Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-13DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114235
Wenqing Du, Yeming Shi, Yulong Yang, Desong Fan
As global demand for cooling continues to rise, developing efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective cooling technologies has become an urgent priority. Although radiative cooling with polymer hybrid nanoparticles is considered a promising strategy, its commercialization potential remains largely unexplored due to the theoretical neglect of medium absorption. Herein, we developed a computational model that accurately predicts the radiative behavior of particles in an absorbing medium. For the flexible nanocomposite with PDMS medium and ZrO2 particles, the optimized particle size can make it experimentally realize the 97.07% of solar reflectance and 0.96 of emissivity. Outdoor evaluation revealed that the nanocomposite consistently achieved an average sub-ambient cooling of 4.6 °C (with a maximum drop of 8.5 °C), significantly outperforming a commercial white paint in daytime radiative cooling. Moreover, our nanocomposite exhibited excellent comprehensive performance under various accelerated ageing tests near the real-world application. In conclusion, this work presents a theoretical framework and practical guidance for designing high-performance radiative cooling materials, thereby promoting their industrial applications.
{"title":"Radiative cooling optimization of flexible nanocomposites considering medium absorption","authors":"Wenqing Du, Yeming Shi, Yulong Yang, Desong Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114235","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114235","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As global demand for cooling continues to rise, developing efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective cooling technologies has become an urgent priority. Although radiative cooling with polymer hybrid nanoparticles is considered a promising strategy, its commercialization potential remains largely unexplored due to the theoretical neglect of medium absorption. Herein, we developed a computational model that accurately predicts the radiative behavior of particles in an absorbing medium. For the flexible nanocomposite with PDMS medium and ZrO<sub>2</sub> particles, the optimized particle size can make it experimentally realize the 97.07% of solar reflectance and 0.96 of emissivity. Outdoor evaluation revealed that the nanocomposite consistently achieved an average sub-ambient cooling of 4.6 °C (with a maximum drop of 8.5 °C), significantly outperforming a commercial white paint in daytime radiative cooling. Moreover, our nanocomposite exhibited excellent comprehensive performance under various accelerated ageing tests near the real-world application. In conclusion, this work presents a theoretical framework and practical guidance for designing high-performance radiative cooling materials, thereby promoting their industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114235"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114220
Linfeng Shi , Ke Liu , Chengyue Sun , Yong Liu , Yiyong Wu , Hongliang Guo , Zhenlong Wu , Liyong Yao
Laser wireless power transmission (LWPT) technology offers broad prospects for space applications. However, high-efficiency GaAs laser power converters (LPCs), as the key enabling devices, are susceptible to irradiation by charged particles during on-orbit operation, with non-uniform displacement damage induced by low-energy protons representing a critical factor. In this study, 500 keV proton irradiation experiments and modeling were performed on GaAs single-, dual-, and quadruple-junction LPCs. The results demonstrate that protons generate a higher average displacement defect introduction rate in the bottom cells, which consequently exhibits a larger external quantum efficiency (EQE) degradation. To reveal this behavior, an irradiation-induced degradation model for GaAs MJLPCs was established, incorporating the non-uniform distribution of displacement defects by 500 keV proton irradiation. The proposed model shows consistency with the measured EQE data and indicates that the electrical degradation is primarily attributed to the reduction of minority-carrier number in the base region of the bottom cells.
