Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Calum McDonald, Hitoshi Sai, Vladimir Svrcek, Atsushi Kogo, Tetsuhiko Miyadera, Takurou N. Murakami, Masayuki Chikamatsu, Yuji Yoshida, Takuya Matsui
Summary: This study presents a simplified tandem solar cell structure, combining perovskite and silicon heterostructures, without the need for expensive materials and deposition steps. It is demonstrated that growing n-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon on an amorphous silicon hole contact layer of the bottom cell can achieve high open-circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Optics
Benedikt Blaesi, Mario Hanser, Klaus Jaeger, Oliver Hoehn
Summary: Solar cells can enhance light trapping efficiency by utilizing gratings. We present an analytical model to optimize the grating period and provide guidelines for maximizing light trapping in high-end solar cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiang Liu, Michele De Bastiani, Erkan Aydin, George T. Harrison, Yajun Gao, Rakesh R. Pradhan, Mathan K. Eswaran, Mukunda Mandal, Wenbo Yan, Akmaral Seitkhan, Maxime Babics, Anand S. Subbiah, Esma Ugur, Fuzong Xu, Lujia Xu, Mingcong Wang, Atteq Ur Rehman, Arsalan Razzaq, Jingxuan Kang, Randi Azmi, Ahmed Ali Said, Furkan H. Isikgor, Thomas G. Allen, Denis Andrienko, Udo Schwingenschlogl, Frederic Laquai, Stefaan De Wolf
Summary: The performance of perovskite solar cells with inverted polarity can be improved by adding a MgFx interlayer at the perovskite/C-60 interface. This interlayer facilitates efficient electron extraction, reduces nonradiative recombination, and exhibits good stability under damp-heat conditions.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Michele De Bastiani, Anand S. Subbiah, Maxime Babics, Esma Ugur, Lujia Xu, Jiang Liu, Thomas G. Allen, Erkan Aydin, Stefaan De Wolf
Summary: Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic devices that enhance stability and energy yield by collecting light from both the sunward and rear side.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Tao Song, Charles Mack, Rafell Williams, Daniel J. Friedman, Nikos Kopidakis
Summary: This article discusses the special performance measurement points and methods of perovskite multijunctions, including the measurement of spectral response, spectrum adjustment, and protocols for measuring the power output of the device at STC. It also presents common errors and pitfalls, as well as methods for evaluating data accuracy when a spectrally adjustable solar simulator is not available. Finally, performance measurement methods are recommended for high throughput situations.
Article
Optics
Julia R. D'Rozario, Stephen J. Polly, George T. Nelson, David Wilt, Seth M. Hubbard
Summary: This study highlights the significance of considering free-carrier absorption (FCA) in non-active layers for the design and efficiency improvement of ultrathin III-V solar cells with light trapping structures. Optical modeling shows that FCA can cause parasitic losses and reduce the current and voltage output of the solar cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xin Yu Chin, Deniz Turkay, Julian A. Steele, Saba Tabean, Santhana Eswara, Mounir Mensi, Peter Fiala, Christian M. Wolff, Adriana Paracchino, Kerem Artuk, Daniel Jacobs, Quentin Guesnay, Florent Sahli, Gaelle Andreatta, Mathieu Boccard, Quentin Jeangros, Christophe Ballif
Summary: Silicon solar cells are reaching their efficiency limit of 29%, but this can be surpassed by using advanced device structures. In this study, we created a tandem device with a perovskite layer on top of a silicon bottom cell to enhance the photocurrent. By regulating the perovskite crystallization process and reducing recombination losses, we achieved a certified power conversion efficiency of 31.25% with an active area of 1.17 square centimeters.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tudor E. Scheul, Edris Khorani, Tasmiat Rahman, Martin D. B. Charlton, Stuart A. Boden
Summary: The study utilized wavelength and angle resolved scattering (WARS) reflectance measurements on b-Si surfaces to analyze light scattering effects. It was found that large angle scattering occurs across the entire spectrum, especially for shorter wavelengths and taller texture features, resulting in significant light trapping through total internal reflectance (TIR) at various interfaces. This led to a calculated additional boost of up to 0.45% in the photogenerated current of encapsulated black silicon solar cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yubin Park, Bo Zhao, Shanhui Fan
