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Photovoltaic Device Application of a Hydroquinone-Modified Conductive Polymer and Dual-Functional Molecular Si Surface Passivation Technology. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14030478. [PMID: 35160467 PMCID: PMC8839862 DOI: 10.3390/polym14030478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS has been introduced in Si-based hybrid solar cells, gaining noticeable research interest and being considered a promising candidate for next generation solar cells which can achieve both of low manufacturing cost and high power conversion efficiency. This study succeeded in improving the electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS to 937 S/cm through a simple process of adding hydroquinone (HQ) to the pristine PEDOT:PSS solution. The results also showed that the addition of HQ to PEDOT:PSS(HQ-PEDOT:PSS) could not only dramatically improve the conductivity but also well-sustain the work function characteristics of PEDOT:PSS by promoting the formation of more continuous conductive-PEDOT channels without removing the insulating PSS. In this report, we reveal that the application of the HQ-PEDOT:PSS to the Si/PEDOT:PSS HSC could significantly improve the short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage characteristics to increase the power conversion efficiency of the HSCs compared to the conventional approaches. Moreover, we also treated the Si surface with the organic monomer, benzoquinone (BQ) to (1) passivate the excess Si surface defect states and (2) to improve the properties of the Si/PEDOT:PSS interface. We show that BQ treatment is able to dramatically increase the minority carrier lifetime induced by effective chemical and field-effect passivation in addition to enhancing the wettability of the Si surface with the PEDOT:PSS solution. As a result, the power conversion efficiency was increased by 10.6% by introducing HQ and BQ into the fabrication process of the Si/PEDOT:PSS HSC.
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Srivastava RP, Khang DY. Structuring of Si into Multiple Scales by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2005932. [PMID: 34013605 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202005932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Structuring Si, ranging from nanoscale to macroscale feature dimensions, is essential for many applications. Metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) has been developed as a simple, low-cost, and scalable method to produce structures across widely different dimensions. The process involves various parameters, such as catalyst, substrate doping type and level, crystallography, etchant formulation, and etch additives. Careful optimization of these parameters is the key to the successful fabrication of Si structures. In this review, recent additions to the MaCE process are presented after a brief introduction to the fundamental principles involved in MaCE. In particular, the bulk-scale structuring of Si by MaCE is summarized and critically discussed with application examples. Various approaches for effective mass transport schemes are introduced and discussed. Further, the fine control of etch directionality and uniformity, and the suppression of unwanted side etching are also discussed. Known application examples of Si macrostructures fabricated by MaCE, though limited thus far, are presented. There are significant opportunities for the application of macroscale Si structures in different fields, such as microfluidics, micro-total analysis systems, and microelectromechanical systems, etc. Thus more research is necessary on macroscale MaCE of Si and their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi P Srivastava
- Soft Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Korea
| | - Dahl-Young Khang
- Soft Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Korea
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Shen R, Sun Z, Shi Y, Zhou Y, Guo W, Zhou Y, Yan H, Liu F. Solution Processed Organic/Silicon Nanowires Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cells Using Organosilane Incorporated Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonate) as Hole Transport Layers. ACS NANO 2021; 15:6296-6304. [PMID: 33661604 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid heterojunction solar cells (HHSCs) using crystalline Si nanowires (SiNWs) as the absorber and conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole-selective transport layer (HTL) show great potential in both low-cost and high-power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, due to the poor wettability of the PEDOT:PSS solution on SiNWs, conformal coverage of PEDOT:PSS on SiNWs is not easy to achieve. Here, an effective method was developed to decrease the surface tension of the PEDOT:PSS and increase the wettability between PEDOT:PSS and SiNWs by incorporating organosilane into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Two kinds of organosilanes including tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMO) were selected as the additives. The surface passivation quality of the SiNWs was dramatically enhanced. The HHSCs utilizing VTMO as the additive show a higher open circuit voltage and higher PCE compared with the TMOS adding ones. By spin-coating Ag nanowires onto the PEDOT:PSS HTL layer and using spin-coated phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester as the electron-selective transport layer, a champion PCE up to 18.12% and a fill factor of 80.1% have been achieved on the full solution processed PEDOT:PSS/n-type SiNWs HHSCs. The findings provide a simple and promising method to achieve high-performance PEDOT:PSS/SiNWs HHSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongzong Shen
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zongheng Sun
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanbin Shi
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yurong Zhou
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wanwu Guo
- Jetion Solar (China) Co., Ltd, Jiangyin 214443, China
| | - Yuqin Zhou
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hui Yan
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Fengzhen Liu
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering and College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Lu Z, Hou G, Zhu Y, Chen J, Xu J, Chen K. High efficiency organic-Si hybrid solar cells with a one-dimensional CdS interlayer. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:4206-4212. [PMID: 33586730 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr09122g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A carrier-selective passivating contact is one of the main factors for the preparation of high-efficiency solar cells. In this work, a one-dimensional nanostructured CdS material combined with quasi-metallic TiN exhibits excellent contact performance with n-Si. In addition, the introduction of the CdS nanowire interlayer is more conducive to the extraction and transmission of electrons, which is attributed to a more suitable energy level alignment between the rear contact and the n-Si absorption layer. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of organic/Si solar cells based on the CdS NW/TiN/Al electron selective passivating contact exceeds 14.0%. This shows a promising technique to achieve high-performance and low-cost photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangbo Lu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
| | - Guozhi Hou
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
| | - Yu Zhu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
| | - Jiaming Chen
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
| | - Jun Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
| | - Kunji Chen
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures/School of Electronics Science and Engineering/Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures/Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
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Zhang X, Liu Z, Tanaka M, Watanabe T. Formation mechanism of amorphous silicon nanoparticles with additional counter-flow quenching gas by induction thermal plasma. Chem Eng Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2020.116217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Design of Silicon Nanowire Array for PEDOT:PSS-Silicon Nanowire-Based Hybrid Solar Cell. ENERGIES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/en13153797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Among various photovoltaic devices, the poly 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene:poly styrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based hybrid solar cell is getting momentum for the next generation solar cell. Although, the power-conversion efficiency of the PEDOT:PSS–SiNW hybrid solar cell has already been reported above 13% by many researchers, it is still at a primitive stage and requires comprehensive research and developments. When SiNWs interact with conjugate polymer PEDOT:PSS, the various aspects of SiNW array are required to optimize for high efficiency hybrid solar cell. Therefore, the designing of silicon nanowire (SiNW) array is a crucial aspect for an efficient PEDOT:PSS–SiNW hybrid solar cell, where PEDOT:PSS plays a role as a conductor with an transparent optical window just-like as metal-semiconductor Schottky solar cell. This short review mainly focuses on the current research trends for the general, electrical, optical and photovoltaic design issues associated with SiNW array for PEDOT:PSS–SiNW hybrid solar cells. The foremost features including the morphology, surface traps, doping of SiNW, which limit the efficiency of the PEDOT:PSS–SiNW hybrid solar cell, will be addressed and reviewed. Finally, the SiNW design issues for boosting up the fill-factor, short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage will be highlighted and discussed.
