Solar RRL最新文献

Cu(In, Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) solar cells are known for their remarkable radiation tolerance, making them promising candidates for space applications. While silver (Ag) incorporation has been reported to enhance absorber quality, its role in radiation-induced defect formation and recovery dynamics remains insufficiently explored. In this study, a comparative investigation was conducted using CIGS absorber layers with and without Ag incorporation. Both types of devices were subjected to proton irradiation to simulate space radiation conditions, followed by heat-light soaking (HLS) treatments to assess defect recovery and device stability. The results reveal that Ag incorporation effectively suppresses the formation of selenium vacancies (V_Se) and the associated V_Se–V_Cu defect complexes. After HLS, defect states shift from deep levels to shallower ones or below detection, with significant recovery in carrier lifetime and radiative intensity. Thermal energy heals displacement damage, while light promotes charge-state transitions of V_Se–V_Cu, leading to increased carrier concentration. Enhanced thermal conductivity and photoresponse in Ag-incorporated samples further amplify recovery, enabling irradiated devices to retain up to 139% of their initial efficiency. These findings reveal a silver lining for space solar cells: Ag not only resists radiation damage but actively facilitates healing.

The exciton binding energy (E_b) is recognized as a pivotal parameter governing charge separation in polymeric photocatalysts. Reducing E_b in polymers enhances carrier generation, thereby boosting photocatalytic activity. Rationally constructing donor–acceptor (D–A) architectures in heptazine-based polymers offers an effective strategy to overcome intrinsic excitonic limitations. In this work, CN_x (x = 0.015, 0.025, 0.05) materials with intramolecular D–A configurations were developed by integrating electron-donating units with heptazine acceptor motifs. The optimized material CN_0.025 exhibits a 29% reduction in E_b (97 → 69 meV) and extended visible-light absorption, attributable to enhanced π-conjugation and modulated electronic structures. Remarkably, under visible-light irradiation, CN_0.025 achieves 97.7% degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (10 ppm) within 50 min. Moreover, CN_x exhibits a 29.8-fold higher CO yield than pure g-C₃N₄ in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Electrochemical photocurrent measurements reveal a remarkable enhancement in the photocurrent response of CN_0.025 relative to g-C₃N₄, which suggests more efficient exciton dissociation and increased carrier availability at the catalytic surface for subsequent redox reactions. This work establishes a paradigm for exciton dissociation in polymeric photocatalysts through engineered D–A nanoarchitectures.

In this work, the effects of luminescent coupling (LC) on the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of perovskite-silicon tandem (PST) solar cells are quantified by means of monochromatic transient photocurrent measurements and comprehensive optoelectronic simulations that take into account both optical and electrical coupling of the subcells. It is shown that, at short wavelengths, a similar response results from both LC and silicon bottom-cell shunts. The two contributions can be discriminated and quantified based on bias voltage and light intensity-dependent measurements. Such measurements were conducted on state-of-the-art PST cells and agree well with the behavior predicted by the simulations. For the case of polychromatic EQE simulations, a quenching of the LC effects with decreasing concentration of mobile ions is found, which is explained in terms of ion-modulated recombination via bulk defects.

Developing visible-light-responsive photocatalysts is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production. In this study, a CdCO₃-integrated 2D/2D g-C₃N₄/Co–Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) S-scheme heterostructure was designed to achieve efficient charge separation and enhanced light utilization. X-ray photoelectron spectrocopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron spin resonance analyses confirmed the formation of an S-scheme junction between g-C₃N₄ and Co–Al LDH, while photocurrent and photoluminescence studies revealed improved charge mobility and reduced recombination. The incorporation of CdCO₃ nanoparticles as a cocatalyst further accelerated interfacial electron transfer and strengthened redox activity. Consequently, the optimized heterostructure achieved a 16.1-fold increase in hydrogen evolution compared with pure g-C₃N₄, demonstrating a strong synergistic effect between S-scheme charge migration and cocatalyst-induced modulation. The structure also exhibited excellent stability under visible-light irradiation. This work presents an effective strategy for constructing advanced multijunction photocatalysts with engineered interfaces, offering valuable insight for next-generation solar-to-hydrogen conversion systems.

Antimony halide perovskites (AHPs) are promising materials for the development of environmentally friendly semi-transparent perovskite solar cells (ST-PSCs). However, the poor device performance due to sub-optimal film quality and structure-induced defects in lead-free AHPs remains a challenge for their potential commercialization. Here, we have addressed this issue by incorporating Cs₃Sb₂Br₉ quantum dots (QDs) in lead-free Cs₃Sb₂I₉-based ST-PSCs and demonstrated that Cs₃Sb₂Br₉ QDs passivation in these ST-PSCs can lead to a three-fold enhancement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and −3% increase in average visible transmittance. The higher performance is attributed to the better film formation by controlling crystallization and reducing nonradiative recombination by suppressing the defect states. Our study provides an effective defect passivation approach to develop stable and environmentally friendly ST-PSCs.

The bottom solar cell (BSC) plays a pivotal role in perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSC), not only contributing to the total energy output but also influencing the perovskite formation with its surface properties when used as a substrate. A promising BSC is the TOPCon² cell concept, featuring two full area tunnel oxide passivating contacts (TOPCon). In this study we explore their application in a fully textured tandem device, using the hybrid deposition method for the perovskite top cell processing tailored for compatibility with the industry-standard texture. We systematically investigate different TOPCon² BSC designs, including p- and n-type base material, as well as planar and textured p-TOPCon rear side morphologies. Comparable implied open-circuit voltages (iV_OC) were achieved with both TOPCon² and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) reference BSCs. With their integration into TSCs, efficiencies up to 30.6% are demonstrated for the first time on TOPCon² bottom cells with an industrial sized random pyramid front side texture. An in-depth loss analysis of this newly developed TOPCon- and the well-established baseline SHJ-based TSC demonstrates no fundamental difference in perovskite top cell formation and performance, which paves the way for the application of TOPCon BSCs for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells that are more established in the industry.

