Modern buildings contribute significantly to global energy consumption, particularly through heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Greenhouse facade buildings (GHFBs), in particular, face challenges in optimizing daylighting, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency. To address these challenges, researchers develop highly selective sun control coatings (HSSCC) that reduce solar heat gain while maintaining visible light transmission and colour neutrality. This study presents the design and experimental development of HSSCC by using large-area magnetron sputtering (LAMS) on float glass substrate having the refractive index ∼1.52. Various transition metals and metalloids like silicon nitride, chromium, niobium, nickel chrome, and titanium are selected based on their optical properties (refractive indices ranging from 1.8 to 3.0). The coated samples undergo characterization for optical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Performance parameters are evaluated in accordance with ISO 9050, NFRC, and EN410 standards. The developed coatings demonstrate strong potential for applications in energy-efficient glazing, as well as in industrial, automotive, and architectural sectors.
{"title":"Development of Highly Selective Sun Control Coatings (HSSCC) via large-area magnetron sputtering for Greenhouse Facade Buildings (GHFB)","authors":"Vemuri SRS Praveen Kumar PhD (Head) , Nagendra Kumar , Laiju Babu , Sagar Gawali , Swapnil Anant Bhoir , Sree Kumar , Shreyas Gaikwad , Pratik Patil , Onkar Dabhane , Manoj Baplekar , Vilas Kale , Amar Patil , Shivam Ramesh Magdum","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern buildings contribute significantly to global energy consumption, particularly through heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Greenhouse facade buildings (GHFBs), in particular, face challenges in optimizing daylighting, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency. To address these challenges, researchers develop highly selective sun control coatings (HSSCC) that reduce solar heat gain while maintaining visible light transmission and colour neutrality. This study presents the design and experimental development of HSSCC by using large-area magnetron sputtering (LAMS) on float glass substrate having the refractive index ∼1.52. Various transition metals and metalloids like silicon nitride, chromium, niobium, nickel chrome, and titanium are selected based on their optical properties (refractive indices ranging from 1.8 to 3.0). The coated samples undergo characterization for optical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Performance parameters are evaluated in accordance with ISO 9050, NFRC, and EN410 standards. The developed coatings demonstrate strong potential for applications in energy-efficient glazing, as well as in industrial, automotive, and architectural sectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114129"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787808","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114116
Zhaohaitan Zhu , Mingyong Wang , Haotian Shi , Yadong Jia , Lei Dai , Shuqiang Jiao
Chloride molten salts are well considered as a promising high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) media for prospective third-generation solar thermal power plant. It is essential to develop high-performance and safe chloride molten salt systems. Considering the complex components and high temperature, the accurate understanding to thermophysical properties and corrosion characteristics of chloride molten salts are crucial, but it remains a significant challenge. This review introduces the simulation and calculation methodology for the thermophysical properties. The research advances in the prediction methods of thermophysical properties, such as specific heat capacity, density, thermal conductivity, viscosity, melting point and saturated vapor pressure, and the development of high-performance chloride molten salts are reviewed. It is well known that high-temperature chloride molten salts will bring about serious corrosion. Therefore, the corrosion mechanism of chloride molten salts and controlment strategies are elucidated. Based on the key challenges and attractive prospective, the review will provide valuable inspiration for the rapid advancement of thermal energy storage plant.