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Shin DH, Shin SH, Kim S, Choi SH. High-performance and -stability graphene quantum dots-mixed conducting polymer/porous Si hybrid solar cells with titanium oxide passivation layer. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 31:095202. [PMID: 31731281 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab5838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Recently, conducting polymer/Si hybrid solar cells (HSCs) based on simple fabrication processes have become highly attractive due to their low cost, but low conductivity of the polymer, high reflection index of Si, and large recombination loss on the Si back contact are major drawbacks that should be solved for the practical applications. Here, we first report HSCs composed of graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-mixed poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT:GQDs)/ porous Si (PSi)/n-Si/titanium oxide (TiO x , back passivation layer). Maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.49% is obtained from the HSCs at an active area of 5 mm2, resulting from the enhanced conductivity of the PEDOT:GQDs, the reduced reflectivity of Si (the increased absorption) by the formation of PSi, and the prevented recombination loss at the Si backside due to the passivation. In addition, the HSCs of 16 mm2 active area maintain ∼78% (absolutely from 8.03% to 6.28%) of the initial PCE even while kept under ambient conditions for 15 d.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Hee Shin
- Department of Applied Physics and Institute of Natural Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of Korea
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Ti D, Gao K, Zhang ZP, Qu LT. Conjugated Polymers as Hole Transporting Materials for Solar Cells. CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10118-020-2369-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Iqbal S, Su D, Yang Y, Ullah F, Zhou H, Hussain A, Zhang T. Fabrication of an Efficient Planar Organic-Silicon Hybrid Solar Cell with a 150 nm Thick Film of PEDOT: PSS. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10100648. [PMID: 31561630 PMCID: PMC6843557 DOI: 10.3390/mi10100648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Organic–inorganic hybrid solar cells composed of p-type conducting polymer poly (3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene): polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) and n-type silicon (Si) have gained considerable interest in recent years. From this viewpoint, we present an efficient hybrid solar cell based on PEDOT: PSS and the planar Si substrate (1 0 0) with the simplest and cost-effective experimental procedures. We study and optimize the thickness of the PEDOT: PSS film to improve the overall performance of the device. We also study the effect of ethylene glycol (EG) by employing a different wt % as a solvent in the PEDOT: PSS to improve the device’s performance. Silver (Ag) was deposited by electron beam evaporation as the front and rear contacts for the solar cell device. The whole fabrication process was completed in less than three hours. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.1%, an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 598 mV, and a fill factor (FF) of 58% were achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Iqbal
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Dan Su
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Metal Nano-Optoelectronic Technology, Suzhou Research Institute of Southeast University, Suzhou 215123, China.
- Key Laboratory of Micro-Inertial Instrument and Advanced Navigation Technology, Ministry of Education, and School of Instrument Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Yi Yang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Fahim Ullah
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Huanli Zhou
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
- Key Laboratory of Micro-Inertial Instrument and Advanced Navigation Technology, Ministry of Education, and School of Instrument Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Azam Hussain
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
| | - Tong Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Information Display and Visualization, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Metal Nano-Optoelectronic Technology, Suzhou Research Institute of Southeast University, Suzhou 215123, China.