Bulky organic spacers are widely employed to synthetize quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) metal halide perovskites (MHPs), which display enhanced stability with respect to three-dimensional (3D) MHPs. The chemical nature and size of the bulky spacers play a key role in determining the performance of the solar cells by controlling the orientation of the octahedral layers and the charge transport. This work investigates how π-conjugation versus nonconjugation in bulky spacers impacts the structure and properties of quasi-2D MHPs and their photovoltaic performance in lead halide perovskite solar cells. Thus, diammonium spacers with related chemical structures and based on diphenylacetylene units (1, 2) or biphenyl flanked with alkyne moieties (3) are synthesized and investigated in comparison with the nonconjugated 4,4′-ethylenedianiline (ET) spacer (SP). Quasi-2D Dion–Jacobson MHPs are fabricated with a nominal n = 5, i.e., blocks of five octahedral layers are separated by the organic spacers and a chemical composition of SP(FA_0.9Cs_0.1)₄Pb₅I₁₆ (SP = ET, 1, 2, or 3). The preferential orientation of the octahedral layers was studied by X-ray diffraction measurements, revealing better alignment in the quasi-2D MHPs containing the conjugated spacers. Defect concentration was estimated from space-charge limited-current (SCLC) measurements resulting in lower values for the quasi-2D MHPs with the conjugated cations with respect to that prepared with the nonconjugated ET spacer. The lowest defect density was found for the film with the conjugated spacer 1, which is in line with the slower photoluminescence (PL) decay for this sample. The solar cells prepared with the quasi-2D MHPs incorporating the nonconjugated ET spacer display power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of around 11%, while approx. 13% are reached in the devices prepared with the conjugated spacers 1, 2, and 3. Our study demonstrates that the incorporation of conjugation in bulky spacers decreases the defect density and ion mobility leading to higher PCEs.

We report the development and characterisation of single-dye luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) fabricated using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, doped with Perylene Red and Perylene Orange dyes. A systematic study was carried out by varying the dye concentration in single-dye LSCs and characterising their optical and electrical properties. The performance of the LSCs was studied under photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) illumination, which is relevant for indoor greenhouse applications and aligns with the broader goal of indoor photovoltaics and toward net-zero energy systems. Optical coupling of the LSCs to the solar cells significantly enhanced device performance compared to air-gap configurations. Optically coupled single-dye LSC devices based on Orange and Red achieved power conversion efficiencies of 1.4% and 3.6%, respectively, with corresponding overall optical efficiencies of approximately 15% and 31%. Notably, despite the high reabsorption probability observed in the Red LSC–PV device, photon collection efficiencies reached 50%, demonstrating 3D printing as a rapid and effective research tool for investigating LSC–PV performance.

In silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells, thinning the hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon hole layer (uc-Si:H(p⁺)) reduces its parasitic absorption and increases the short-circuit current density (J_sc), but deteriorates passivation, significantly lowering the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) and fill factor (FF), thus limiting efficiency. This work proposes and validates an ultrathin nanocrystalline silicon/molybdenum oxide (uc-Si:H(p⁺)/MoO_x) bilayer hole transport structure that effectively resolves this tradeoff. The ultrathin uc-Si:H(p⁺) layer within the bilayer minimizes sputtering damage from MoO_x deposition and provides a degree of carrier selectivity. The MoO_x layer enhances cell passivation by blocking indium diffusion from the transparent conductive oxides (TCO) into the uc-Si:H(i) layer and passivating dangling bonds at the uc-Si:H(p⁺) surface, thereby boosting V_oc. Furthermore, due to its high work function, large conduction band offset, and small valence band offset, MoO_x reduces carrier recombination and improves hole extraction and transport, consequently increasing J_sc and FF. The champion cell achieved a V_oc of 0.72 V, J_sc of 40.10 mA/cm², FF of 78.42%, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.72%, surpassing the performance of the initial cell with an unthinned uc-Si:H(p⁺) layer (V_oc 0.72 V, J_sc 38.89 mA/cm², FF 78.10%, PCE 21.82%).

The bandgap tunability of lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) positions them as a promising candidate for tandem solar cells (TSCs). However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of all-PbS QDs TSCs is lagging much behind the theoretical efficiency limit due to the deficient carrier recombination capability of the interconnection layer (ICL). In this study, we fabricated all-PbS QDs TSCs utilizing 1.40 and 0.95 eV PbS QDs for the top and bottom subcells, respectively. We developed two kinds of ICLs, 1,2-ethanedithiol capped PbS QDs (PbS-EDT)/Au/ZnO and PbS-EDT/SAMs/Au/ZnO, where self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4-(7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazol-7-yl)butylphosphonic acid (4PADCB) were the first time applied for all-PbS QD TSCs. The SAMs bound with the PbS-EDT hole transport layer (HTL), enhancing hole extraction from the top cell via their conjugated π-system. Furthermore, they served to passivate traps at the HTL/Au interface, thereby reducing nonradiative recombination losses. Consequently, the top cell achieved 8.36% PCE with a semitransparent absorber layer. After the SAMs modification, it established a uniform and low-potential surface, facilitating a uniform distribution of a thin Au recombination layer (RL). The newly developed RL enhanced hole–electron recombination. The resulting SAMs-based TSCs achieved a certified PCE of 11.95%, more than 2% net PCE improvement over our last record data.