Summary: The Landsberg limit represents the ultimate efficiency limit of solar energy harvesting, which can be reached by using nonreciprocal elements. A nonreciprocal multijunction solar cell has been introduced, showing that it can reach the Landsberg limit with an infinite number of layers and outperform a standard reciprocal cell with a finite number of layers. This work simplifies the device configuration needed to reach the ultimate limit of solar energy conversion and suggests a way to improve solar energy harvesting using nonreciprocity.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hidenori Mizuno, Kikuo Makita, Hitoshi Sai, Toshimitsu Mochizuki, Takuya Matsui, Hidetaka Takato, Ralph Muller, David Lackner, Frank Dimroth, Takeyoshi Sugaya
Summary: This paper describes a method for fabricating two-terminal tandem solar cells using Si heterojunction bottom cells and GaAs-relevant III-V top cells by smart stack. By introducing hydrogenated nanocrystalline Si layers, the electrical contacts and passivation quality of the cells were improved, resulting in a certified efficiency of 27.4%.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenhuai Feng, Ying Tan, Meifang Yang, Yong Jiang, Bing-Xin Lei, Lianzhou Wang, Wu-Qiang Wu
Summary: Amines, featuring the combination of amino groups and other organic moieties, have shown great potential as additives or surface ligands for improving the performances of perovskite solar cells and perovskite-based light emitting diodes. By rational tailoring of their molecular structures, amine molecules exhibit multifunctionalities and salient advantages. This review unlocks the secrets of how a small amount of amine molecules incorporated in perovskite films can bring big benefits to these optoelectronic devices and discusses feasible rules for the design of amines with ideal molecular structures.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dingyan Huang, Huimin Xiang, Ran Ran, Wei Wang, Wei Zhou, Zongping Shao
Summary: Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have gained significant attention due to their high-power conversion efficiencies, facile fabrication, and low cost. However, the instability issue, caused by the poor quality of perovskite films and the limited heat and moisture tolerance of organic hole-transporting layer (HTL), hinders their commercialization. Inorganic HTL materials have emerged as promising alternatives due to their high chemical stability, wide band gap, high light transmittance, and low cost. This review highlights the recent advancements in the design and fabrication of nanostructured inorganic HTLs for PSCs, emphasizing their superiority over organic counterparts in terms of moisture and heat tolerance, hole transfer capability, and light transmittance. Additionally, strategies to enhance the performance of inorganic HTLs, such as fabrication route design and nanocomposite construction, are proposed. The challenges and future research directions for nanostructured inorganic HTL-based PSCs are also discussed. This review provides valuable guidelines for the development of high-efficiency and durable inorganic HTL-based PSCs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zengqi Huang, Lin Li, Tingqing Wu, Tangyue Xue, Wei Sun, Qi Pan, Huadong Wang, Hongfei Xie, Jimei Chi, Teng Han, Xiaotian Hu, Meng Su, Yiwang Chen, Yanlin Song
Summary: In a flexible perovskite solar cell, the interface between perovskite and the electron-transporting layer at the bottom is crucial for efficiency and reliability. By incorporating a liquid crystal elastomer interlayer, the charge transfer channel in the device is toughened, leading to optimized charge collection and reduced charge recombination. The flexible device achieves an efficiency of 22.10%, and demonstrates long-term stability with over 80% efficiency after 1570 hours and 86% efficiency after 5000 bending cycles. Furthermore, the flexible solar cell chips are integrated into a wearable haptic device for a pain sensation system in virtual reality.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Kan Li, Guofeng You, Meiyan Wu, Shang Zhang, Yi Ruan, Dongmei Li, Hongyu Zhen, Qiang Lin
Summary: This study focuses on reducing optical loss in thin-film solar cells by designing a micro-prism film to improve light absorption and enhance device performance. The film's light trapping efficiency varies with thickness periodically, but the absorption enhancement remains at the maximum within a certain thickness range, making thickness control easier during fabrication. Experimental results show that the micro-prism film significantly increases the power conversion efficiency of polymer solar cells and perovskite solar cells.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fan Fu, Jia Li, Terry Chien-Jen Yang, Haoming Liang, Antonin Faes, Quentin Jeangros, Christophe Ballif, Yi Hou