- Key Laboratory of Micro-Inertial Instrument and Advanced Navigation Technology, Ministry of Education, and School of Instrument Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
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10
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Huang CH, Chen ZY, Chiu CL, Huang TT, Meng HF, Yu P. Surface Micro-/Nanotextured Hybrid PEDOT:PSS-Silicon Photovoltaic Cells Employing Kirigami Graphene. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:29901-29909. [PMID: 31353900 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b08366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Kirigami graphene allows a two-dimensional material to transform into a three-dimensional structure, which constitutes an effective transparent electrode candidate for photovoltaic (PV) cells having a surface texture. The surface texture of an inverted pyramid was fabricated on a Si substrate using photolithography and wet etching, followed by metal-assisted chemical etching to obtain silicon nanowires on the surface of the inverted pyramid. Kirigami graphene with a cross-pattern array was prepared using photolithography and plasma etching on a copper foil. Then, kirigami graphene was transferred onto hybrid heterojunction PV cells with a poly(ethylene terephthalate)/silicone film. These cells consisted of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the p-type semiconductor, Si(100) as the inorganic n-type semiconductor, and a silver comb electrode on top of PEDOT:PSS. The conductivity of PEDOT:PSS was greatly improved. This improvement was significantly higher than that achieved by the continuous graphene sheet without a pattern. Transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy results revealed that the greater improvement with kirigami graphene was due to the larger contact area between PEDOT:PSS and graphene. By using two-layer graphene having a kirigami pattern, the power conversion efficiency, under simulated AM1.5G illumination conditions, was significantly augmented by up to 9.8% (from 10.03 to 11.01%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Hsien Huang
- Department of Materials Engineering , Ming Chi University of Technology , New Taipei City 24301 , Taiwan
| | | | | | - Tzu-Ting Huang
- Department of Materials Engineering , Ming Chi University of Technology , New Taipei City 24301 , Taiwan
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11
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Xie R, Ishijima N, Sugime H, Noda S. Enhancing the photovoltaic performance of hybrid heterojunction solar cells by passivation of silicon surface via a simple 1-min annealing process. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12051. [PMID: 31427642 PMCID: PMC6700085 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48504-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Solution-based heterojunction technology is emerging for facile fabrication of silicon (Si)-based solar cells. Surface passivation of Si substrate has been well established to improve the photovoltaic (PV) performance for the conventional bulk Si cells. However, the impact is still not seen for the heterojunction cells. Here, we developed a facile and repeatable method to passivate the Si surface by a simple 1-min annealing process in vacuum, and integrated it into the heterojunction cells with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) or carbon nanotube (CNT). A thin and dense oxide layer was introduced on the Si surface to provide a high-quality hole transport layer and passivation layer. The layer enhanced the power conversion efficiency from 9.34% to 12.87% (1.38-times enhancement) for the PEDOT:PSS/n-Si cells and from 6.61% to 8.52% (1.29-times enhancement) for the CNT/n-Si cells. The simple passivation is a promising way to enhance the PV performance of the Si cells with various solution-based heterojunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongbin Xie
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan
| | - Naoya Ishijima
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan
| | - Hisashi Sugime
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan
| | - Suguru Noda
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan. .,Waseda Research Institute for Science and Technology, Waseda University, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan.
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12
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Baraban L, Ibarlucea B, Baek E, Cuniberti G. Hybrid Silicon Nanowire Devices and Their Functional Diversity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1900522. [PMID: 31406669 PMCID: PMC6685480 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201900522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In the pool of nanostructured materials, silicon nanostructures are known as conventionally used building blocks of commercially available electronic devices. Their application areas span from miniaturized elements of devices and circuits to ultrasensitive biosensors for diagnostics. In this Review, the current trends in the developments of silicon nanowire-based devices are summarized, and their functionalities, novel architectures, and applications are discussed from the point of view of analog electronics, arisen from the ability of (bio)chemical gating of the carrier channel. Hybrid nanowire-based devices are introduced and described as systems decorated by, e.g., organic complexes (biomolecules, polymers, and organic films), aimed to substantially extend their functionality, compared to traditional systems. Their functional diversity is explored considering their architecture as well as areas of their applications, outlining several groups of devices that benefit from the coatings. The first group is the biosensors that are able to represent label-free assays thanks to the attached biological receptors. The second group is represented by devices for optoelectronics that acquire higher optical sensitivity or efficiency due to the specific photosensitive decoration of the nanowires. Finally, the so-called new bioinspired neuromorphic devices are shown, which are aimed to mimic the functions of the biological cells, e.g., neurons and synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larysa Baraban
- Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials and Institute for Materials ScienceTechnische Universität Dresden01062DresdenGermany
- Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (CfAED) TU Dresden01062DresdenGermany
| | - Bergoi Ibarlucea
- Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials and Institute for Materials ScienceTechnische Universität Dresden01062DresdenGermany
- Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (CfAED) TU Dresden01062DresdenGermany
| | - Eunhye Baek
- Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials and Institute for Materials ScienceTechnische Universität Dresden01062DresdenGermany
- Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (CfAED) TU Dresden01062DresdenGermany
| | - Gianaurelio Cuniberti
- Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials and Institute for Materials ScienceTechnische Universität Dresden01062DresdenGermany
- Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (CfAED) TU Dresden01062DresdenGermany
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Chen W, Lin Z, Zhang Y, George TF, Li S. Breaking of lattice potential well-induced confinement of carriers in conjugated polymers. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:23476-23485. [PMID: 31510624 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.023476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent experimental research has reported that a surface electric field on the polymer solar cell can restrain the recombination of the resultant charged carriers [23]. Based on this, this article reveals an underlying mechanism: If a surface electric field below 4.5 × 104 V/cm is applied to the polymer layer, the electric field drives the charged polaron to transport. Once the polaron approaches and collides with the exciton, it is easily trapped by the potential well produced by the exciton and then forms a charged exciton. The decay of the resultant charged exciton rapidly reduces the number of excitons. However, once the external field surpasses the threshold value of 4.5 × 104 V/cm, the charged polaron absorbs momentum from the external electric field and shakes off the trapping of the exciton. It finally steps out of the original lattice potential well, where the appropriate electric field magnitude ranges from 5.5 × 104 V/cm to 8 × 105 V/cm. After a collision of 300 fs, apart from a phase shift, the exciton still exists. Then, the originally carriers is dissociated when the electric field reaches 0.8 MV/cm. The applied surface field is able to effectively keep the excitons from fusion with the transporting charged polarons, which provides a valid and easily manufactured approach to yield higher efficiency of polymer solar cells.
