Potential of zinc oxide nanowhiskers as antireflection coating in crystalline silicon solar cell for cost effectiveness

Sharma, Jayasree Roy; Banerjee, Pritam; Mitra, Suchismita; Ghosh, Hemanta; Bose, Sukanta; Das, Gourab; Sumita, Masao

doi:10.1007/s10854-019-01443-5

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The PDMS layer was used to confer flexibility to the nanostructure array, as in previous studies, the rigidity of the nanostructures ensembles made them unsuitable for flexible PV applications. [172,174,175] Furthermore, the PDMS layer has n value in between the ones of AZO and air. Therefore, the n gradient provided by the PDMS-encapsulated ZnO nanostructures will be smoother as opposed to the case where the ZnO nanostructures were directly exposed to air.…”

Section: Nano-scale Texturizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂

Oliveira

Teixeira

Ramos

et al. 2022

Advanced Photonics Research

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Light management strategies are of utmost importance to allow Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) technology market expansion, as it would enable a conversion efficiency boost as well as thinner absorber layers, increasing sustainability and reducing production costs. However, fabrication and architecture constraints hamper the direct transfer of light management architectures from other photovoltaic technologies. The demand for light management in thin and ultrathin CIGS cells is analyzed by a critical description of the optical loss mechanisms in these devices. Three main pathways to tackle the optical losses are identified: front light management architectures that assist for an omnidirectional low reflection; rear architectures that enable an enhanced optical path length; and unconventional spectral conversion strategies for full spectral harvesting. An outlook over the challenges and developments of light management architectures is performed, establishing a research roadmap for future works in light management for CIGS technology. Following the extensive review, it is expected that combining antireflection, light trapping, and conversion mechanisms, a 27% CIGS solar cell can be achieved.

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Section: Nano-scale Texturizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂

Oliveira

Teixeira

Ramos

et al. 2022

Advanced Photonics Research

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“…[18] ZnO nanomaterials structured into arrays of NWs, nanorods, nanowhiskers, and tetrapods, among other morphologies, have been shown to act as antireflective coatings. [19][20][21][22][23][24] In particular, ZnO NWs are used as antireflective coatings in various types of PV modules such as c-Si, [19,[24][25][26][27] a-Si, [22,23] and dye-sensitized solar cells. [20,21] Moreover, differences in the morphology due to size distribution within the nanostructured arrays form an index of refraction gradient between air and the substrate which in turn will reduce the reflectance of the sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antireflection Coatings Based on Randomly Oriented ZnO Nanowires

et al. 2023

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Glass is the most widely used transparent material for photovoltaic (PV) panels. Unfortunately, the glass introduces an additional interface and therefore optical losses, which can be mitigated using antireflection (AR) coatings. This article reports a scalable method to prepare AR coatings from ZnO nanowires (NWs) sorted by their size. The measured AR performance depends on the coating coverage and ZnO NW size, which is explained by scattering and absorption cross section simulations. Randomly oriented and size fractioned ZnO NWs with an average diameter of 19–30 nm and lengths of 121–273 nm demonstrate increased transmittance and decreased reflectance compared to a glass substrate in case of low coverage. The experimental PV modules with ZnO NW coatings show an 1.2% increase of the short circuit current. A strategy to decouple ZnO NW synthesis from AR coating preparation allows to tune NW reflectance and other optical properties by varying the length, diameter, and orientation of the constituent NWs. The proposed AR coating made from size‐sorted nanomaterials is not limited to ZnO and the method could be adapted to other materials and nanostructures.

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“…Recently, ZnO has been applied to ARL, including its application to the following nanostructures: nanowires, nanorods, nanowhiskers, and nanoflowers. [14][15][16][17][18] However, due to their rigidity, their ensembles are unsuitable for application as flexible photovoltaic cells. Kim's team 14 only prepared thin films and analyzed the optical characteristics of the ARL; the latter was not actually applied to solar cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is worth noting that devices that are absorbed by the ZnO material layer reduce the optical loss in the visible region. Recently, ZnO has been applied to ARL, including its application to the following nanostructures: nanowires, nanorods, nanowhiskers, and nanoflowers 14‐18 . However, due to their rigidity, their ensembles are unsuitable for application as flexible photovoltaic cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antireflection layer of ZnO nanorod embedded in PDMS film for enhancing omnidirectional photovoltaic performance of CIGS photovoltaic cell

et al. 2020

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Summary In this study, a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) ARL with embedded ZnO‐NRs was fabricated on the surfaces of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells using the chemical solution method. Under the conditions of an AM1.5G solar spectrum, the application of the PDMS ARL of embedded ZnO‐NRs on the surface of a CIGS solar cell can effectively increase the conversion efficiency of the solar cell from 7.23% to 7.79%. In addition, broadband and omnidirectional light harvesting are important as the sun moves over time; therefore, omnidirectional anti‐reflection applications of various ARLs on CIGS photovoltaic cells were also studied.

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Potential of zinc oxide nanowhiskers as antireflection coating in crystalline silicon solar cell for cost effectiveness

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂

Antireflection Coatings Based on Randomly Oriented ZnO Nanowires

Antireflection layer of ZnO nanorod embedded in PDMS film for enhancing omnidirectional photovoltaic performance of CIGS photovoltaic cell

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Potential of zinc oxide nanowhiskers as antireflection coating in crystalline silicon solar cell for cost effectiveness

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se2

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se2

Antireflection Coatings Based on Randomly Oriented ZnO Nanowires

Antireflection layer of ZnO nanorod embedded in PDMS film for enhancing omnidirectional photovoltaic performance of CIGS photovoltaic cell

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Product

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Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂

Exploiting the Optical Limits of Thin‐Film Solar Cells: A Review on Light Management Strategies in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