Summary: This review focuses on the scientific and technological challenges of monolithic 2-terminal perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells, including factors limiting power conversion efficiency, pathways to achieve higher efficiency, and stability issues. Key areas of research to bring this technology from the lab to industrial production are highlighted.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhiqiang Li, Xiaoyang Liang, Gang Li, Haixu Liu, Huiyu Zhang, Jianxin Guo, Jingwei Chen, Kai Shen, Xingyuan San, Wei Yu, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Cuiling Zhang, Gowri Manohari Arumugam, Chong Liu, Jinlong Hu, Yuzhao Yang, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chong Liu, Yuzhao Yang, Cuiling Zhang, Shaohang Wu, Liyu Wei, Fei Guo, Gowri Manohari Arumugam, Jinlong Hu, Xingyuan Liu, Jie Lin, Ruud E. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2020)
Editorial Material
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Keisuke Ohdaira, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Anna Maria Coclite, Shi Yujun
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai Shen, Yu Zhang, Xiaoqing Wang, Chizhu Ou, Fei Guo, Hongbing Zhu, Cong Liu, Yanyan Gao, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Zhiqiang Li, Xianhu Liu, Yaohua Mai
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xiaoyang Liang, Chunsheng Guo, Tao Liu, Yufan Liu, Lin Yang, Dengyuan Song, Kai Shen, Ruud. E. I. Schropp, Zhiqiang Li, Yaohua Mai
Correction
Chemistry, Physical
K. Sharma, B. L. Williams, A. Mittal, H. C. M. Knoops, B. J. Kniknie, N. J. Bakker, W. M. M. Kessels, R. E. I. Schropp, M. Creatore
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHOTOENERGY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cuiling Zhang, Shaohang Wu, Leiming Tao, Gowri Manohari Arumugam, Chong Liu, Zhen Wang, Shusheng Zhu, Yuzhao Yang, Jie Lin, Xingyuan Liu, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2020)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xiaoyang Liang, Zhiqiang Li, Xingyuan San, Tao Liu, Yufan Liu, Kai Shen, Shufang Wang, Ruud E. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
Summary: Low-symmetric and structurally anisotropic materials, such as antimony selenide and analogues, have attracted research interest for their distinctive properties. Growth of monocrystalline Sb2Se3 nanorod arrays (NRAs) along the [hkT] orientation on polycrystalline surfaces is achieved under different growth conditions. Solar cells based on the [Ha]-oriented Sb2Se3 NRAs exhibit high power conversion efficiency and quasi-omnidirectional light absorption characteristics.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhaoteng Duan, Xiaoyang Liang, Yang Feng, Haiya Ma, Baolai Liang, Ying Wang, Shiping Luo, Shufang Wang, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Yaohua Mai, Zhiqiang Li
Summary: This study reports the fabrication of compact Sb2Se3 films using injection vapor deposition, resulting in high crystallinity and minimal defects, which leads to improved energy conversion efficiency in solar cells.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cong Liu, Shaohang Wu, Yanyan Gao, Yang Feng, Xinlong Wang, Yifei Xie, Jianzha Zheng, Hongbing Zhu, Zhiqiang Li, Ruud E. Schropp, Kai Shen, Yaohua Mai
Summary: This study successfully fabricates high-efficiency antimony selenosulfide solar cells using co-sublimation method and avoids toxic materials, such as cadmium compounds. By designing a graded bandgap profile for the absorber layer, the power conversion efficiency is further improved.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yanyan Gao, Chong Liu, Yi Xie, Rilang Guo, Xuqi Zhong, Huanxin Ju, Li Qin, Peng Jia, Shaohang Wu, Ruud E. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
Summary: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a nanosecond pulse laser to fabricate high-efficiency perovskite solar modules by reducing the heat-affected zone and improving the interconnection quality to overcome CTM efficiency losses.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cuiling Zhang, Chong Liu, Yanyan Gao, Shusheng Zhu, Fang Chen, Boyuan Huang, Yi Xie, Yaqing Liu, Mengen Ma, Zhen Wang, Shaohang Wu, Ruud E. Schropp, Yaohua Mai