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Lee YH, Ha M, Song I, Lee JH, Won Y, Lim S, Ko H, Oh JH. High-Performance Hybrid Photovoltaics with Efficient Interfacial Contacts between Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanowire Arrays and Organic Semiconductors. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:9996-10002. [PMID: 31460092 PMCID: PMC6648691 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid photovoltaics (HPVs) incorporating both organic and inorganic semiconducting materials have attracted much attention as next-generation photovoltaics because of their advantage of combining both materials. The hybridization of ZnO nanowires (NWs) and organic semiconductors is expected to be a suitable approach to overcome the limited exciton diffusion length and low electron mobility associated with current organic photovoltaics. The use of ZnO NWs allows researchers to tune nanoscale dimensions more precisely and to achieve rod-to-rod spacing below 10 nm. However, the perfect incorporation of organic semiconductors into densely packed ZnO NW arrays has yet to be achieved. In this study, we report the fabrication of ZnO NW arrays and various organic heterojunction-based HPVs using the feasible and effective vacuum-assisted double coating (VADC) method, achieving full coverage of the organic semiconductors on the compact ZnO NW arrays. The newly proposed VADC method ensures perfect infiltration and full coverage of the organic semiconductors on the densely packed NW arrays. Compared with the conventional single spin-coating process, the use of the VADC method led to 11 and 14% increases in the power conversion efficiency of P3HT:PCBM- and PBDTTT-C-T:PC71BM-based HPVs, respectively. Our studies provide a feasible method for the fabrication of efficient HPVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon Ho Lee
- School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
- Center for
Advanced Soft Electronics, Pohang University
of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Gyongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Minjeong Ha
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Inho Song
- School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Lee
- School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
| | - Yousang Won
- School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
| | - Seongdong Lim
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunhyub Ko
- School
of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
- E-mail: (H.K)
| | - Joon Hak Oh
- School
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
- E-mail: (J.H.O.)
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Lin H, Chen K, Li M, Ji B, Jia Y, Liu X, Li J, Song W, Guan C. Constructing a Green Light Photodetector on Inorganic/Organic Semiconductor Homogeneous Hybrid Nanowire Arrays with Remarkably Enhanced Photoelectric Response. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:10146-10152. [PMID: 30777746 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b20340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate that a novel photodetector is constructed by CdS/poly( p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) homogeneous hybrid nanowire arrays via a simple template-assisted electrochemical codeposition approach. Owing to the well-matched energy levels between CdS and PPV, the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes in CdS/PPV hybrid nanowire arrays is greatly inhibited. It is found that the homogeneous hybrid nanowire arrays exhibit remarkably enhanced photoelectric response and the ON/OFF ratio by 17 times compared to the individual CdS component. More importantly, the CdS/PPV hybrid nanowire arrays are observed with significant spectral selectivity especially for green light under 545 nm. In addition, a straight linear relationship is obtained between the ON/OFF ratios and the illumination intensities, implying that the quantitative detection of illumination intensity can be achieved. The new as-prepared homogeneous hybrid organic/inorganic semiconductor nanowire arrays have a bright prospect for applications in high-sensitivity and high-speed green photodetectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haowei Lin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Kai Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Mingke Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Beibei Ji
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Yaohui Jia
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Jinling Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Weiqiang Song
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
| | - Chunlong Guan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Henan University of Technology , Zhengzhou 450001 , P. R. China
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16
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Abstract
Solar energy is abundant, clean, and renewable, making it an ideal energy source. Solar cells are a good option to harvest this energy. However, it is difficult to balance the cost and efficiency of traditional thin-film solar cells, whereas nanowires (NW) are far superior in making high-efficiency low-cost solar cells. Therefore, the NW solar cell has attracted great attention in recent years and is developing rapidly. Here, we review the great advantages, recent breakthroughs, novel designs, and remaining challenges of NW solar cells. Special attention is given to (but not limited to) the popular semiconductor NWs for solar cells, in particular, Si, GaAs(P), and InP.
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17
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Recent Advances in and New Perspectives on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells with Carrier-Selective Passivation Contacts. CRYSTALS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst8110430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is the dominating photovoltaic technology today, with a global market share of about 90%. Therefore, it is crucial for further improving the performance of c-Si solar cells and reducing their cost. Since 2014, continuous breakthroughs have been achieved in the conversion efficiencies of c-Si solar cells, with a current record of 26.6%. The great efficiency boosts originate not only from the materials, including Si wafers, emitters, passivation layers, and other functional thin films, but also from novel device structures and an understanding of the physics of solar cells. Among these achievements, the carrier-selective passivation contacts are undoubtedly crucial. Current carrier-selective passivation contacts can be realized either by silicon-based thin films or by elemental and/or compound thin films with extreme work functions. The current research and development status, as well as the future trends of these passivation contact materials, structures, and corresponding high-efficiency c-Si solar cells will be summarized.
