Solar RRL最新文献

Solar Water Splitting

Antimony chalcogenides show promise for photoelectrochemical solar-to-hydrogen conversion, where green hydrogen is desired as an alternative fuel and used for methanol and ammonia synthesis. This requires fabrication of antimony chalcogenides atop p-type layers for efficient charge separation. In article number 2400528, Lydia H. Wong and co-workers investigated the feasibility of different p-type layers alongside chalcogen ratios towards efficient solar water splitting.

Dual-Junction Solar Cells

The satellite solar panels have innovative light-trapping nanostructures in III–V-based multijunction solar cells to enhance solar conversion efficiency. These advanced nanostructures optimize the absorption of sunlight, allowing the solar panels to generate more power for space applications. This cutting-edge technology plays a crucial role in boosting the overall performance and longevity of the space solar panels, ensuring their functionality in the demanding conditions of outer space. More in article number 2400531, Edward T. Yu and co-workers.

The design of a Cd-free and wider-bandgap buffer layer is stringent for future Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGSe) thin-film solar cell applications. For that, an In₂S₃ buffer layer alloyed with a limited amount of O (well below 25 mol%) has been proposed as a pertinent alternative solution to CdS or Zn(O,S) buffers. However, the chemical stability of the In₂S₃/CIGSe heterointerface when O is added is not completely clear. Therefore, in this work, the buffer/absorber interface for a series of sputter-deposited In₂S₃ buffers with and without O is investigated. It is found that the solar cell with the highest open-circuit voltage is obtained for the O-free In₂S₃ buffer sputtered at 220 °C. This improved open-circuit voltage could be explained by the presence of a 20 nm-thick ordered vacancy compound (OVC) at the absorber surface. A much thinner OVC layer (5 nm) or even the absence of this layer is found for the cell with In₂(O_0.25S_0.75)₃ buffer layer where O is inserted. The volume fraction of the OVC layer is directly linked with the magnitude of Cu diffusion from the CIGSe surface into the In₂(O_xS_1−x)₃ buffer layer. The O addition strongly reduces the Cu diffusion inside the buffer layer up to complete suppression for very high O contents in the buffer. Finally, it is discussed that the presence of the OVC layer may lower the valence band maximum, thereby forming a hole barrier, suppressing charge carrier recombination at the In₂(O_xS_1−x)₃/CIGSe interface, which could result in an increased open-circuit voltage.

Bismuth-based multicationic chalcogenide solar cells of class ABiX₂ (A–Ag, Cu; X–S, Se) have attracted substantial interest within the photovoltaic research community mainly due to their nontoxic nature and rising power conversion efficiencies. Although a good amount of research on these materials is underway, it calls for an intense and comprehensive approach to address the poor performance (PCE 10%) compared to its reported theoretical efficiency of 29%. Hence a review in this direction to address various unexplored concerns of these materials particularly, the defects and unfavorable band positions that give rise to enormous nonradiative recombinations, leading to major voltage losses in these devices is necessary. The article also discusses the structural and electronic properties, deposition techniques, device optimization strategies, impact of grain size, interface engineering, cationic disorder, transport layers, and light-harvesting techniques that may be required to enhance the device performance. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis of stability and cost considerations of the emerging AgBiS₂ solar devices is conducted to unveil their real-time applications in comparison to current state-of-the-art devices.

With the surge of UV-transparent module encapsulants in the photovoltaic industry aiming to boost quantum efficiency, modern silicon solar cells must now inherently withstand UV exposure. UV-induced degradation (UVID) of nonencapsulated laboratory and industrial solar cells from several manufacturers is investigated. Passivated emitter rear contact (PERC), tunnel oxide passivating contact (TOPCon), and silicon heterojunction (HJT) cells can suffer from severe implied voltage degradation (>20 mV) after UV exposure relating to 3.8 years of module installation in the Negev desert. Front UV-exposure causes more performance loss than an equal rear dose. This is connected to a higher UV transmission of the cell layers outside the bulk, indicating the photons need to reach the silicon surface to induce damage. Current–voltage measurements of the TOPCon groups most sensitive to UV degradation show more than 7%_rel efficiency loss with the V_oc as the main contributor. For two TOPCon groups, dark storage for 14 days after UV exposure causes an additional voltage drop on a similar scale as the UV damage itself, impeding straightforward reliability testing. UVID appears to be a complex process general to all dominant cell architectures with the potential to diminish efforts in efficiency optimization within only a few years of field employment.