Summary: Indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) are promising for powering the Internet of Things. The power conversion efficiency depends on the match between indoor light spectra and the band gap of the light absorbing layer. Metal-halide perovskites, with tunable band gaps, show potential but high bromine content leads to low open-circuit voltage (V-OC). By introducing iodine-rich compounds, the V-OC of perovskite IPVs can be increased up to 1.05 V under 1000 lux illumination, setting a record efficiency of 36.36%.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoyang Liang, Yang Feng, Wei Dang, Hao Huang, Xinhua Wang, Yingnan Guo, Kai Shen, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Zhiqiang Li, Yaohua Mai
Summary: Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) shows promise as a material for flexible and lightweight photovoltaic applications due to its unique one-dimensional crystal structure and low-temperature growth techniques. The introduction of a lead selenide (PbSe) transition layer at the buried back-contact interface improves the crystalline quality of Sb2Se3 and enhances hole extraction, resulting in a record efficiency of 8.43% for flexible Sb2Se3 photovoltaics.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chunsheng Guo, Xiaoyang Liang, Tao Liu, Yufan Liu, Lin Yang, Weidong Lai, Ruud E. I. Schropp, Dengyuan Song, Yaohua Mai, Zhiqiang Li
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shahriyar Safat Dipta, Md Habibur Rahaman, Walia Binte Tarique, Ashraful Hossain Howlader, Ayush Pratik, John A. Stride, Ashraf Uddin
Summary: Implementing a double-sided passivation approach can enhance the performance of n-i-p structured PSCs and improve the stability and photovoltaic properties of the cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Daniel Ourinson, Andreas Brand, Andreas Lorenz, Marwan Dhamrin, Sebastian Tepner, Michael Linse, Nathalie Goettlicher, Kosuke Tsuji, Jonas D. Huyeng, Florian Clement
Summary: This work presents two approaches to reduce the amount of silver on the rear side of M2-sized industrial iTOPCon solar cells. The Cu-based approach shows promise with similar power conversion efficiency compared to the conventional approach, while the Al-based approach exhibits some limitations but demonstrates the potential of such type of contact for iTOPCon solar cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Abasifreke Ebong, Donald Intal, Sandra Huneycutt, Thad Druffel, Ruvini Dharmadasa, Kevin Elmer, Apolo Nambo
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful metallization of a PERC silicon solar cell using screen-printable copper (Cu) paste. The Cu paste contains antioxidant additives and diffusion inhibitors to prevent oxidation and diffusion of Cu. The Cu-printed cells achieved an efficiency of 19% and showed no Cu diffusion after characterization tests. The long-term stability and effectiveness of the Cu diffusion barrier were also confirmed.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Senami Zogbo, Wilfried Favre, Olivier Bonino, Marie-Estelle Gueunier-Farret
Summary: Measuring specific contact resistivity (pc) is crucial for interface engineering in high efficiency solar cells. The Transfer Length Method (TLM) is commonly used for evaluating layer sheet resistance (Rsheet) and pc, but it is not suitable for metal/Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) interface evaluation in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells. This study investigates the parameters that restrict current confinement within the TCO, including mid-gap trap density (Dit) at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface and the activation energy (Ea = Ec - EF) variation of a-Si:H contact layers.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume
Summary: The phenomenon of ribbon lengthening in PV modules exposed to thermal cycling is not well explained in the literature. In this study, a three layers model is proposed to explain this effect, and the predictions of the model are validated through finite element method simulations and experiments. The results show that the model predictions are consistent with the indirect measurements, but not with the direct measurements. Additionally, it is inferred that the encapsulant plays a role after the solder failure.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume
Summary: This study investigates the problematic ribbon lengthening observed in PV modules exposed to high amplitude thermal cycling. A simplified system model is proposed and accurate predictions are obtained using the Finite Element Method. The results show that the thickness of the encapsulant has a substantial impact on the lengthening of the ribbons.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
S. Catalan-Gomez, E. Martinez Castellano, M. Schwarz, M. Montes Bajo, L. Dorado Vargas, A. Gonzalo, A. Redondo-Cubero, A. Gallego Carro, A. Hierro, J. M. Ulloa