{"title":"Thermophysical properties and corrosion behavior of chloride molten salts for next-generation thermal energy storage","authors":"Zhaohaitan Zhu , Mingyong Wang , Haotian Shi , Yadong Jia , Lei Dai , Shuqiang Jiao","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chloride molten salts are well considered as a promising high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) media for prospective third-generation solar thermal power plant. It is essential to develop high-performance and safe chloride molten salt systems. Considering the complex components and high temperature, the accurate understanding to thermophysical properties and corrosion characteristics of chloride molten salts are crucial, but it remains a significant challenge. This review introduces the simulation and calculation methodology for the thermophysical properties. The research advances in the prediction methods of thermophysical properties, such as specific heat capacity, density, thermal conductivity, viscosity, melting point and saturated vapor pressure, and the development of high-performance chloride molten salts are reviewed. It is well known that high-temperature chloride molten salts will bring about serious corrosion. Therefore, the corrosion mechanism of chloride molten salts and controlment strategies are elucidated. Based on the key challenges and attractive prospective, the review will provide valuable inspiration for the rapid advancement of thermal energy storage plant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114116"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787811","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114122
Shengyao Huang , Lei Li , Jielei Tu , Delin Xu , Jian Yu , Lingxi Lei , Hong Luo , Jiahui Hou , Lingfu Kong , Xibo Du , Jiancheng Cui
Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can degrade solar cell performance and impact the long-term stability of photovoltaic (PV) modules. To investigate the effects of UV irradiation on the electrical performance of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), standard (S-UV) and excessive (E-UV) doses of UV irradiation were applied according to the IEC 61215 standard. Changes in the materials, electrodes, and electrical performance of the solar cells were analyzed. The results revealed that S-UV and E-UV irradiation induced the photo-oxidation of the silicon substrate, leading to the formation of oxygen vacancies (Ov). After S-UV irradiation, the front electrode underwent oxidation and sulfidation, with the weight concentration (Wt%) of elements O and S increasing by 4.2 % and 1.1 %, respectively. After E-UV irradiation, the Wt% of O and S increased further by 9.1 % and 1.8 %, respectively. To verify the sources of O and S in the oxidation and sulfidation reactions, a transparent sealing device was used to seal the solar cells, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) testing showed no change (±0.1 %) in the Wt% of O and S, confirming that these elements originated from the air. The degradation of the materials and electrodes of solar cells increased the material resistance (Rmat) and electrode resistance (Relec), leading to increased series resistance (Rs). Further analysis revealed that Rmat contributed 96.4 % (S-UV) and 95.1 % (E-UV) to the Rs increase. This led to a power (P) reduction of 16.60 % (S-UV) and 19.15 % (E-UV), confirming that the degradation of solar cell materials is the main cause of P degradation.
{"title":"Effect of UV irradiation on the electrical performance of PERC solar cells","authors":"Shengyao Huang , Lei Li , Jielei Tu , Delin Xu , Jian Yu , Lingxi Lei , Hong Luo , Jiahui Hou , Lingfu Kong , Xibo Du , Jiancheng Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114122","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114122","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can degrade solar cell performance and impact the long-term stability of photovoltaic (PV) modules. To investigate the effects of UV irradiation on the electrical performance of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), standard (S-UV) and excessive (E-UV) doses of UV irradiation were applied according to the IEC 61215 standard. Changes in the materials, electrodes, and electrical performance of the solar cells were analyzed. The results revealed that S-UV and E-UV irradiation induced the photo-oxidation of the silicon substrate, leading to the formation of oxygen vacancies (O<sub>v</sub>). After S-UV irradiation, the front electrode underwent oxidation and sulfidation, with the weight concentration (Wt%) of elements O and S increasing by 4.2 % and 1.1 %, respectively. After E-UV irradiation, the Wt% of O and S increased further by 9.1 % and 1.8 %, respectively. To verify the sources of O and S in the oxidation and sulfidation reactions, a transparent sealing device was used to seal the solar cells, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) testing showed no change (±0.1 %) in the Wt% of O and S, confirming that these elements originated from the air. The degradation of the materials and electrodes of solar cells increased the material resistance (R<sub>mat</sub>) and electrode resistance (R<sub>elec</sub>), leading to increased series resistance (R<sub>s</sub>). Further analysis revealed that R<sub>mat</sub> contributed 96.4 % (S-UV) and 95.1 % (E-UV) to the R<sub>s</sub> increase. This led to a power (P) reduction of 16.60 % (S-UV) and 19.15 % (E-UV), confirming that the degradation of solar cell materials is the main cause of P degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114122"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787817","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114119
Ping Yu , Zemin He , Yuzhen Zhao , Wenqi Song , Zongcheng Miao
The problem of energy consumption in buildings is getting more and more attention. As a result, developing a smart window with electrically adjustable visible light transmittance while also providing near-infrared (NIR) shielding is extremely important. Herein, A smart window was developed that simultaneously regulates visible light transmittance and provides NIR shielding by co-doping polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) with cesium tungstate modified with thiol groups (CsxWO3-SH) and thermochromic microcapsule (TM). The PDLC with the synergistic effect of CsxWO3-SH and TM has lower saturation voltage (Vsat) and better contrast than the PDLC doped with CsxWO3-SH and TM alone. In addition, the transmittance of the PDLC samples containing 4 wt % CsxWO3-SH nanoparticles and 7 wt % TM under visible light can be controlled between 3 % and 48 %, and can obstruct over 90 % of the NIR radiation. The results of thermal insulation suggest that the temperature of the conventional PDLC is 5.56 °C higher than that of the co-doped PDLC after 60 min of sunlight exposure, demonstrating that the co-doped PDLC film possesses superior visible light modulation and NIR shielding capabilities. This research will establish a solid foundation for the advancement of energy-efficient smart windows for buildings.