Sustainable strategies to generate electricity using natural resources, such as sunlight (photovoltaic cells) and wind (wind towers), have driven a significant change in our homes in terms of electricity consumption. Herein, a new alternative for green electricity supply using solar-driven evaporators devices fabricated with hydrogels is described. The photothermal electricity production is promoted by alginate-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (ALG-PNIPAAm) bio-hydrogel, modified with acid-doped conducting polymer (CP), as thermal absorber component, to minimize energy losses. Direct current and voltage monitoring are used during the solar irradiation experiments to evaluate the power density of the hydrogel thermal electricity generator, whereas electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is employed to approach the diffusion processes. Impedance measurements elucidate the ion diffusion dynamics within the hydrogel, directly correlating this behavior to enhanced power generation. Therefore, the highest power supply (64.4 μW·cm⁻²) and current stability (32–33 μA), over time, are obtained for ALG-PNIPAAm-PEDOT-PSS hydrogel, demonstrating that hydrophilic groups (OH, SO₃H), present in the CP backbone, promote the capillary flow of the electrolyte during the sunlight irradiation. The doped CP molecules facilitate a fast ion transport thanks to a good balance between the material hydrophilicity and the interconnected pores.

One challenge in thin-film based solar cells, including perovskite-silicon tandem cells, is the defect-free deposition of the thin-film layers. Such defects can result in high local parasitic current losses, that is, local shunt spots. Depending on the nature of the defects, their geometrical distribution can either be microscopic, for example, induced by texture morphology, or macroscopic, for example, induced by particles during processing. Instead of avoiding the defects themselves, so-called shunt-quenching methods have been proposed to mitigate the associated efficiency loss. This work investigates the following recently suggested methods: 1) a deliberate current mismatch; and 2) engineering the resistive properties of the intermediate layers between the subcells to electrically isolate the shunt. A comprehensive 3D device simulation study is presented to quantitatively analyze the (in)effectiveness of these methods. It is found that shunt-quenching by a deliberate current mismatch can only play a minor role in the overall optimization of the current match point. Engineering the resistive properties of the intermediate layers must be generally considered ineffective. It only works for the rather specific case of strong and macroscopically distributed shunts with little cell-to-cell variation and only if some further requirements of the cell design are met.

Perovskite, a star material with extraordinary opto-electronic properties has shown promising results in both perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). Taking advantage of the similar configuration of PSCs and PeLEDs, next generation devices with dual functionality of light-harvesting and light-emission can be realized. Such devices hold enormous application prospects. However, the necessary tradeoff resulted from the opposite working principles required for each mode of operation and challenges such as non-radiative recombination loss resulted from bulk and surface defects in perovskite films and mismatched energy levels have hindered mass production. To provide a roadmap for rationally designing efficient light emitting perovskite solar cells (LEPSCs), a comprehensive review focusing on operating principle, device architecture, recent developments and limitations is required. We begin with a brief overview of the basic principles underlying the working mechanism of LEPSCs such as photon to electricity conversion and viceversa. The focus of this review then shift towards deligently combining and overviewing the important breakthroughs reported in this newly developed field such as morphology optimization, defect passivation, interface engineering, energy level alignment and dimensional control. Finally, this work concludes with discussing future challenges and providing a roadmap for rational design of efficient and stable LEPSCs.

Perovskite Solar Cells

Thionicotinamide as a multifunctional Lewis base additive passivates defect states and reduces non-radiative recombination in lead halide perovskite films by coordinating with unsaturated Pb atoms via pyridine, amino, and S group. This reduces grain boundary defects, improves crystallinity and power conversion efficiency, leading to enhanced device stability. More in article number 2400589, Rajiv K. Singh and co-workers.

One of the key topics in perovskite solar cells is the reduction of charge carrier recombination, with the aim of increasing power conversion efficiency. The recombination lifetime is a commonly used tool, as it directly affects the current–voltage curve via the diffusion length. The lifetime is often estimated using time-domain measurement methods such as time-resolved photoluminescence. However, two obstacles emerge when applying the transiently measured decay times to the steady-state theory. In general, the decay time depends on the charge carrier concentration, and it is often not clear under which conditions the transient measurement must be conducted to be comparable with the steady-state performance of the device. Furthermore, diffusion and capacitive effects due to charge injection and extraction can influence transient techniques and cause the measured decay time to deviate from the sought-after recombination lifetime. Voltage-dependent steady-state photoluminescence measurements can be used to estimate the internal voltage during device operation and allow the extraction of collection efficiencies and effective steady-state decay times that are independent of transport and capacitive effects. Here, the differences between the steady-state and transient decay times are identified and discussed, and the losses in the current–voltage curve caused by extraction issues are quantified.