Eyewear, Global Eyewear, and Optical Industry
Using metamaterial absorbers, we have shown that metallic layers in the absorbers do not necessarily constitute undesired resistive heating problem for photovoltaics. Tailoring the geometric skin depth of metals and employing the natural... more
Using metamaterial absorbers, we have shown that metallic layers in the absorbers do not necessarily constitute undesired resistive heating problem for photovoltaics. Tailoring the geometric skin depth of metals and employing the natural bulk absorbance characteristics of the semiconductors in those absorbers can enable the exchange of undesired resistive losses with the useful optical absorbance in the active semiconductors. Thus, Ohmic loss dominated metamaterial absorbers can be converted into photovoltaic near-perfect absorbers with the advantage of harvesting the full potential of light management offered by the metamaterial absorbers. Based on experimental permittivity data for indium gallium nitride, we have shown that between 75%-95% absorbance can be achieved in the semiconductor layers of the converted metamaterial absorbers. Besides other metamaterial and plasmonic devices, our results may also apply to photodectors and other metal or semiconductor based optical devices w...
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ABSTRACT This chapter reviews the recent promising advances in the use of plasmonic nanostructures forming metamaterials to improve absorption of light in thin-fi lm solar photovoltaic (PV) devices. Sophisticated light management in... more
ABSTRACT This chapter reviews the recent promising advances in the use of plasmonic nanostructures forming metamaterials to improve absorption of light in thin-fi lm solar photovoltaic (PV) devices. Sophisticated light management in thin-fi lm PV has become increasingly important to ensure absorption of the entire solar spectrum while reducing semiconductor absorber layer thicknesses, which reduces deposition time, material use, embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions, and economic costs. Metal nanostructures have a strong interaction with light, which enables unprecedented control over the propagation and the trapping of light in the absorber layer of thin-fi lm PV. The literature is reviewed for both theoretical and experimental work on multiple nanoscale geometries of plasmonic absorbers and PV materials. Finally, the use of nanostructures to improve light trapping in PV is outlined to guide development in the future.
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Abstract: Although the trend in manufacturing has been towards centralization to leverage economies of scale, the recent rapid technical development of open-source 3-D printers enables low-cost distributed bespoke production. This paper... more
Abstract: Although the trend in manufacturing has been towards centralization to leverage economies of scale, the recent rapid technical development of open-source 3-D printers enables low-cost distributed bespoke production. This paper explores the potential advantages of a distributed manufacturing model of high-value products by investigating the application of 3-D printing to self-refraction eyeglasses. A series of parametric 3-D printable designs is developed, fabricated and tested to overcome limitations identified with mass-manufactured self-correcting eyeglasses designed for the developing world's poor. By utilizing 3-D printable self-adjustable glasses, communities not only gain access to far more diversity in product design, as the glasses can be customized for the individual, but 3-D printing also offers the potential for significant cost reductions. The results show that distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can empower developing world communities...
ORIGINAL PAPER Limitations of ultra-thin transparent conducting oxides for integration into plasmonic-enhanced thin-film solar photovoltaic devices
Abstract. The agglomeration/dewetting process of thin silver films provides a scalable method of obtaining self-assembled nanoparticles (SANPs) for plasmonics-based thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) devices. We show the effect of... more
Abstract. The agglomeration/dewetting process of thin silver films provides a scalable method of obtaining self-assembled nanoparticles (SANPs) for plasmonics-based thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) devices. We show the effect of annealing ambiance on silver SANP average size, particle/cluster finite shape, substrate area coverage/particle distribution, and how these physical parameters influence optical properties and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) responses of SANPs. Statistical analysis performed indicates that generally Ag SANPs processed in the presence of a gas (argon and nitrogen) ambiance tend to have smaller average size particles compared to those processed under vacuum. Optical properties are observed to be highly dependent on particle size, separation distance, and finite shape. The greatest SERS enhancement was observed for the argon-processed samples. There is a correlation between simulation and experimental data that indicate argon-processed AgNPs have a gr...
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In this review article applications and potential uses of 3D printing in the plastic thermoforming industry are reviewed. 3D printing also known as “Additive manufacturing” has revolutionized the modern manufacturing process and... more
In this review article applications and potential uses of 3D printing in the plastic thermoforming industry are reviewed. 3D printing also known as “Additive manufacturing” has revolutionized the modern manufacturing process and engineering design process. Thermoforming is widely used in plastic manufacturing industries to produce a range of polymer products such products are normally used in the packaging industry. Thermoforming moulds are mostly produced using conventional mould building technologies and are made of steel. These mould are robust but only suitable for mass production and take some time to fabricate. 3D printers are mostlyused during the prototyping stage of design. They can be used for proof of concept and also are useful for customer presentations to allow the customer to see and feel exactly what their product will look like. 3D printing can find use in thermoforming industry in creating moulds to thermoform parts this can produce the moulds quickly and ...