{"title":"CsxWO3-SH nanoparticles co-doped with thermochromic microcapsules for flexible smart windows with controlled visible transmittance and high near-infrared shielding performance","authors":"Ping Yu , Zemin He , Yuzhen Zhao , Wenqi Song , Zongcheng Miao","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114119","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114119","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The problem of energy consumption in buildings is getting more and more attention. As a result, developing a smart window with electrically adjustable visible light transmittance while also providing near-infrared (NIR) shielding is extremely important. Herein, A smart window was developed that simultaneously regulates visible light transmittance and provides NIR shielding by co-doping polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) with cesium tungstate modified with thiol groups (CsxWO<sub>3</sub>-SH) and thermochromic microcapsule (TM). The PDLC with the synergistic effect of CsxWO<sub>3</sub>-SH and TM has lower saturation voltage (V<sub>sat</sub>) and better contrast than the PDLC doped with CsxWO<sub>3</sub>-SH and TM alone. In addition, the transmittance of the PDLC samples containing 4 wt % CsxWO<sub>3</sub>-SH nanoparticles and 7 wt % TM under visible light can be controlled between 3 % and 48 %, and can obstruct over 90 % of the NIR radiation. The results of thermal insulation suggest that the temperature of the conventional PDLC is 5.56 °C higher than that of the co-doped PDLC after 60 min of sunlight exposure, demonstrating that the co-doped PDLC film possesses superior visible light modulation and NIR shielding capabilities. This research will establish a solid foundation for the advancement of energy-efficient smart windows for buildings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114119"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787852","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114092
Limei Wu , Jiayu Li , Xiaolong Wang , Xinyu Lei , Ning Tang , Qing Wang , Chenkai Hu , Siquan Chen , Mengmeng Niu
Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is an emerging zero-energy cooling technology capable of achieving sub-ambient cooling even under intense sunlight. However, most PDRC materials face significant challenges in practical outdoor applications due to their high cost, complex manufacturing processes, and susceptibility to abrasion and pollution, which degrade their performance. In this paper, the composite coatings with both radiative cooling and environmental tolerance were synthesized by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technology using montmorillonite (MMT) and hydroxide (LDH) as the main radiatively cooling raw materials, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was introduced to enhance the binding force. Therefore, we can get PVA/MMT/LDH (P/M/L) composite coatings with high solar reflectance (65 %) and strong infrared emissivity (98 %). Under simulated sunlight at 987 W/m2, it achieves excellent cooling of 13.4 °C below ambient temperature. Moreover, in outdoor tests, the P/M/L composite coatings can reduce temperature by up to 10 °C. The composite coatings demonstrate superior wear resistance and environmental stability, withstanding a pH range of 3–11 and diverse salt solutions, while retaining over 99 % of its initial weight following abrasion. Furthermore, its tensile strength attains 18.85 MPa, thereby effectively overcoming the key challenges associated with outdoor applications. This work provides a promising solution for energy-saving and environmentally friendly applications in the future.