{"title":"Analysis and modeling of non-uniform displacement damage in GaAs laser power converters under 500 keV proton irradiation","authors":"Linfeng Shi , Ke Liu , Chengyue Sun , Yong Liu , Yiyong Wu , Hongliang Guo , Zhenlong Wu , Liyong Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Laser wireless power transmission (LWPT) technology offers broad prospects for space applications. However, high-efficiency GaAs laser power converters (LPCs), as the key enabling devices, are susceptible to irradiation by charged particles during on-orbit operation, with non-uniform displacement damage induced by low-energy protons representing a critical factor. In this study, 500 keV proton irradiation experiments and modeling were performed on GaAs single-, dual-, and quadruple-junction LPCs. The results demonstrate that protons generate a higher average displacement defect introduction rate in the bottom cells, which consequently exhibits a larger external quantum efficiency (EQE) degradation. To reveal this behavior, an irradiation-induced degradation model for GaAs MJLPCs was established, incorporating the non-uniform distribution of displacement defects by 500 keV proton irradiation. The proposed model shows consistency with the measured EQE data and indicates that the electrical degradation is primarily attributed to the reduction of minority-carrier number in the base region of the bottom cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114220"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114216
Ricardo Garsed , Gabriela Brito-Santos , Cecilio Hernández Rodríguez , Ricardo Guerrero Lemus , Horacio J. Salavagione , Marian Gómez-Fatou , Ginés Lifante-Pedrola , Javier Troyano , Pilar Amo-Ochoa
This research shows how the copper(I) iodide coordination compound, [Cu4I6(pr-ted)2] (pr-ted = 1-propyl-1,4-diazobiciclo[2.2.2]octan-1-ium) can be an excellent downshifter to improve the efficiency of commercial multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules. This compound was selected for its intense green emission, high photoluminescence quantum yield, high thermal stability, and single-step synthesis in water/ethanol at room temperature. Different types of configurations were investigated to integrate it into mc-Si PV modules. Thus, microcrystalline powder was deposited as a thin layer or as part of a composite film by means of its dispersion in commercial ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). Both the transparency and concentration have been studied as critical factors that influence the resulting external quantum efficiency and the power conversion efficiency of the modified PV modules. The efficiency improvements are very relevant compared to previous examples based on lanthanides. Depending on the method used for the deposition on the PV module, different efficiency increases can be achieved reaching 0.36% and up to 0.42% with 0.05 and 0.1 mg/cm2 of compound. The composite film approach enables the industrial manufacture of EVA modified with the downshifter. Accordingly, large-scale hot-pressing production of [Cu4I6(pr-ted)2]@EVA films was carried out.
{"title":"Improvement in the efficiency of silicon PV modules with a highly luminescent copper(I)-I-based coordination compound by using different processing strategies","authors":"Ricardo Garsed , Gabriela Brito-Santos , Cecilio Hernández Rodríguez , Ricardo Guerrero Lemus , Horacio J. Salavagione , Marian Gómez-Fatou , Ginés Lifante-Pedrola , Javier Troyano , Pilar Amo-Ochoa","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research shows how the copper(I) iodide coordination compound, [Cu<sub>4</sub>I<sub>6</sub>(pr-ted)<sub>2</sub>] (pr-ted = 1-propyl-1,4-diazobiciclo[2.2.2]octan-1-ium) can be an excellent downshifter to improve the efficiency of commercial multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules. This compound was selected for its intense green emission, high photoluminescence quantum yield, high thermal stability, and single-step synthesis in water/ethanol at room temperature. Different types of configurations were investigated to integrate it into mc-Si PV modules. Thus, microcrystalline powder was deposited as a thin layer or as part of a composite film by means of its dispersion in commercial ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). Both the transparency and concentration have been studied as critical factors that influence the resulting external quantum efficiency and the power conversion efficiency of the modified PV modules. The efficiency improvements are very relevant compared to previous examples based on lanthanides. Depending on the method used for the deposition on the PV module, different efficiency increases can be achieved reaching 0.36% and up to 0.42% with 0.05 and 0.1 mg/cm<sup>2</sup> of compound. The composite film approach enables the industrial manufacture of EVA modified with the downshifter. Accordingly, large-scale hot-pressing production of [Cu<sub>4</sub>I<sub>6</sub>(pr-ted)<sub>2</sub>]@EVA films was carried out.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114216"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114227
Tamal Chowdhury, Mohammad Dehghanimadvar, Nathan L. Chang, Richard Corkish
The photovoltaic (PV) industry has experienced unprecedented growth due to the global energy transition. As this transition continues, PV industries will face several challenges. One significant challenge is the production of substantial amounts of PV waste. A large portion of this waste will come from glass, which constitutes a significant share of PV modules by weight. Moreover, the production of this glass requires substantial amounts of energy and materials, while also generating emissions. One potential way to address these materials, energy, emission, and waste issues, at least partially, is through recycling. A review of current literature suggests that the reintroduction of recovered PV glass into the production of new PV glass has been largely overlooked. Moreover, existing studies predominantly focus on cullet-based glass recycling, while the reintroduction of recovered intact PV glass into new PV modules remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by