Summary: This study investigates the use of core-shell gallium nanoparticles as functional light scatterers on solar cells. By optimizing the nanoparticle size, the short-circuit current of the solar cells is significantly improved. The underlying physical mechanism is studied through optical measurements and simulations, and a method to reduce the plasmonic effect of the nanoparticles is demonstrated.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
M. Gamel, G. Lopez, A. M. Medrano, A. Jimenez, A. Datas, M. Garin, I. Martin
Summary: In this study, a highly reflective ohmic contact to p-type c-Ge material is demonstrated, which can improve the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic devices. The experimental results show that this contact can simultaneously meet the requirements of good back surface passivation, low electrical resistivity, and high reflectivity. Moreover, simulations suggest that implementing these back contacts has the potential to achieve conversion efficiencies comparable to high-efficiency c-Ge TPV cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hongyang Wei, Qing Xu, Dongchu Chen, Min Chen, Menglei Chang, Xiufang Ye
Summary: This study prepared solar selective absorption films based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) photonic crystals using a unique electrodeposition method. The Co-Ag electrodeposited film exhibited superior solar selective absorption properties and thermal stability.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ankit Kumar, Ankit Chauhan, Jordi Llobet, Helder Fonseca, Patricia C. Sousa, Carlos Calaza, Gil Shalev
Summary: This study found that decorating subwavelength arrays with SiO2 quasi-nanolenses (qNL arrays) can enhance the absorption of the solar spectrum. Optical absorption mechanisms in qNL arrays were investigated using near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), revealing that the enhancement is a result of the combination of effective antireflection coating, increased optical interactions between adjacent dielectrics for elevated light trapping, and strong light concentration due to the presence of qNLs.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
S. Pingel, T. Wenzel, N. Goettlicher, M. Linse, L. Folcarelli, J. Schube, S. Hoffmann, S. Tepner, Y. C. Lau, J. Huyeng, A. Lorenz, F. Clement
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential to reduce silver consumption in highly efficient SHJ cells through fine-line screen printing using low temperature paste with various screens. The results show that using finer mesh allows for narrower grid fingers and lower resistance, leading to improved cell efficiency. Simulation results indicate that module wire configuration is crucial for reducing silver consumption.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xibo He, Jun Qiu, Wei Wang, Yicheng Hou, Yong Shuai
Summary: This paper proposes a novel phase change material with high thermal conductivity and stability for fast photo-thermal conversion and storage. The experimental results demonstrate excellent durability and stability of the phase change material, with good performance in thermal conductivity and thermal storage efficiency.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Qingyuan Liu, Lin Wang, Zheng Liu, Guohua Liu
Summary: A new evaporating structure consisting of liquid marble with tunable nanowire array is proposed to enhance solar evaporation. The experiments show that the liquid marble with nanowire array exhibits outstanding evaporation performance, which has significant implications for seawater desalination or wastewater treatment.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hao Liu, Qiming Liu, Jinpei Liu, Yonggang Zhao, Yingjie Yu, Yue An, Ganghui Wei, Yanzheng Li, Yujun Fu, Junshuai Li, Deyan He
Summary: Moisture in the air is identified as the main cause of performance degradation in organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells. Exposure to air leads to the growth of thin oxide layer on the interface and the formation of silver sulfide, increasing the series resistance and decreasing the fill factor, thus degrading the cell performance.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
E. Blanco, P. Martin, M. Dominguez, P. Fernandez-Palacios, I. Lombardero, C. Sanchez-Perez, I. Garcia, C. Algora, M. Gabas
Summary: This study addresses the lack of optical parameters for p-type Ge wafers by determining the complex refractive indices of commercial Ge wafers with varying doping levels. The obtained data successfully reproduces the critical points associated with interband transitions and absorption features below the bandgap. The refractive indices were validated through experimental measurements and solar cell simulations.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)