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Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells
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Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 15457

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marek Lipiński

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Polish Academy of Sciences, 30-059 Krakow, 25 Reymonta St., Poland
Interests: perovskite solar cells; nanotechnology; plasmonics; nanostructured materials; third-generation photovoltaics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photovoltaics (PV) play an increasingly important role in the production of electricity. Presently, PV modules are mainly based on silicon. However, despite its many advantages, the production of silicon and cells is energy-consuming and complicated. On the other hand, the efficiency of silicon cells is already close to maximal theoretical value, and further production cost reduction seems to be difficult.   Therefore, for many years, extremely intensive research has been carried out on new materials that could be used in cheap, high-efficiency solar cells on based on Earth-abundant materials. Promising materials and structures for third-generation thin-film cells have emerged in photovoltaics. Emerging PV include but are not limited to devices such as perovskite cells, perovskite/Si tandem cells, perovskite/CIGS tandem cells, dye-sensitized cells, inorganic CZTSe cells, quantum dots cells, and organic solar cells. Despite great advancements, these technologies are not yet mature enough to be used in mass production. The biggest obstacle is the lack of long-term stability. Research on this type of cells is extremely intensive in many laboratories and brings new achievements in efficiency and stability.

This Special Issue of Materials will cover the latest achievements in emerging PV, including novel materials, device structures, technology, and the characterization method.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Marek Lipiński
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dye solar cells
  • perovskite solar cells
  • organic solar cells
  • quantum dots solar cells
  • new generation solar cells
  • third generation solar cells
  • emerging PV technologies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 13702 KiB  
Article
The Role of the Graphene Oxide (GO) and Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) Intermediate Layer in CZTSSe Thin-Film Solar Cells
by Woo-Lim Jeong, Sang-Hyuk Park, Young-Dahl Jho, Soo-Kyung Joo and Dong-Seon Lee
Materials 2022, 15(10), 3419; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15103419 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells with low cost and eco-friendly characteristics are attractive as future sources of electricity generation, but low conversion efficiency remains an issue. To improve conversion efficiency, a method of inserting intermediate layers between the CZTSSe absorber film [...] Read more.
Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells with low cost and eco-friendly characteristics are attractive as future sources of electricity generation, but low conversion efficiency remains an issue. To improve conversion efficiency, a method of inserting intermediate layers between the CZTSSe absorber film and the Mo back contact is used to suppress the formation of MoSe2 and decomposition of CZTSSe. Among the candidates for the intermediate layer, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO have excellent properties, including high-charge mobility and low processing cost. Depending on the type of GO, the solar cell parameters, such as fill factor (FF), were enhanced. Thus, the conversion efficiency of 6.3% was achieved using the chemically reduced GO intermediate layer with significantly improved FF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells)
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15 pages, 4789 KiB  
Article
Impact of Cesium Concentration on Optoelectronic Properties of Metal Halide Perovskites
by Steponas Ašmontas, Aurimas Čerškus, Jonas Gradauskas, Asta Grigucevičienė, Remigijus Juškėnas, Konstantinas Leinartas, Andžej Lučun, Kazimieras Petrauskas, Algirdas Selskis, Algirdas Sužiedėlis and Edmundas Širmulis
Materials 2022, 15(5), 1936; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15051936 - 4 Mar 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2811
Abstract
Performance of a perovskite solar cell is largely influenced by the optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskite films. Here we study the influence of cesium concentration on morphology, crystal structure, photoluminescence and optical properties of the triple cation perovskite film. Incorporation of small [...] Read more.
Performance of a perovskite solar cell is largely influenced by the optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskite films. Here we study the influence of cesium concentration on morphology, crystal structure, photoluminescence and optical properties of the triple cation perovskite film. Incorporation of small amount (x = 0.1) of cesium cations into Csx(MA0.17FA0.83)1−x Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3 leads to enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell resulting mainly from significant rise of the short-current density and the fill factor value. Further increase of Cs concentration (x > 0.1) decreases the film’s phase purity, carrier lifetime and correspondingly reduces PCE of the solar cell. Higher concentration of Cs (x ≥ 0.2) causes phase segregation of the perovskite alongside with formation of Cs-rich regions impeding light absorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells)
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13 pages, 3412 KiB  
Article
Application of Neon Ion Implantation to Generate Intermediate Energy Levels in the Band Gap of Boron-Doped Silicon as a Material for Photovoltaic Cells
by Paweł Węgierek and Justyna Pastuszak
Materials 2021, 14(22), 6950; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14226950 - 17 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
The aim of the work is to present the possibility of generating intermediate levels in the band gap of p-type silicon doped with boron by using neon ion implantation in the aspect of improving the efficiency of photovoltaic cells made on its basis. [...] Read more.