analyzing short-circularity pathways with a particular focus on the direct reuse of intact PV glass. Several scenarios have been evaluated, including the reintroduction of PV glass cullet and the reuse of recovered whole PV glass in new modules. These scenarios are compared with the base case, which involves producing PV glass without using any external cullet. A life cycle analysis was performed, revealing that although introducing 30% and 90% external cullet in PV glass making can reduce the global warming impact (GWP) associated with glass production by 23% (Cases 1A, 1C, and 1E) and 71% (Cases 1B, 1D, and 1F), respectively, the recovery process of external cullet makes the overall impact higher. The solvent process was the main contributor to the environmental impact of solvent-based cullet recovery, accounting for about 51% of the total GWP. The overall impact from the glass production process can be reduced by 41% after reusing 90% solvent. Recovering old, whole PV glass is highly recommended as it eliminates the GWP associated with glass production and results in 68% less fossil depletion, 74% less metal depletion, and 91% less water depletion compared to the base case. However, the recovery of old, intact PV glass has a GWP, estimated at around 245 kg CO2-eq per tonne, with transportation contributing more than 80% of the total impact.
{"title":"Evaluating short-circularity pathways for photovoltaic glass through life cycle assessment: Cullet recycling versus whole-glass reuse","authors":"Tamal Chowdhury, Mohammad Dehghanimadvar, Nathan L. Chang, Richard Corkish","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The photovoltaic (PV) industry has experienced unprecedented growth due to the global energy transition. As this transition continues, PV industries will face several challenges. One significant challenge is the production of substantial amounts of PV waste. A large portion of this waste will come from glass, which constitutes a significant share of PV modules by weight. Moreover, the production of this glass requires substantial amounts of energy and materials, while also generating emissions. One potential way to address these materials, energy, emission, and waste issues, at least partially, is through recycling. A review of current literature suggests that the reintroduction of recovered PV glass into the production of new PV glass has been largely overlooked. Moreover, existing studies predominantly focus on cullet-based glass recycling, while the reintroduction of recovered intact PV glass into new PV modules remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by analyzing short-circularity pathways with a particular focus on the direct reuse of intact PV glass. Several scenarios have been evaluated, including the reintroduction of PV glass cullet and the reuse of recovered whole PV glass in new modules. These scenarios are compared with the base case, which involves producing PV glass without using any external cullet. A life cycle analysis was performed, revealing that although introducing 30% and 90% external cullet in PV glass making can reduce the global warming impact (GWP) associated with glass production by 23% (Cases 1A, 1C, and 1E) and 71% (Cases 1B, 1D, and 1F), respectively, the recovery process of external cullet makes the overall impact higher. The solvent process was the main contributor to the environmental impact of solvent-based cullet recovery, accounting for about 51% of the total GWP. The overall impact from the glass production process can be reduced by 41% after reusing 90% solvent. Recovering old, whole PV glass is highly recommended as it eliminates the GWP associated with glass production and results in 68% less fossil depletion, 74% less metal depletion, and 91% less water depletion compared to the base case. However, the recovery of old, intact PV glass has a GWP, estimated at around 245 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq per tonne, with transportation contributing more than 80% of the total impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114227"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146147093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114205
Hongliang Ding , Qi Miao , Yidan Tao , Jiuxuan Xiang , Linghua Tan , Yi Jin
Although the incorporation of high thermal conductivity nanoparticles can significantly enhance the thermal transfer performance of molten salt phase change materials, nanoparticle agglomeration remains a critical challenge that hinders the full realization of their heat transfer potential. This study presents a method for synthesizing AlN@Al2O3 core-shell structures based on an interface-induced self-assembly strategy to reduce the surface activity of nano-AlN. The approach introduces Al3+ ions to undergo spontaneous hydrolysis reactions, generating Al(OH)3 that spontaneously and uniformly attaches to the surface of AlN nanoparticles through interface adsorption and deposition mechanisms. Subsequent heating dehydrates the Al(OH)3 to form an Al2O3 coating, resulting in AlN@Al2O3 core-shell nanoparticles. This strategy effectively achieves stable dispersion of nano-AlN in Li2CO3-NaCl-LiF (56:28:16 wt%) molten salt. When the AlN@Al2O3 content reaches 3.0 wt%, the composite exhibits a specific heat capacity of 1.70 J/(g·K) and thermal conductivity of 2.76 W/(m·K), representing improvements of 39.34% and 58.62%, respectively, compared to the pristine salt. The experimental specific heat capacity values show good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the Sekhar and Sharma model, which confirms that the interface-induced self-assembly strategy for constructing core-shell nanoparticles can significantly enhance nanoparticle dispersion. This improved dispersion leads to enhanced specific heat capacity of the composite and superior thermal transfer performance of the molten salt PCMs. This study demonstrates that the interface-induced self-assembly strategy for constructing core-shell structures to improve the dispersion of high thermal conductivity nanoparticles in thermal storage materials provides valuable insights for developing thermal storage materials with superior thermal conductivity performance.