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18
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Duan X, Zhang X, Zhang Y. High Performance Organic-Nanostructured Silicon Hybrid Solar Cell with Modified Surface Structure. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2018; 13:283. [PMID: 30209632 PMCID: PMC6135730 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-018-2703-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with excellent light trapping properties have been widely applied in photovoltaic devices, which provide opportunities for boosting the photons harvested by Si. However, the photoexcited carriers are easily trapped and recombined by high-density surface defects due to higher surface area prolonging to depth of nanowire. In this work, in order to reduce the surface defects and recombination rate of SiNWs, a simple solution process is used to modify the surface structure. Applying the tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) treatment leads to smooth and taper Si NW surface, which improves the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) obviously. Thus, a champion PCE of 14.08% is achieved for the nanostructured Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid device by 60-s TMAH treatment. It also indicates that TMAH treatment promises a simple and effective method for enhancing Si NW-based devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Duan
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yunfang Zhang
- Department of Science, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003 People’s Republic of China
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19
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Bhujel R, Swain BP. Fabrication and characterization of silicon nanowires hybrid Solar cells: A Review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1088/1757-899x/377/1/012193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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20
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Xia Z, Gao P, Sun T, Wu H, Tan Y, Song T, Lee ST, Sun B. Buried MoO x/Ag Electrode Enables High-Efficiency Organic/Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells with a High Fill Factor. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:13767-13773. [PMID: 29608047 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b02403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Silicon (Si)/organic heterojunction solar cells based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and n-type Si have attracted wide interests because they promise cost-effectiveness and high-efficiency. However, the limited conductivity of PEDOT:PSS leads to an inefficient hole transport efficiency for the heterojunction device. Therefore, a high dense top-contact metal grid electrode is required to assure the efficient charge collection efficiency. Unfortunately, the large metal grid coverage ratio electrode would lead to undesirable optical loss. Here, we develop a strategy to balance PEDOT:PSS conductivity and grid optical transmittance via a buried molybdenum oxide/silver grid electrode. In addition, the grid electrode coverage ratio is optimized to reduce its light shading effect. The buried electrode dramatically reduces the device series resistance, which leads to a higher fill factor (FF). With the optimized buried electrode, a record FF of 80% is achieved for flat Si/PEDOT:PSS heterojunction devices. With further enhancement adhesion between the PEDOT:PSS film and Si substrate by a chemical cross-linkable silance, a power conversion efficiency of 16.3% for organic/textured Si heterojunction devices is achieved. Our results provide a path to overcome the inferior organic semiconductor property to enhance the organic/Si heterojunction solar cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhouhui Xia
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Peng Gao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Teng Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Haihua Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Yeshu Tan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Tao Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Shuit-Tong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) , Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
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21
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Wang X, Liu Z, Yang Z, He J, Yang X, Yu T, Gao P, Ye J. Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells by Formation of Conformal Contacts between PEDOT:PSS and Periodic Silicon Nanopyramid Arrays. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1704493. [PMID: 29488322 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201704493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Surface nanotexturing with excellent light-trapping property is expected to significantly increase the conversion efficiency of solar cells. However, limited by the serious surface recombination arising from the greatly enlarged surface area, the silicon (Si) nanotexturing-based solar cells cannot yet achieve satisfactory high efficiency, which is more prominent in organic/Si hybrid solar cells (HSCs) where a uniform polymer layer can rarely be conformably coated on nanotextured substrate. Here, the HSCs featuring advanced surface texture of periodic upright nanopyramid (UNP) arrays and hole-conductive conjugated polymers, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), are investigated. The tetramethylammonium hydroxide etching is used to smooth the surface morphologies of the Si-UNPs, leading to reduced surface defect states. The uniform Si-UNPs together with silane chemical-incorporated PEDOT:PSS solution enable the simultaneous realization of excellent broadband light absorption as well as enhanced electrical contact between the textured Si and the conducting polymer. The resulting PEDOT:PSS/Si HSCs textured with UNP arrays show a promising power conversion efficiency of 13.8%, significantly higher than 12.1% of the cells based on the-state-of-the-art surface texture with random pyramids. These results provide a viable route toward shape-controlled nanotexturing-based high-performance organic/Si HSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Wang
- Department of physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Zhaolang Liu
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Zhenhai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jian He
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Xi Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Tianbao Yu
- Department of physics, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Pingqi Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
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22
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Liu Y, Sun N, Liu J, Wen Z, Sun X, Lee ST, Sun B. Integrating a Silicon Solar Cell with a Triboelectric Nanogenerator via a Mutual Electrode for Harvesting Energy from Sunlight and Raindrops. ACS NANO 2018; 12:2893-2899. [PMID: 29444396 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b00416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Solar cells, as promising devices for converting light into electricity, have a dramatically reduced performance on rainy days. Here, an energy harvesting structure that integrates a solar cell and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) device is built to realize power generation from both sunlight and raindrops. A heterojunction silicon (Si) solar cell is integrated with a TENG by a mutual electrode of a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film. Regarding the solar cell, imprinted PEDOT:PSS is used to reduce light reflection, which leads to an enhanced short-circuit current density. A single-electrode-mode water-drop TENG on the solar cell is built by combining imprinted polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a triboelectric material combined with a PEDOT:PSS layer as an electrode. The increasing contact area between the imprinted PDMS and water drops greatly improves the output of the TENG with a peak short-circuit current of ∼33.0 nA and a peak open-circuit voltage of ∼2.14 V, respectively. The hybrid energy harvesting system integrated electrode configuration can combine the advantages of high current level of a solar cell and high voltage of a TENG device, promising an efficient approach to collect energy from the environment in different weather conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqiang Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Na Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Jiawei Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Zhen Wen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Xuhui Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Shuit-Tong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
| | - Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices , Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Joint International Research Laboratory of Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123 , China
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23
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Gao P, Yang Z, He J, Yu J, Liu P, Zhu J, Ge Z, Ye J. Dopant-Free and Carrier-Selective Heterocontacts for Silicon Solar Cells: Recent Advances and Perspectives. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2018; 5:1700547. [PMID: 29593956 PMCID: PMC5867084 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201700547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