{"title":"Controllable synthesis of montmorillonite/hydrotalcite coatings with high environmental tolerance for passive daytime radiative cooling","authors":"Limei Wu , Jiayu Li , Xiaolong Wang , Xinyu Lei , Ning Tang , Qing Wang , Chenkai Hu , Siquan Chen , Mengmeng Niu","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is an emerging zero-energy cooling technology capable of achieving sub-ambient cooling even under intense sunlight. However, most PDRC materials face significant challenges in practical outdoor applications due to their high cost, complex manufacturing processes, and susceptibility to abrasion and pollution, which degrade their performance. In this paper, the composite coatings with both radiative cooling and environmental tolerance were synthesized by layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technology using montmorillonite (MMT) and hydroxide (LDH) as the main radiatively cooling raw materials, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was introduced to enhance the binding force. Therefore, we can get PVA/MMT/LDH (P/M/L) composite coatings with high solar reflectance (65 %) and strong infrared emissivity (98 %). Under simulated sunlight at 987 W/m<sup>2</sup>, it achieves excellent cooling of 13.4 °C below ambient temperature. Moreover, in outdoor tests, the P/M/L composite coatings can reduce temperature by up to 10 °C. The composite coatings demonstrate superior wear resistance and environmental stability, withstanding a pH range of 3–11 and diverse salt solutions, while retaining over 99 % of its initial weight following abrasion. Furthermore, its tensile strength attains 18.85 MPa, thereby effectively overcoming the key challenges associated with outdoor applications. This work provides a promising solution for energy-saving and environmentally friendly applications in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114092"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735398","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114105
Bao Guo , Hongjun Kang , Huiyang Zhao , Xinzhi Wang , Yang Li , Songtao Lu , Xiaohong Wu
Transparent superhydrophobic coatings provide passive self-cleaning and dust removal functionality for photovoltaic (PV) modules to sustain the energy conversion efficiency, which is highly dependent on micro/nanostructures of coatings. However, it remains challenge to enhance the micro/nanostructures robustness of such coatings while preserving their optical transparency, self-cleaning and dust removal functionality. Herein, we proposed dense and conformal “nano-armor” by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on transparent superhydrophobic coatings to enhance their resistance to particle impact and structural durability. Experimental results revealed that the ALD-treated coating (SZ90-F) maintained the high optical transparency (89.27 %) and superhydrophobicity with water contact angle of 160.3°, while also exhibiting excellent dust removal efficiency of 99.23 %. Meanwhile, the SZ90-F coating retained the superhydrophobicity and excellent dust removal performance after exposure to 6000 g of sand and 4000 g of water droplets, respectively. Mechanism analysis revealed that the enhanced durability of the transparent superhydrophobic coatings originated from the ZnO layer deposited by ALD, which formed strong chemical bonds on the micro/nanostructures surface, resulting in a continuous “nano-armor” structure, thereby providing effective protection against dust impact and preventing damage to the micro/nanostructures. This study provides a novel strategy for designing durable, transparent superhydrophobic coatings with enhanced mechanical robustness.