{"title":"Interface-induced self-assembly strategy for constructing core-shell nanoparticles to enhance the thermal transfer performance of composite phase change materials","authors":"Hongliang Ding , Qi Miao , Yidan Tao , Jiuxuan Xiang , Linghua Tan , Yi Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although the incorporation of high thermal conductivity nanoparticles can significantly enhance the thermal transfer performance of molten salt phase change materials, nanoparticle agglomeration remains a critical challenge that hinders the full realization of their heat transfer potential. This study presents a method for synthesizing AlN@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> core-shell structures based on an interface-induced self-assembly strategy to reduce the surface activity of nano-AlN. The approach introduces Al<sup>3+</sup> ions to undergo spontaneous hydrolysis reactions, generating Al(OH)<sub>3</sub> that spontaneously and uniformly attaches to the surface of AlN nanoparticles through interface adsorption and deposition mechanisms. Subsequent heating dehydrates the Al(OH)<sub>3</sub> to form an Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> coating, resulting in AlN@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> core-shell nanoparticles. This strategy effectively achieves stable dispersion of nano-AlN in Li<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>-NaCl-LiF (56:28:16 wt%) molten salt. When the AlN@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> content reaches 3.0 wt%, the composite exhibits a specific heat capacity of 1.70 J/(g·K) and thermal conductivity of 2.76 W/(m·K), representing improvements of 39.34% and 58.62%, respectively, compared to the pristine salt. The experimental specific heat capacity values show good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the Sekhar and Sharma model, which confirms that the interface-induced self-assembly strategy for constructing core-shell nanoparticles can significantly enhance nanoparticle dispersion. This improved dispersion leads to enhanced specific heat capacity of the composite and superior thermal transfer performance of the molten salt PCMs. This study demonstrates that the interface-induced self-assembly strategy for constructing core-shell structures to improve the dispersion of high thermal conductivity nanoparticles in thermal storage materials provides valuable insights for developing thermal storage materials with superior thermal conductivity performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114205"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114233
Yuhan Zhang , Denys Vidish , Qiaoyun Chen , Mahdi Hasanzadeh Azar , Kevin P. Musselman
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) hold immense promise for scalable photovoltaic technology, yet challenges in manufacturing high-performance electron transport layers (ETLs) persist. Atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) offers a scalable alternative to conventional solution-based methods, but tin oxide (SnOX) ETLs deposited via AP-SALD (SnOXSALD) have underperformed compared to their nanoparticle-based counterparts (SnOXNP). This study investigates the root causes of this performance gap by analyzing the energetic, chemical, and morphological properties of SnOXSALD ETLs and their interfaces with the perovskite. We demonstrate that post-annealing at 180 °C significantly improves SnOXSALD conductivity, enhancing device photovoltaic parameters. Furthermore, it is found that the conformal nature of AP-SALD exacerbates substrate roughness, adversely affecting perovskite crystallization, unlike spin-coating, which smoothens the surface. By optimizing the ETL thickness and employing smoother fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates, SnOXSALD-based n-i-p PSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 20%, matching reference SnOXNP-based PSCs. These findings provide critical insights into interfacial engineering for scalable, high-performance PSCs, advancing AP-SALD toward industrial viability.