Published Article,To study how light behaves inside a highly diffusing medium such as biological tissues; it is necessary to know the optical properties of the media. We investigated how light propagates inside turbid media by evaluating... more
Published Article,To study how light behaves inside a highly diffusing medium such as biological tissues; it is necessary to know the optical properties of the media. We investigated how light propagates inside turbid media by evaluating the optical properties of phantom tissues. The studies were performed, in vitro by measuring optical properties of the medium. The properties to be measured were the absorption coefficient a i , the scattering coefficient, s i i‚¢ and the asymmetry factor g. The phantom tissue which was evaluated was milk with the following results being obtained: a i = 3.5 x 10-1 mm-1, s i i‚¢ = 0.567 mm-1, s i = 25.57 mm-1, and g = 0.8803.
Load forecasting is a technique used by power utilities to predict electricity demand to maintain the balance between supply and demand. The problem comes when the power utilities draw more than the inadvertent power from the power pool.... more
Load forecasting is a technique used by power utilities to predict electricity demand to maintain the balance between supply and demand. The problem comes when the power utilities draw more than the inadvertent power from the power pool. This necessitates the need for more accurate forecasting models. In this study, a short-term load forecasting system using artificial neural networks in MatLab was performed. The Levenberg-Marquardt optimization technique which has one of the best learning rates was used as a back-propagation algorithm for the Multilayer Feed Forward ANN model using MatLab® R2018a ANN Toolbox. Historical electricity load data obtained from a feeder line at the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) Marvel 420 kV substation in Bulawayo Zimbabwe was used for the training, testing, and validation of the model. Results indicate that ANNs can forecast load with an accuracy of 6.71%. The results indicate that the proposed technique is robust in...
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Although the trend in manufacturing has been towards centralization to leverage economies of scale, the recent rapid technical development of open-source 3-D printers enables low-cost distributed bespoke production. This paper explores... more
Although the trend in manufacturing has been towards centralization to leverage economies of scale, the recent rapid technical development of open-source 3-D printers enables low-cost distributed bespoke production. This paper explores the potential advantages of a distributed manufacturing model of high-value products by investigating the application of 3-D printing to self-refraction eyeglasses. A series of parametric 3-D printable designs is developed, fabricated and tested to overcome limitations identified with mass-manufactured self-correcting eyeglasses designed for the developing world's poor. By utilizing 3-D printable self-adjustable glasses, communities not only gain access to far more diversity in product design, as the glasses can be customized for the individual, but 3-D printing also offers the potential for significant cost reductions. The results show that distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can empower developing world communities through the ability to print less expensive and customized self-adjusting eyeglasses. This offers the potential to displace both centrally manufactured conventional and self-adjusting glasses while completely eliminating the costs of the conventional optics correction experience, including those of highly-trained optometrists and ophthalmologists and their associated equipment. Although, this study only analyzed a single product, it is clear that other products would benefit from the same approach in isolated regions of the developing world.
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Research Interests:
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing daily load shedding as the utility power company; the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is failing to cope with the ever increasing energy demand. Selbourne Brooks is one of the new up-market... more
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing daily load shedding as the utility power company; the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is failing to cope with the ever increasing energy demand. Selbourne Brooks is one of the new up-market suburbs in the city of Bulawayo where residents have been waiting to be connected to the grid for more than five years. A feasibility study was conducted in the area to establish the status and potential of Solar Home System (SHS) as an alternative source of energy for urban dwellers in Zimbabwe. This paper explores the issues mainly related to system requirements and availability, policies, standards, awareness, participation and investments all of which are major ingredients of sustainable implementation of the solar project in Zimbabwe. Insights into how system sizing can help in implementing PV Systems in Africa in a sustainable way are also included in the analysis. An energy audit was carried out in both the high density residential areas and ...
Page 1. Investigating Light Propagation In Turbid Media By Evaluating Optical Properties Of Phantom Tissues Jephias Gwamuri1, Prof. Ashok V Gholap2, Dr Tahani S Mohamed Shartir3, and Prof Paul K Bauh-Bassuah4 1National University of... more
Page 1. Investigating Light Propagation In Turbid Media By Evaluating Optical Properties Of Phantom Tissues Jephias Gwamuri1, Prof. Ashok V Gholap2, Dr Tahani S Mohamed Shartir3, and Prof Paul K Bauh-Bassuah4 1National University of Science and technology, Dept. ...