Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
S. Monika, M. Mahalakshmi, N. Subha, M. Senthil Pandian, P. Ramasamy
Summary: A composite material of zero-dimensional graphene quantum dots anchored on reduced graphene oxide sheets was successfully synthesized and used as a counter electrode material for CdS quantum dot sensitized solar cells. The composite showed significantly improved power conversion efficiency for solar cells.
DIAMOND AND RELATED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aryal Krishna Prasad, In-Rok Jo, Soon-Hyung Kang, Kwang-Soon Ahn
Summary: A novel electrochemical method was used to synthesize rGO-Cu2S as a counter electrode for quantum-dot-sensitized solar cell applications. Compared to Pt and Cu2S counter electrodes, rGO-Cu2S displayed lower charge transfer resistance and higher electrocatalytic activity, leading to an improved power conversion efficiency in QDSSCs.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bin Bin Jin, Hui Sheng Huang, Shu Ying Kong, Guo Qing Zhang, Biao Yang, Chu Xing Jiang, Ya Zhou, Dan Jun Wang, Jing Hui Zeng
Summary: In this study, ATO/PbSe composite was designed as the counter electrode for QDSSCs, showing enhanced electrocatalytic activity and stability compared to PbSe CE obtained by PVD. The improved performance is attributed to the high specific surface area, permeability, conductivity, and interface connectivity of ATO/PbSe CE, providing more active sites for reduction and fast channels for ion diffusion and electron transport. As a result, the CdS QDSSCs and CdS/CdSe co-sensitized QDSSCs assembled with ATO/PbSe CE exhibited higher power conversion efficiency than PbSe CE obtained by PVD, with stable photovoltaic properties over 200 minutes.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Lan Zhou, Hong Ling Ren, Chun Qin Yang, Ya Xue Wu, Bin Bin Jin
Summary: By using the SILAR method, ATO porous matrix film-supported CuS composites were constructed on a fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate, showing excellent electrocatalytic activity. Through optimizing the deposition cycles, a stable efficiency was achieved while improving the conductivity.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Meitong Chu, Zhonglin Du, Yanying Zhang, Lin Li, Shujie Jiao, Fahad Azad, Shichen Su
Summary: In this study, a graphene/Cu2-xSe composite material was prepared and studied for its photovoltaic and electrochemical properties. By optimizing the ratio of GR:Cu2-xSe and sintering temperature, the QDSCs based on the optimized GR/Cu2-xSe composite CE showed a significant improvement in cell performance compared to other types of CEs, with a PCE of 6.66%. The enhanced performance of the composite CE was attributed to the combination of high catalytic activity of Cu2-xSe nanoparticles and good conductivity of graphene, suggesting that GR/Cu2-xSe composite CE could be a potential candidate for high efficiency QDSCs.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Qiu Zhang, Yuekun Zhang, Tingting Zhang, Fengyan Li, Lin Xu
Summary: The challenge in enhancing the efficiency of QDSSCs lies in the development and design of cost-effective, stable, and efficient counter electrode catalysts for quick and efficient electron transport at the CE/electrolyte interface. This study creatively constructs Co9S8/Cu7S4 heterostructure composite CEs, using CuCo-Prussian blue analogs (PBA) as precursors, improving electron transfer efficiency and stability. The resulting Mn-CdS/CdSe/ZnS co-sensitized QDSSC equipped with the Co9S8/Cu7S4 heterostructure composite CE delivers significantly superior conversion efficiency compared to other CEs.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Aycan Atli, Abdullah Yildiz
Summary: An opaque platinum film as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells demonstrates enhanced reflectivity, smaller resistance, and excellent adhesion properties. As a result, the DSSC with the opaque platinum film achieves a higher electrical power conversion efficiency compared to the transparent platinum film under the same conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Akash S. Rasal, Ting-Wei Chang, Chiranjeevi Korupalli, Jia-Yaw Chang
Summary: This study successfully synthesized Cu2-xSySe1-y alloyed semiconductors film with tunable crystal structures, compositions, and morphologies as counter electrode materials, demonstrating excellent stability and high conversion efficiency in photovoltaic applications.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zishan Hu, Yuanlin Li, Aijun Li, Hai-Hua Wang, Xiao-Feng Wang
Summary: This paper focuses on the preparation of Ti3C2Tx decorated carbon nanotubes composite electrode materials (CNTs/Ti3C2Tx) and their performance as counter electrodes (CEs) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The CNTs/Ti3C2Tx CEs showed good electrocatalytic activity and stability, with photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) close to that of traditional Pt CEs.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ha Thanh Tung, Ho Kim Dan, Deepu Thomas, H. K. Jun, Le Thi Ngoc Tu
Summary: This research aims to improve the efficiency of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells by using a reduced graphene oxide-Cu2S counter electrode. The study shows that an electrode with 18 mg of graphene oxide exhibits the best electrochemistry and results in the highest performance for the solar cells.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
P. Baskaran, K. D. Nisha, S. Harish, H. Ikeda, J. Archana, M. Navaneethan
Summary: This study focused on enhancing the electrochemical properties of CZTS by compositing it with MoS2 to replace Pt as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. The addition of MoS2 in CZTS nanocomposites resulted in improved charge transfer performance and catalytic activity, with the best results observed at 8wt% MoS2 content.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
V. Navakoteswara Rao, P. Ravi, M. Sathish, M. Sakar, Bee Lyong Yang, Jun-Mo Yang, M. Mamatha Kumari, M. Shankar
Summary: TiO2 quantum dots-sensitized Cu2S nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by a two-stage hydrothermal-wet impregnation method. The composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance and stability, making it a promising material for large-scale hydrogen generation applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yi-Lin Chen, Yi-June Huang, Min-Hsin Yeh, Miao-Syuan Fan, Cheng-Tai Lin, Ching-Cheng Chang, Vittal Ramamurthy, Kuo-Chuan Ho
Summary: The research proposes using flower-like phosphorus-doped nickel oxide as the counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells, with different characteristics observed in P-NiO, which shows a promising potential for higher power conversion efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kezhong Wu, Zejin Wang, FeiFei Nie, Bei Ruan, Hui Zhao, Mingxing Wu
Summary: Transition metal compound catalysts have potential applications in Pt-free counter electrodes (CEs) for reducing costs and improving power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, CuWO4@C composite catalysts were synthesized by pyrolyzing Cu-based polyoxotungstate (H3PW12O40) precursor in the presence of polyaniline. The effects of pyrolysis temperature on the composition, morphology, and structure of the CuWO4@C composite were investigated. The optimal pyrolysis temperature of 800 degrees C resulted in the highest PCE of 7.11% for the regeneration of I3/I couple in the DSSCs.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tingting Zhang, Qiu Zhang, Quanhang Li, Fengyan Li, Lin Xu
Summary: In this study, CuCo2Se4 nanoparticles were in situ grown on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets to form CuCo2Se4/g-C3N4 composites, which were used as efficient counter electrode materials in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) for the first time. The CuCo2Se4/g-C3N4 composite with a hierarchical structure showed improved stability and catalytic activity, resulting in higher photovoltaic performance compared to pure CuCo2Se4 counter electrodes.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
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)