{"title":"Toward scalable solar cells: optimizing atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition SnOX for enhanced perovskite crystallization and performance","authors":"Yuhan Zhang , Denys Vidish , Qiaoyun Chen , Mahdi Hasanzadeh Azar , Kevin P. Musselman","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) hold immense promise for scalable photovoltaic technology, yet challenges in manufacturing high-performance electron transport layers (ETLs) persist. Atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) offers a scalable alternative to conventional solution-based methods, but tin oxide (SnO<sub>X</sub>) ETLs deposited via AP-SALD (SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>SALD</sup>) have underperformed compared to their nanoparticle-based counterparts (SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>NP</sup>). This study investigates the root causes of this performance gap by analyzing the energetic, chemical, and morphological properties of SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>SALD</sup> ETLs and their interfaces with the perovskite. We demonstrate that post-annealing at 180 °C significantly improves SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>SALD</sup> conductivity, enhancing device photovoltaic parameters. Furthermore, it is found that the conformal nature of AP-SALD exacerbates substrate roughness, adversely affecting perovskite crystallization, unlike spin-coating, which smoothens the surface. By optimizing the ETL thickness and employing smoother fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates, SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>SALD</sup>-based n-i-p PSCs achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 20%, matching reference SnO<sub>X</sub><sup>NP</sup>-based PSCs. These findings provide critical insights into interfacial engineering for scalable, high-performance PSCs, advancing AP-SALD toward industrial viability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114233"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114224
Genshun Wang , Guang Han , Tingting Wang , Hua Wu , Zebin Tan , Qiming Liu , Chaowei Xue , Yichun Wang , Kunta Yoshikawa , Liang Fang , Xixiang Xu , Hao Lin , Pingqi Gao
Driven by global carbon neutrality goals, photovoltaic as a representative of renewable energy continues to advance dynamically. Achieving further performance breakthroughs, such as >28% efficiency and >87% fill factor, demands innovative approaches. Herein, we combine theory, simulation, and experimental validation to demonstrate that coupling high-resistivity wafers with passivated edge technology (PET) effectively unlocks performance potential. This finding resolves key mechanistic uncertainties and provides actionable direction for addressing current industry challenges.
{"title":"Synergistic effect of high-resistivity wafers and edge passivation in unlocking the performance of silicon back contact solar cells","authors":"Genshun Wang , Guang Han , Tingting Wang , Hua Wu , Zebin Tan , Qiming Liu , Chaowei Xue , Yichun Wang , Kunta Yoshikawa , Liang Fang , Xixiang Xu , Hao Lin , Pingqi Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114224","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Driven by global carbon neutrality goals, photovoltaic as a representative of renewable energy continues to advance dynamically. Achieving further performance breakthroughs, such as >28% efficiency and >87% fill factor, demands innovative approaches. Herein, we combine theory, simulation, and experimental validation to demonstrate that coupling high-resistivity wafers with passivated edge technology (PET) effectively unlocks performance potential. This finding resolves key mechanistic uncertainties and provides actionable direction for addressing current industry challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114224"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146147629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114226
Bin Dong , Baohai Yang , Jianming Li , Ziyuan Liu , Haojie Ma , Yuchao Song , Wei Zhao , Yue Liu , Wanlei Chen , Zexu Dong , Jinlian Bi , Yujie Yuan , Wei Li , Ke Tao , Baojie Yan , Yisheng Li
Hydrogen (H2) plasma treatment (HPT) and carbon dioxide (CO2) plasma treatment (CO2PT) are often used to enhance the crystallinity of the microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H (p)) or microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H (p)) emitter in silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. In this paper, the CO2PT is first applied to treat the intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si:H(i)) layer before the deposition of the n-type μc-SiOx:H(n) window layer of HJT solar cells. It is found that the CO2PT effectively improves the crystallinity but degrades the interface passivation quality. Consequently, it does not improve, but degrades the HJT cell performance. To resolve this issue, we develop an advanced plasma treatment with H2 and CO2 mixture and find that the optimized (H2+CO2)PT not only improves the crystallinity, thereby increasing the conductivity as well as the light transmittance of the μc-SiOx:H(n) to improve short circuit density (Jsc), but also improves interface passivation to reduce recombination loss, thereby improving fill factor (FF). As a result, the FF is improved by 0.11% absolutely, and Jsc by 0.27 mA/cm2. The average conversion efficiency of the HJT solar cells fabricated with a mass-production PECVD system reaches 25.73%.