{"title":"Enhanced dust removal stability of highly transparent superhydrophobic coatings by ultrathin ZnO “nano-armor” conformal micro/nanostructures","authors":"Bao Guo , Hongjun Kang , Huiyang Zhao , Xinzhi Wang , Yang Li , Songtao Lu , Xiaohong Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Transparent superhydrophobic coatings provide passive self-cleaning and dust removal functionality for photovoltaic (PV) modules to sustain the energy conversion efficiency, which is highly dependent on micro/nanostructures of coatings. However, it remains challenge to enhance the micro/nanostructures robustness of such coatings while preserving their optical transparency, self-cleaning and dust removal functionality. Herein, we proposed dense and conformal “nano-armor” by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on transparent superhydrophobic coatings to enhance their resistance to particle impact and structural durability. Experimental results revealed that the ALD-treated coating (SZ90-F) maintained the high optical transparency (89.27 %) and superhydrophobicity with water contact angle of 160.3°, while also exhibiting excellent dust removal efficiency of 99.23 %. Meanwhile, the SZ90-F coating retained the superhydrophobicity and excellent dust removal performance after exposure to 6000 g of sand and 4000 g of water droplets, respectively. Mechanism analysis revealed that the enhanced durability of the transparent superhydrophobic coatings originated from the ZnO layer deposited by ALD, which formed strong chemical bonds on the micro/nanostructures surface, resulting in a continuous “nano-armor” structure, thereby providing effective protection against dust impact and preventing damage to the micro/nanostructures. This study provides a novel strategy for designing durable, transparent superhydrophobic coatings with enhanced mechanical robustness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114105"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735476","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114118
Aixin Sun , Xinliang Chen , Heze Yuan , Lin Liu , Yu Chen , Zheng Wang , Liyuan Hu , Dekun Zhang , Huizhi Ren , Pochuan Yang , Ying Zhao , Xiaodan Zhang
Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells with intrinsic/doped amorphous silicon layers as carrier transport layers have gained significant attention owing to their excellent passivation properties and high efficiency. However, the parasitic absorption and capital-intensive preparation process of doped amorphous silicon films constrain performance improvements and increase manufacturing costs. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) as hole transport layers (HTL) possess high work function and wide bandgap, which are typically grown by thermal evaporation or atomic layer deposition techniques. Here, we construct a hybrid oxide/amorphous silicon HTL, where the amorphous silicon is an ultrathin p-a-Si:H (∼6 nm), and the oxide is a MoOx thin film grown by RF magnetron sputtering. The interface of MoOx/p-a-Si:H presents a high quality SiOx chemical passivated layer, while high work function's MoOx with field-effect passivation facilitates the extraction of hole carriers. The minority carrier lifetime of the semi-finished SHJ device with hybrid MoOx/p-a-Si:H HTL has significantly increased by 40 %, reaching 2192.83 μs, with an implied open-circuit voltage (iVoc) of 742.87 mV. Ultimately, the SHJ solar cell with the hybrid HTL achieved a high conversion efficiency of 23.8 %. This hybrid HTL strategy will effectively reduce the manufacturing costs while enhancing device performance, demonstrating potential for industrial application.
{"title":"Hybrid sputter-based oxide carrier transport layers boost crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cell efficiency","authors":"Aixin Sun , Xinliang Chen , Heze Yuan , Lin Liu , Yu Chen , Zheng Wang , Liyuan Hu , Dekun Zhang , Huizhi Ren , Pochuan Yang , Ying Zhao , Xiaodan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells with intrinsic/doped amorphous silicon layers as carrier transport layers have gained significant attention owing to their excellent passivation properties and high efficiency. However, the parasitic absorption and capital-intensive preparation process of doped amorphous silicon films constrain performance improvements and increase manufacturing costs. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) as hole transport layers (HTL) possess high work function and wide bandgap, which are typically grown by thermal evaporation or atomic layer deposition techniques. Here, we construct a hybrid oxide/amorphous silicon HTL, where the amorphous silicon is an ultrathin p-a-Si:H (∼6 nm), and the oxide is a MoO<sub>x</sub> thin film grown by RF magnetron sputtering. The interface of MoO<sub>x</sub>/p-a-Si:H presents a high quality SiO<sub>x</sub> chemical passivated layer, while high work function's MoO<sub>x</sub> with field-effect passivation facilitates the extraction of hole carriers. The minority carrier lifetime of the semi-finished SHJ device with hybrid MoO<sub>x</sub>/p-a-Si:H HTL has significantly increased by 40 %, reaching 2192.83 μs, with an implied open-circuit voltage (iV<sub>oc</sub>) of 742.87 mV. Ultimately, the SHJ solar cell with the hybrid HTL achieved a high conversion efficiency of 23.8 %. This hybrid HTL strategy will effectively reduce the manufacturing costs while enhancing device performance, demonstrating potential for industrial application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114118"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787812","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114132
Zhi Li , Xin Jiang , Long Yuan , Jian Zhang , Yu Duan , Xiaotian Yang
Surface and interface of transparent conductive layers in devices play important roles on charge accumulation, potential distribution, and charge conducting, which affect the properties and performance of opto-electrical devices in many aspects. Herein, we report a surface epi-textured modification strategy on indium tin oxide (ITO) to demonstrate its function in redistribution of charge accumulation on a model plasmonic electrochromic device. The epi-textured ITO layer was grown via a solvothermal method, which changes the randomly grown ITO layers in commercial magnetron sputtering deposited ITO grains into tiny nano-epi-textured octahedral grains. The modified surface structure redistributed the surface potential and charge-transfer pathway, therefore facilitating a faster coloring time and a wide size-distribution of Ag nanocrystals onto the ITO layer in electrochromic device. The modified device show superior optical modulation efficiency and heat insulating performance. This work provides a feasible strategy for electrode surface charge distribution control for the transparent conductive layer, which is important for design and fabrication new opto-electrical devices.