The aim of the work is to present the possibility of generating intermediate levels in the band gap of p-type silicon doped with boron by using neon ion implantation in the aspect of improving the efficiency of photovoltaic cells made on its basis. The work contains an analysis of the influence of the dose of neon ions on the activation energy value of additional energy levels. The article presents the results of measurements of the capacitance and conductance of silicon samples with a resistivity of ρ = 0.4 Ω cm doped with boron, the structure of which was modified in the implantation process with Ne+ ions with the energy E = 100 keV and three different doses of D = 4.0 × 1013 cm−2, 2.2 × 1014 cm−2 and 4.0 × 1014 cm−2, respectively. Activation energies were determined on the basis of Arrhenius curves ln(et(Tp)/Tp2) = f(1/kTp), where Tp is in the range from 200 K to 373 K and represents the sample temperature during the measurements, which were carried out for the frequencies fp in the range from 1 kHz to 10 MHz. In the tested samples, additional energy levels were identified and their position in the semiconductor band gap was determined by estimating the activation energy value. The conducted analysis showed that by introducing appropriate defects in the silicon crystal lattice as a result of neon ion implantation with a specific dose and energy, it is possible to generate additional energy levels ∆E = 0.46 eV in the semiconductor band gap, the presence of which directly affects the efficiency of photovoltaic cells made on the basis of such a modified material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells)
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17 pages, 25163 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Recycling Potential of Glass Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells—Melting Experiment
by Fabian Schoden, Anna Katharina Schnatmann, Emma Davies, Dirk Diederich, Jan Lukas Storck, Dörthe Knefelkamp, Tomasz Blachowicz and Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp
Materials 2021, 14(21), 6622; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216622 - 3 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2627
Abstract
The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly clear, and the urgency of solving the energy and resource crisis has been recognized by politicians and society. One of the most important solutions is sustainable energy technologies. The problem with the state of the [...] Read more.
The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly clear, and the urgency of solving the energy and resource crisis has been recognized by politicians and society. One of the most important solutions is sustainable energy technologies. The problem with the state of the art, however, is that production is energy-intensive and non-recyclable waste remains after the useful life. For monocrystalline photovoltaics, for example, there are recycling processes for glass and aluminum, but these must rather be described as downcycling. The semiconductor material is not recycled at all. Another promising technology for sustainable energy generation is dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although efficiency and long-term stability still need to be improved, the technology has high potential to complement the state of the art. DSSCs have comparatively low production costs and can be manufactured without toxic components. In this work, we present the world’ s first experiment to test the recycling potential of non-toxic glass-based DSSCs in a melting test. The glass constituents were analyzed by optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES), and the surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). The glass was melted in a furnace and compared to a standard glass recycling process. The results show that the described DSSCs are suitable for glass recycling and thus can potentially circulate in a circular economy without a downcycling process. However, material properties such as chemical resistance, transparency or viscosity are not investigated in this work and need further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells)
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11 pages, 3410 KiB  
Article
The Influence of the Thickness of Compact TiO2 Electron Transport Layer on the Performance of Planar CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells
by Andrzej Sławek, Zbigniew Starowicz and Marek Lipiński
Materials 2021, 14(12), 3295; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14123295 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4509
Abstract
In recent years, lead halide perovskites have attracted considerable attention from the scientific community due to their exceptional properties and fast-growing enhancement for solar energy harvesting efficiency. One of the fundamental aspects of the architecture of perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) is the electron [...] Read more.
In recent years, lead halide perovskites have attracted considerable attention from the scientific community due to their exceptional properties and fast-growing enhancement for solar energy harvesting efficiency. One of the fundamental aspects of the architecture of perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) is the electron transport layer (ETL), which also acts as a barrier for holes. In this work, the influence of compact TiO2 ETL on the performance of planar heterojunction solar cells based on CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite was investigated. ETLs were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates from a titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) precursor solution using the spin-coating method with changing precursor concentration and centrifugation speed. It was found that the thickness and continuity of ETLs, investigated between 0 and 124 nm, strongly affect the photovoltaic performance of PSCs, in particular short-circuit current density (JSC). Optical and topographic properties of the compact TiO2 layers were investigated as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Cells)
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