{"title":"Application of advanced plasma treatment in the a-Si:H(i)/μc-SiOxH(n) interface of silicon heterojunction solar cells","authors":"Bin Dong , Baohai Yang , Jianming Li , Ziyuan Liu , Haojie Ma , Yuchao Song , Wei Zhao , Yue Liu , Wanlei Chen , Zexu Dong , Jinlian Bi , Yujie Yuan , Wei Li , Ke Tao , Baojie Yan , Yisheng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) plasma treatment (HPT) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) plasma treatment (CO<sub>2</sub>PT) are often used to enhance the crystallinity of the microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H (p)) or microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H (p)) emitter in silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cells. In this paper, the CO<sub>2</sub>PT is first applied to treat the intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si:H(i)) layer before the deposition of the n-type μc-SiOx:H(n) window layer of HJT solar cells. It is found that the CO<sub>2</sub>PT effectively improves the crystallinity but degrades the interface passivation quality. Consequently, it does not improve, but degrades the HJT cell performance. To resolve this issue, we develop an advanced plasma treatment with H<sub>2</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub> mixture and find that the optimized (H<sub>2</sub>+CO<sub>2</sub>)PT not only improves the crystallinity, thereby increasing the conductivity as well as the light transmittance of the μc-SiOx:H(n) to improve short circuit density (J<sub>sc</sub>), but also improves interface passivation to reduce recombination loss, thereby improving fill factor (FF). As a result, the FF is improved by 0.11% absolutely, and J<sub>sc</sub> by 0.27 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. The average conversion efficiency of the HJT solar cells fabricated with a mass-production PECVD system reaches 25.73%.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114226"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-15Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114240
Heng Zhang , Qian Zhai , Qi Zhen , Yue Cao , Ke Zhao , Kongmeng Ye
To address the challenges of existing outdoor shading and protective fabrics in balancing flexibility with strength, while poor hydrophobicity limits their outdoor durability and mass production, we have developed a simple, efficient, and scalable strategy for fabricating lightweight, high-strength high-density polyethylene/polyvinylidene fluoride @alumina (HDPE/PVDF@Al2O3) microfibrous fabrics with exceptional radiative cooling and self-cleaning properties for multi-scenario outdoor shading and protection applications. The HDPE/PVDF@Al2O3 microfibrous fabric achieves a remarkable reflectance of 94.4% and demonstrates a cooling performance surpassing conventional cotton fabrics by 11.2 °C in outdoor testing. Its self-cleaning characteristics enable sustained radiative cooling capability during prolonged outdoor exposure. Additionally, the fabric exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, with longitudinal and transverse tensile strengths reaching 247.8 N and 181.6 N, respectively, while maintaining excellent flexibility. The HDPE/PVDF@Al2O3 microfibrous fabric demonstrates promising potential for all-weather thermo-hygrometric stability maintenance, which will further expand its applications in outdoor shading and protective fields.