By combining the most successful heterojunctions (HJ) with interdigitated back contacts, crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells (SCs) have recently demonstrated a record efficiency of 26.6%. However, such SCs still introduce optical/electrical losses and technological issues due to parasitic absorption/Auger recombination inherent to the doped films and the complex process of integrating discrete p+- and n+-HJ contacts. These issues have motivated the search for alternative new functional materials and simplified deposition technologies, whereby carrier-selective contacts (CSCs) can be formed directly with c-Si substrates, and thereafter form IBC cells, via a dopant-free method. Screening and modifying CSC materials in a wider context is beneficial for building dopant-free HJ contacts with better performance, shedding new light on the relatively mature Si photovoltaic field. In this review, a significant number of achievements in two representative dopant-free hole-selective CSCs, i.e., poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/Si and transition metal oxides/Si, have been systemically presented and surveyed. The focus herein is on the latest advances in hole-selective materials modification, interfacial passivation, contact resistivity, light-trapping structure and device architecture design, etc. By analyzing the structure-property relationships of hole-selective materials and assessing their electrical transport properties, promising functional materials as well as important design concepts for such CSCs toward high-performance SCs have been highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingqi Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
| | - Zhenhai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
| | - Jian He
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Jing Yu
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Peipei Liu
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Juye Zhu
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Ziyi Ge
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesNingbo315201China
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24
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García-Tecedor M, Karazhanov SZ, Vásquez GC, Haug H, Maestre D, Cremades A, Taeño M, Ramírez-Castellanos J, González-Calbet JM, Piqueras J, You CC, Marstein ES. Silicon surface passivation by PEDOT: PSS functionalized by SnO 2 and TiO 2 nanoparticles. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 29:035401. [PMID: 29176063 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa9c9e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we present a study of silicon surface passivation based on the use of spin-coated hybrid composite layers. We investigate both undoped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), as well as PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanomaterials (TiO2 and SnO2). The hybrid compound was deposited at room temperature by spin coating-a potentially lower cost, lower processing time and higher throughput alternative compared with the commonly used vacuum-based techniques. Photoluminescence imaging was used to characterize the electronic properties of the Si/PEDOT:PSS interface. Good surface passivation was achieved by PEDOT:PSS functionalized by semiconducting oxides. We show that control of the concentration of semiconducting oxide nanoparticles in the polymer is crucial in determining the passivation performance. A charge carrier lifetime of about 275 μs has been achieved when using SnO2 nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.5 wt.% as a filler in the composite film. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive x-ray in an SEM, and μ-Raman spectroscopy have been used for the morphological, chemical and structural characterization. Finally, a simple model of a photovoltaic device based on PEDOT:PSS functionalized with semiconducting oxide nanoparticles has been fabricated and electrically characterized.
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Affiliation(s)
- M García-Tecedor
- Departamento de Física de Materiales, Facultad de CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain. Department for Solar Energy, Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), PO BOX 40, 2027, Kjeller, Norway
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25
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Liu Z, Yang Z, Wu S, Zhu J, Guo W, Sheng J, Ye J, Cui Y. Photoinduced Field-Effect Passivation from Negative Carrier Accumulation for High-Efficiency Silicon/Organic Heterojunction Solar Cells. ACS NANO 2017; 11:12687-12695. [PMID: 29215861 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b07222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Carrier recombination and light management of the dopant-free silicon/organic heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) are the critical factors in developing high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. However, the traditional passivation technologies can hardly provide efficient surface passivation on the front surface of Si. In this study, a photoinduced electric field was induced in a bilayer antireflective coating (ARC) of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and titanium oxide (TiO2) films, due to formation of an accumulation layer of negative carriers (O2- species) under UV (sunlight) illumination. This photoinduced field not only suppressed the silicon surface recombination but also enhanced the built-in potential of HSCs with 84 mV increment. In addition, this photoactive ARC also displayed the outstanding light-trapping capability. The front PEDOT:PSS/Si HSC with the saturated O2- received a champion PCE of 15.51% under AM 1.5 simulated sunlight illumination. It was clearly demonstrated that the photoinduced electric field was a simple, efficient, and low-cost method for the surface passivation and contributed to achieve a high efficiency when applied in the Si/PEDOT:PSS HSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaolang Liu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenhai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Sudong Wu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Juye Zhu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Guo
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiang Sheng
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Ningbo 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Cui
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305, United States
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Nam YH, Kim DH, Shinde SS, Song JW, Park MJ, Yu JY, Lee JH. Planar n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid heterojunction solar cells utilizing functionalized carbon nanoparticles synthesized via simple pyrolysis route. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:475402. [PMID: 29086756 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa9014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we present a facile and simple strategy for in situ synthesis of functionalized carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) via direct pyrolysis of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on silicon surface. The CNPs were incorporated in hybrid planar n-Si and poly(3,4-etyhlenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solar cells to improve device performance. We demonstrate that the CNPs-incorporated devices showed increased electrical conductivity (reduced series resistance) and minority carrier lifetime (better charge carrier collection) than those of the cells without CNPs due to the existence of electrically conductive sp 2-hybridized carbon at the heterojunction interfaces. With an optimal concentration of CNPs, the hybrid solar cells exhibited power conversion efficiency up to 11.95%, with an open-circuit voltage of 614 mV, short-circuit current density of 26.34 mA cm-2, and fill factor of 73.93%. These results indicate that our approach is promising for the development of highly efficient organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon-Ho Nam
- Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyounggi 15588, Republic of Korea
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Opto-electric investigation for Si/organic heterojunction single-nanowire solar cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14575. [PMID: 29109447 PMCID: PMC5674000 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15300-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, silicon single nanowire solar cells (SNSCs) serving as the sustainable self-power sources have been integrated into optoelectronic nanodevices under the driver of technology and economy. However, conventional SNSC cannot provide the minimum energy consumption for the operation of nanodevices due to its low power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we propose an innovative approach to combine the n-type silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with p-type poly(3,4-ethylthiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to form the p+n heterojunction, which shows superior opto-electric performances. Besides, PEDOT:PSS also acts as a natural anti-reflection coating (ARC) with an excellent light-trapping capability, especially in the short-wavelength range. Importantly, the photovoltaic performances of Si/PEDOT:PSS SNSC can be well maintained even in large surface recombination velocity, due to the efficient field-effect passivation of PEDOT:PSS. The minority carrier concentration at outer surface of shallow p+n heterojunction is greatly reduced by the electric field, drastically suppressing the surface recombination compared to the conventional p-i-n homojunction SNSC. Furthermore, larger junction area of p+n heterojunction facilitates the separation of photo-generated charge carriers. These results demonstrate that the Si/PEDOT:PSS SNSC is a promising alternative for micro power application.