{"title":"Epi-textured ITO layer as dynamic controller for plasmonic electrochromic smart windows","authors":"Zhi Li , Xin Jiang , Long Yuan , Jian Zhang , Yu Duan , Xiaotian Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surface and interface of transparent conductive layers in devices play important roles on charge accumulation, potential distribution, and charge conducting, which affect the properties and performance of opto-electrical devices in many aspects. Herein, we report a surface epi-textured modification strategy on indium tin oxide (ITO) to demonstrate its function in redistribution of charge accumulation on a model plasmonic electrochromic device. The epi-textured ITO layer was grown via a solvothermal method, which changes the randomly grown ITO layers in commercial magnetron sputtering deposited ITO grains into tiny nano-epi-textured octahedral grains. The modified surface structure redistributed the surface potential and charge-transfer pathway, therefore facilitating a faster coloring time and a wide size-distribution of Ag nanocrystals onto the ITO layer in electrochromic device. The modified device show superior optical modulation efficiency and heat insulating performance. This work provides a feasible strategy for electrode surface charge distribution control for the transparent conductive layer, which is important for design and fabrication new opto-electrical devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114132"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787815","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114124
Xutao Wang , Jing Yuan , Jianjun Nie , Yan Zhu , Xiaoyan Zhang , Ting Gou , Daoxian Li , Weiguang Yang , Feng Li , Xinyuan Wu , Bram Hoex
Laser-assisted firing (LAF) technology, such as laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO), is increasingly utilized in the mass production of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells. However, concerns regarding the thermal stability of LAF TOPCon remain. This study systematically evaluates the thermal stability of LAF TOPCon cells at both the moderate temperatures encountered during module fabrication and a higher temperature of 450 °C. While soldering did not have a negative impact on cell performance, lamination resulted in a ∼0.29 % absolute power conversion efficiency (PCE) loss, primarily due to a reduction in fill factor (FF). The degradation is driven mainly by an increase in J02-like recombination, likely in the space charge region. A 1-min one-sun light soaking at room temperature effectively restores cell performance, suggesting that field operation effectively mitigates such degradation. Under repeated 450 °C rapid thermal annealing and LAF cycles, initial FF and PCE losses (∼21.6 % and ∼6.7 % absolute, respectively) are attributed to contact deterioration, but performance is restored through subsequent LAF treatment. Based on these findings, a three-state defect model and contact degradation mechanisms are proposed. These findings provide new insights into the reliability of LAF TOPCon cells and highlight key considerations for industrial processing and module reliability testing.
