Solar RRL最新文献

Solar Cells

In article number 2400898, Sebastian Smits and co-workers develop a novel method to localize the front carrier-selective passivating contact in silicon heterojunction solar cells. Using this method, they demonstrated high short-circuit current density without compromising fill factor and surface passivation, enabling efficiency improvement of up to 2%_abs.

Supercapacitors

In article number 2400838, Teresa Gatti and co-workers present a proof-of-concept fully aqueous indoor light-energy harvesting and storage device. The system features a three-electrode configuration on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass, integrating a dye-sensitized solar cell and an activated carbon electrical double-layer supercapacitor, both employing a sustainable biopolymer hydrogel electrolyte.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology due to their remarkable efficiency advancements. However, their commercialization is hindered by stability challenges, including sensitivity to environmental conditions and a critical degradation mechanism known as potential-induced degradation (PID). PID can significantly impair PSC performance within hours under operational conditions. This study investigates PID in 48 triple-cation p-i-n PSCs over 313 h in an inert environment, excluding additional stressors like moisture and oxygen. The PID-stressed devices degraded to 79% of their initial efficiency, primarily driven by losses in short-circuit current density. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed sodium ion migration from soda-lime glass substrates into the perovskite layer. Interestingly, photoluminescence and X-ray diffraction analyses detected no measurable differences between PID-stressed and reference devices, contradicting prior literature that associates PID with perovskite segregation and decomposition. These findings challenge the conventional understanding of PID, suggesting that environmental factors such as oxygen and moisture might exacerbate degradation effects. This work provides critical insights into the intrinsic mechanisms of PID under controlled conditions and highlights the need for further research into the interplay between PID and environmental stressors to guide the development of more stable PSC technologies.

Sn-perovskites are considered a suitable alternative to toxic Pb-perovskites due to their low toxicity and optimum optoelectronic properties. However, high-efficiency Sn-based perovskite solar cells (Sn-PSCs) typically use poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) as a hole-transporting material (HTM), which limits their stability due to its acidic nature. This study introduces SnO_X nanocrystals, synthesized through a synproportionation reaction of Sn⁴⁺ with Sn⁰ under mild conditions, as a replacement for PEDOT:PSS. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that the Sn⁰ reduces Sn⁴⁺ by 38% and elevates the highest occupied molecular orbital to –5.70 eV, close to PEDOT:PSS, enabling HTM behavior. The perovskite films on SnO_X exhibit improved grain size and crystallinity compared to PEDOT:PSS. The resulting SnO_X-based Sn-PSCs achieved a power conversion efficiency of 11.11%. They retained 90% of their efficiency after 1000 h of maximum power point tracking, indicating superior stability over PEDOT:PSS-based devices.

Interfacial solar desalination using plasmonic metal semiconductors is a valuable process for freshwater production. However, the design of a sustainable and efficient photothermal evaporator is still challenging. In the present research, polyethylene terephthalate waste bottles were upcycled into carbon foam (CF) and further functionalized with CuS nanoflakes as a photothermal layer. Analytical characterizations (X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy–high-angle annular dark field) demonstrated the successful decoration of two-dimensional Covellite CuS nanoflakes on graphitic CF having microporous channels. UV/vis spectroscopy measurements show enhanced optical absorption with CuS/CF of up to 95% compared to bare CF (72%). The photothermal desalination experiment displayed an improved evaporation rate of 1.90 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ for the CuS–CF compared to 1.58 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ for the bare CF and CuS 1.41 kg m⁻² h¹, reveling the excellent water evaporation efficiency of 91%. The obtained results suggested that the design of CuS-functionalized CF derived from waste plastic for solar desalination is a useful strategy to produce fresh water from the upcycling of waste materials and a good example of circular economy through the development of engineered composite systems.

Escalating environmental and energy supply concerns, coupled with an increasing interest in space exploration, are driving the development of advanced energy harvesting systems and the adoption of cutting-edge photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Photonics allows precise light manipulation in a multitude of ways, empowering PV with the means to tackle the multifaceted challenges inherent to the harsh space environment, with great potential to concomitantly spin off to on-Earth systems, prioritizing efficiency and reliability. This review thus synthesizes the key insights from the latest experimental and simulation R&D outcomes to inform the design and implementation of advanced photonic strategies for various PV applications. The state-of-the-art performance and foreground of photonic-managed thick- (single-junction crystalline silicon, c-Si, and perovskite-on-silicon tandem) and thin-film (hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a-Si:H, and perovskite) PV devices are assessed by comparison with theoretical ideal light-trapping scenarios (single-, double-pass, and Lambertian absorption models), looking also at the potential of photonic coolers as an emergent platform for effective thermal management. Finally, this work examines novel photonic approaches for spectrum modification, emphasizing the relevance of illumination-tailoring for outer space systems.