{"title":"All-weather outdoor microfibrous fabrics with radiative cooling and mechanical robustness","authors":"Heng Zhang , Qian Zhai , Qi Zhen , Yue Cao , Ke Zhao , Kongmeng Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the challenges of existing outdoor shading and protective fabrics in balancing flexibility with strength, while poor hydrophobicity limits their outdoor durability and mass production, we have developed a simple, efficient, and scalable strategy for fabricating lightweight, high-strength high-density polyethylene/polyvinylidene fluoride @alumina (HDPE/PVDF@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) microfibrous fabrics with exceptional radiative cooling and self-cleaning properties for multi-scenario outdoor shading and protection applications. The HDPE/PVDF@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> microfibrous fabric achieves a remarkable reflectance of 94.4% and demonstrates a cooling performance surpassing conventional cotton fabrics by 11.2 °C in outdoor testing. Its self-cleaning characteristics enable sustained radiative cooling capability during prolonged outdoor exposure. Additionally, the fabric exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, with longitudinal and transverse tensile strengths reaching 247.8 N and 181.6 N, respectively, while maintaining excellent flexibility. The HDPE/PVDF@Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> microfibrous fabric demonstrates promising potential for all-weather thermo-hygrometric stability maintenance, which will further expand its applications in outdoor shading and protective fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 114240"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146187704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114193
Qinghe Zhou , Wangwang Cai , Tanghao Zheng , Xusheng Wang , Feng Yang , Huaixia Zhao , Yangxin Wang
Electrochromic devices (ECDs) are promising candidates for smart windows in energy-efficient buildings. However, challenges such as slow response speed and inadequate durability have restricted their widespread adoption. In this study, an innovative graphene-doped amorphous WO3 ECD with a solid gel electrolyte has been fabricated. Poly N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) hydrogel containing poly(AMPS-AA) and LiBr was used as the electrolyte layer, and WO3 film with graphene islands was used as the electrochromic layer. This hydrogel electrolyte has great physical strength with breaking elongation of 1140 % and breaking strength of 0.25 MPa. Due to the high transport ability of the sulfonate ion in the AMPS structure within the hydrogel net, this tough hydrogel has high ion transport capability. The graphene micro-islands are integrated into the WO3 layer during the fabrication process, which can not only offer more space for ion transport but also markedly boost electron transport kinetics. The resulted ECD as designed has a low driving voltage of −1.5 V. It demonstrates impressive transmittance modulation amplitudes (ΔT) of 52.3 % at 630 nm (visible light) and 48.7 % at 1560 nm (near-infrared light). Moreover, the ECD shows long-term memory effect. The transmittance of the colored film at 630 nm increases by only 8.9 % and 18.6 % after power off for 8 h and 24 h, respectively. After 1000 cycles of operation, ΔT remains 84.5 % of its initial modulation amplitude, attesting to the ECD's good cyclic stability. This strategy might open a new door for the development of smart windows.
{"title":"Amorphous WO3 electrochromic devices enhanced with embedded graphene micro-islands and Li-doped tough hydrogel for efficient dual-band modulation","authors":"Qinghe Zhou , Wangwang Cai , Tanghao Zheng , Xusheng Wang , Feng Yang , Huaixia Zhao , Yangxin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrochromic devices (ECDs) are promising candidates for smart windows in energy-efficient buildings. However, challenges such as slow response speed and inadequate durability have restricted their widespread adoption. In this study, an innovative graphene-doped amorphous WO<sub>3</sub> ECD with a solid gel electrolyte has been fabricated. Poly N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) hydrogel containing poly(AMPS-AA) and LiBr was used as the electrolyte layer, and WO<sub>3</sub> film with graphene islands was used as the electrochromic layer. This hydrogel electrolyte has great physical strength with breaking elongation of 1140 % and breaking strength of 0.25 MPa. Due to the high transport ability of the sulfonate ion in the AMPS structure within the hydrogel net, this tough hydrogel has high ion transport capability. The graphene micro-islands are integrated into the WO<sub>3</sub> layer during the fabrication process, which can not only offer more space for ion transport but also markedly boost electron transport kinetics. The resulted ECD as designed has a low driving voltage of −1.5 V. It demonstrates impressive transmittance modulation amplitudes (ΔT) of 52.3 % at 630 nm (visible light) and 48.7 % at 1560 nm (near-infrared light). Moreover, the ECD shows long-term memory effect. The transmittance of the colored film at 630 nm increases by only 8.9 % and 18.6 % after power off for 8 h and 24 h, respectively. After 1000 cycles of operation, ΔT remains 84.5 % of its initial modulation amplitude, attesting to the ECD's good cyclic stability. This strategy might open a new door for the development of smart windows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 114193"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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