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Zhang B, Jie J, Zhang X, Ou X, Zhang X. Large-Scale Fabrication of Silicon Nanowires for Solar Energy Applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:34527-34543. [PMID: 28921947 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b06620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The development of silicon (Si) materials during past decades has boosted up the prosperity of the modern semiconductor industry. In comparison with the bulk-Si materials, Si nanowires (SiNWs) possess superior structural, optical, and electrical properties and have attracted increasing attention in solar energy applications. To achieve the practical applications of SiNWs, both large-scale synthesis of SiNWs at low cost and rational design of energy conversion devices with high efficiency are the prerequisite. This review focuses on the recent progresses in large-scale production of SiNWs, as well as the construction of high-efficiency SiNW-based solar energy conversion devices, including photovoltaic devices and photo-electrochemical cells. Finally, the outlook and challenges in this emerging field are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingchang Zhang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiansheng Jie
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiujuan Zhang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuemei Ou
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohong Zhang
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University , Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
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Han Y, Liu Y, Yuan J, Dong H, Li Y, Ma W, Lee ST, Sun B. Naphthalene Diimide-Based n-Type Polymers: Efficient Rear Interlayers for High-Performance Silicon-Organic Heterojunction Solar Cells. ACS NANO 2017; 11:7215-7222. [PMID: 28679036 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b03090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Silicon-organic heterojunction solar cells suffer from a noticeable weakness of inefficient rear contact. To improve this rear contact quality, here, two solution-processed organic n-type donor-acceptor naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based conjugated polymers of N2200 and fluorinated analogue F-N2200 are explored to reduce the contact resistance as well as to passivate the Si surface. Both N2200 and F-N2200 exhibit high electron mobility due to their planar structure and strong intermolecular stacking, thus allowing them to act as excellent transporting layers. Preferential orientation of the polymers leads to reduce contact resistance between Si and cathode aluminum, which can enhance electron extraction. More importantly, the substitution of fluorine atoms for hydrogen atoms within the conjugated polymer can strengthen the intermolecular stacking and improve the polymer-Si electronic contact due to the existence of F···H interactions. The power conversion efficiencies of Si-PEDOT:PSS solar cells increased from 12.6 to 14.5% as a consequence of incorporating the F-N2200 polymer interlayers. Subsequently, in-depth density functional theory simulations confirm that the polymer orientation plays a critical role on the polymer-Si contact quality. The success of NDI-based polymers indicates that planar conjugated polymer with a preferred orientation could be useful in developing high-performance solution-processed Si-organic heterojunction photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yuqiang Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jianyu Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Huilong Dong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Youyong Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wanli Ma
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Shuit-Tong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, China
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30
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Zhang J, Zhang Y, Song T, Shen X, Yu X, Lee ST, Sun B, Jia B. High-Performance Ultrathin Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Silicon Solar Cells via Solution-Processed Interface Modification. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:21723-21729. [PMID: 28603961 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b02140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells based on n-type crystalline silicon and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) exhibited promising efficiency along with a low-cost fabrication process. In this work, ultrathin flexible silicon substrates, with a thickness as low as tens of micrometers, were employed to fabricate hybrid solar cells to reduce the use of silicon materials. To improve the light-trapping ability, nanostructures were built on the thin silicon substrates by a metal-assisted chemical etching method (MACE). However, nanostructured silicon resulted in a large amount of surface-defect states, causing detrimental charge recombination. Here, the surface was smoothed by solution-processed chemical treatment to reduce the surface/volume ratio of nanostructured silicon. Surface-charge recombination was dramatically suppressed after surface modification with a chemical, associated with improved minority charge-carrier lifetime. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of 9.1% was achieved in the flexible hybrid silicon solar cells, with a substrate thickness as low as ∼14 μm, indicating that interface engineering was essential to improve the hybrid junction quality and photovoltaic characteristics of the hybrid devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China
- Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, Boroondara, Victoria 3122, Australia
| | - Yinan Zhang
- Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, Boroondara, Victoria 3122, Australia
- Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University , Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Tao Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xinlei Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuegong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shuit-Tong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Baohua Jia
- Centre for Micro-Photonics, Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology , Hawthorn, Boroondara, Victoria 3122, Australia
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Potential of PEDOT:PSS as a hole selective front contact for silicon heterojunction solar cells. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2170. [PMID: 28526863 PMCID: PMC5438391 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01946-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
We show that the highly conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) can successfully be applied as a hole selective front contact in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. In combination with a superior electron selective heterojunction back contact based on amorphous silicon (a-Si), mono-crystalline n-type silicon (c-Si) solar cells reach power conversion efficiencies up to 14.8% and high open-circuit voltages exceeding 660 mV. Since in the PEDOT:PSS/c-Si/a-Si solar cell the inferior hybrid junction is determining the electrical device performance we are capable of assessing the recombination velocity (v I ) at the PEDOT:PSS/c-Si interface. An estimated v I of ~400 cm/s demonstrates, that while PEDOT:PSS shows an excellent selectivity on n-type c-Si, the passivation quality provided by the formation of a native oxide at the c-Si surface restricts the performance of the hybrid junction. Furthermore, by comparing the measured external quantum efficiency with optical simulations, we quantify the losses due to parasitic absorption of PEDOT:PSS and reflection of the device layer stack. By pointing out ways to better passivate the hybrid interface and to increase the photocurrent we discuss the full potential of PEDOT:PSS as a front contact in SHJ solar cells.