To create efficient perovskite–silicon tandem cells with small pyramidal structures, it is crucial to deposit high-quality wide-bandgap perovskite films on textured surfaces. To attain this objective, it is essential to comprehensively understand the characteristics of perovskite films on textured surfaces and their impact on the efficiency loss mechanisms of perovskite solar cells. We find that the textured substrates provide better absorptance of the perovskite films, thus reducing the efficiency losses resulting from the reflected or transmitted light. The short-circuit current of textured devices reaches 95% of the Shockley–Queisser limit at 1.68 eV. In addition, the fill factor losses are not obviously influenced by the textured bottom surface of the perovskite films. Furthermore, transient photoluminescence was used to quantify the recombination losses at open circuit in layer stacks and full devices, offering insights into the surface recombination velocity at the perovskite/electron transport layer interface and capacitive discharge of the electrodes.

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells hold great promise for achieving high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). However, n–i–p tandem devices generally underperform compared to p–i–n configurations, largely due to difficulties in depositing high-quality, conformal electron-transport layers (ETLs) on rough, pyramid-structured silicon surfaces. Atomic layer deposited (ALD)-SnO_x is well suited as an ETL for tandem devices due to its ability to uniformly coat textured surfaces, but its high density of defects significantly limits efficiency compared to conventional solution-processed SnO_x. In this study, an ultrathin evaporated PbS layer is introduced to passivate surface defects in ALD-SnO_x. PbS effectively addresses interfacial defects at the SnO_x/perovskite interface, such as oxygen vacancies and uncoordinated Pb²⁺. Moreover, PbS improves energy-level alignment and lattice matching at the interface, enhancing device performance. With this bridging effect of PbS, a wide-bandgap (1.68 eV) n–i–p single-junction perovskite solar cell achieved a PCE of 20.39% and an open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of 1.22 V, compared to a control device with a PCE of 17.42% and a V_OC of 1.16 V.

The typical anisotropic crystal orientation in Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) is not conducive to carrier transport, resulting in a reduced power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to three-dimensional perovskites. Here, we present a novel method for manipulating the crystal orientation by introducing a self-assembled molecular layer, MeO-2PACz ([2-(3,6-dimethoxy-9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl] phosphonic acid), as an interlayer between PTAA (poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4, 6-trimethylphenyl) amine]) and the perovskite. The phosphate group of MeO-2PACz bonds with Pb²⁺ in the RPP, promoting the vertical orientation formation of the perovskite and facilitating efficient charge transport within the RPP materials. Additionally, the grain size is increased, and grain boundary defects are passivated, which contributes to suppressed nonradiative recombination of carriers. The interlayer incorporation of significantly improves the PCE of the optimized device to 17.80%, compared to the device without MeO-2PACz, which has an efficiency of approximately 15.68%. This presents the highest efficiency for an MA-based RP perovskite solar cell (PSC) utilizing 4FPEA (4-fluoro-phenethylammonium) as the spacer cation. Furthermore, the unencapsulated devices demonstrate superior thermal stability. This proposed optimization offers new insights into the manipulation of RPP crystal growth orientation.

Three-dimensional organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells show continuous improvement in power conversion efficiency. However, the defects present on the perovskite surface affect the device performance and long-term stability. In this study, we introduced N-(2-phenoxyethyl) guanidine nitrate salt (NPEGN) as a surface passivator to effectively engineer surface defects and reduce nonradiative recombination at the interface. The NPEGN introduction on the perovskite surface results in large grains with fewer grain boundaries, leading to the formation of low-dimensional 2D phase on the perovskite surface. Furthermore, NPEGN treatment passivates defects through ionic and hydrogen bonding with perovskite and inhibits perovskite degradation by preventing ion migration. Additionally, improved energy-level alignment at the perovskite/electron transport layer interface enhances charge transport capacity and reduces charge recombination. Consequently, the efficiency of perovskite solar cells with NPEGN treatment increases to 21.02%, while the unencapsulated devices retained 100% of their initial power conversion efficiency for 2200 h in nitrogen atmosphere and 90% of their initial efficiency for 450 h at 65°C.