{"title":"Thermal stability of laser-assisted fired TOPCon solar cells: Crucial insights for module manufacturing, certification testing, and field conditions","authors":"Xutao Wang , Jing Yuan , Jianjun Nie , Yan Zhu , Xiaoyan Zhang , Ting Gou , Daoxian Li , Weiguang Yang , Feng Li , Xinyuan Wu , Bram Hoex","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Laser-assisted firing (LAF) technology, such as laser-enhanced contact optimization (LECO), is increasingly utilized in the mass production of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells. However, concerns regarding the thermal stability of LAF TOPCon remain. This study systematically evaluates the thermal stability of LAF TOPCon cells at both the moderate temperatures encountered during module fabrication and a higher temperature of 450 °C. While soldering did not have a negative impact on cell performance, lamination resulted in a ∼0.29 % absolute power conversion efficiency (<em>PCE</em>) loss, primarily due to a reduction in fill factor (<em>FF</em>). The degradation is driven mainly by an increase in <em>J</em><sub><em>02</em></sub>-like recombination, likely in the space charge region. A 1-min one-sun light soaking at room temperature effectively restores cell performance, suggesting that field operation effectively mitigates such degradation. Under repeated 450 °C rapid thermal annealing and LAF cycles, initial <em>FF</em> and <em>PCE</em> losses (∼21.6 % and ∼6.7 % absolute, respectively) are attributed to contact deterioration, but performance is restored through subsequent LAF treatment. Based on these findings, a three-state defect model and contact degradation mechanisms are proposed. These findings provide new insights into the reliability of LAF TOPCon cells and highlight key considerations for industrial processing and module reliability testing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114124"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788315","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}
Solar-powered electric vehicle (Solar-EV) applications are very attractive for CO2 emission reduction and creation of new market. The Si tandem solar cells are very promising as VIPV (vehicle integrated photovoltaic) modules because of high-efficiency and low-cost potential. This paper presents our recent results for new world record efficiency (33.7 %) mechanically stacked 4-terminal InGaP/GaAs/Si 3-junction tandem solar cell module with an area of 775 cm2. This paper also presents loss analytical results for losses of various solar cell modules and estimation of solar-EV installed with various solar cell modules such as III-V/Si 3-junction, perovskite/Si 2-junction tandem cell modules, Si, GaAs, CdTe, and perovskite single-junction solar cell modules. Under average solar irradiation with 4 kWh/m2/day, solar-EV installed with our 3-junction Si tandem solar cell modules have longer driving range potential of about 28 km/day compared to 25.4 km/day, 21.6 km/day and 15.9 km/day for solar-EV installed with perovskite/Si 2-junction, Si and perovskite single-junction solar cell modules. Regarding perovskite and perovskite/Si tandem solar cell modules, development of high-efficiency, highly reliable and large-area modules is suggested to be essential for vehicle applications. In this paper, thermal degradation rates for perovskite and perovskite/Si tandem solar cell modules were compared with those of Si, III-V multi-junction and III-V/Si tandem solar cell modules.
{"title":"Our recent approaches for Si tandem solar cell modules for solar-powered vehicles","authors":"Masafumi Yamaguchi , Kyotaro Nakamura , Ryo Ozaki , Nobuaki Kojima , Yoshio Ohshita , Tatsuya Takamoto , Hiroyuki Juso , Yasuyuki Ota , Kenji Araki , Kensuke Nishioka , Shinya Iwasaki , Takashi Nakado , Takashi Mabuchi , Kenichi Okumura","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar-powered electric vehicle (Solar-EV) applications are very attractive for CO<sub>2</sub> emission reduction and creation of new market. The Si tandem solar cells are very promising as VIPV (vehicle integrated photovoltaic) modules because of high-efficiency and low-cost potential. This paper presents our recent results for new world record efficiency (33.7 %) mechanically stacked 4-terminal InGaP/GaAs/Si 3-junction tandem solar cell module with an area of 775 cm<sup>2</sup>. This paper also presents loss analytical results for losses of various solar cell modules and estimation of solar-EV installed with various solar cell modules such as III-V/Si 3-junction, perovskite/Si 2-junction tandem cell modules, Si, GaAs, CdTe, and perovskite single-junction solar cell modules. Under average solar irradiation with 4 kWh/m<sup>2/</sup>day, solar-EV installed with our 3-junction Si tandem solar cell modules have longer driving range potential of about 28 km/day compared to 25.4 km/day, 21.6 km/day and 15.9 km/day for solar-EV installed with perovskite/Si 2-junction, Si and perovskite single-junction solar cell modules. Regarding perovskite and perovskite/Si tandem solar cell modules, development of high-efficiency, highly reliable and large-area modules is suggested to be essential for vehicle applications. In this paper, thermal degradation rates for perovskite and perovskite/Si tandem solar cell modules were compared with those of Si, III-V multi-junction and III-V/Si tandem solar cell modules.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"297 ","pages":"Article 114138"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880647","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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