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Cox R, Olson GT, Pfau M, Eshaghi N, Barcus K, Ramirez D, Fernando R, Zhang S. Solution-Based Large-Area Assembly of Coaxial Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Nanowires for Fast Ambipolar Charge Transport. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:16397-16403. [PMID: 28467710 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b01413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Donor-acceptor interfacial microstructures and fast ambipolar charge transport are pivotal in determining the device performance of inorganic-organic hybrid photovoltaics. Here, we report on a series of one-dimensional coaxial p-n junction core-shell nanohybrids formed by direct side-on attachment of carboxylated poly(3-alkylthiophene)s onto single-crystalline ZnO nanowires. The diameter of pristine ZnO nanowires is ∼30 nm, and the conjugated polymer forms a 2-10 nm shell around each nanowire. Spectroscopic studies on the resulting core-shell hybrid nanowires show an elongated conjugation length of the poly(3-alkylthiophene) backbone and fast electron transfer via ordered donor-acceptor interfaces. Hybrid nanowires in suspensions spontaneously undergo phase transitions from isotropic to nematic liquid crystalline phases via a biphasic region with increasing concentration. The unique liquid crystalline elasticity of nanohybrids results in large-area monodomain structures of aligned hybrid nanowires under simple shear flow, which are maintained in the dried film used for device fabrication. These methodologies provide a mechanism for controlling donor-acceptor interfaces and exploiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity for solution-based processing of large-area alignment of photovoltaic elements with anisotropic charge transport for hybrid photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Cox
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Grant T Olson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Michaela Pfau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Nima Eshaghi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Kyle Barcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Dania Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Raymond Fernando
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
| | - Shanju Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo, California 93407, United States
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Wang Y, Xia Z, Liu L, Xu W, Yuan Z, Zhang Y, Sirringhaus H, Lifshitz Y, Lee ST, Bao Q, Sun B. The Light-Induced Field-Effect Solar Cell Concept - Perovskite Nanoparticle Coating Introduces Polarization Enhancing Silicon Cell Efficiency. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1606370. [PMID: 28256770 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201606370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Solar cell generates electrical energy from light one via pulling excited carrier away under built-in asymmetry. Doped semiconductor with antireflection layer is general strategy to achieve this including crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell. However, loss of extra energy beyond band gap and light reflection in particular wavelength range is known to hinder the efficiency of c-Si cell. Here, it is found that part of short wavelength sunlight can be converted into polarization electrical field, which strengthens asymmetry in organic-c-Si heterojunction solar cell through molecule alignment process. The light harvested by organometal trihalide perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) induces molecular alignment on a conducting polymer, which generates positive electrical surface field. Furthermore, a "field-effect solar cell" is successfully developed and implemented by combining perovskite NPs with organic/c-Si heterojunction associating with light-induced molecule alignment, which achieves an efficiency of 14.3%. In comparison, the device with the analogous structure without perovskite NPs only exhibits an efficiency of 12.7%. This finding provides a novel concept to design solar cell by sacrificing part of sunlight to provide "extra" asymmetrical field continuously as to drive photogenerated carrier toward respective contacts under direct sunlight. Moreover, it also points out a method to combine promising perovskite material with c-Si solar cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusheng Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Zhouhui Xia
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Lijia Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Weidong Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Zhongcheng Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Yupeng Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Henning Sirringhaus
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Yeshayahu Lifshitz
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Shui-Tong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Qiaoliang Bao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
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34
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Nam YH, Song JW, Park MJ, Sami A, Lee JH. Ultrathin Al 2O 3 interface achieving an 11.46% efficiency in planar n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:155402. [PMID: 28303801 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa63b9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid organic-inorganic photovoltaic devices consisting of poly(3,4-etyhlenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and n-type silicon have recently been investigated for their cost-efficiency and ease of fabrication. We demonstrate that the insertion of an ultrathin Al2O3 layer between n-Si and PEDOT:PSS significantly improves photovoltaic performance in comparison to the conventional interfacial oxide employing SiO2. A power-conversion efficiency of 11.46% was recorded at the optimal Al2O3 thickness of 2.3 nm. This result was achieved based upon increased built-in potential and improved charge collection via the electron blocking effect of Al2O3. In addition, the hydrophilicity enhanced by Al2O3 improved the coating uniformity of the PEDOT:PSS layer, resulting in a further reduction in surface recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon-Ho Nam
- Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyounggi 426-791, Republic of Korea
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35
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He J, Gao P, Yang Z, Yu J, Yu W, Zhang Y, Sheng J, Ye J, Amine JC, Cui Y. Silicon/Organic Hybrid Solar Cells with 16.2% Efficiency and Improved Stability by Formation of Conformal Heterojunction Coating and Moisture-Resistant Capping Layer. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1606321. [PMID: 28151568 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201606321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Silicon/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) heterojunction solar cells with 16.2% efficiency and excellent stability are fabricated on pyramid-textured silicon substrates by applying a water-insoluble ester as capping layer. This shows that a conformal coating of PEDOT:PSS on textured silicon can greatly improve the junction quality with the main stability failure routes related to the moisture-induced poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) aggregations and the tunneling silicon oxide autothickening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian He
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Pingqi Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Zhenhai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Wei Yu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Optic-Electronic Information Material, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Optic-Electronic Information Material, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Jiang Sheng
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Joseph Chen Amine
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Yi Cui
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Ray SK, Katiyar AK, Raychaudhuri AK. One-dimensional Si/Ge nanowires and their heterostructures for multifunctional applications-a review. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:092001. [PMID: 28120815 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa565c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Remarkable progress has been made in the field of one-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures for electronic and photonic devices. Group-IV semiconductors and their heterostructures have dominated the years of success in microelectronic industry. However their use in photonic devices is limited since they exhibit poor optical activity due to indirect band gap nature of Si and Ge. Reducing their dimensions below a characteristic length scale of various fundamental parameters like exciton Bohr radius, phonon mean free path, critical size of magnetic domains, exciton diffusion length etc result in the significant modification of bulk properties. In particular, light emission from Si/Ge nanowires due to quantum confinement, strain induced band structure modification and impurity doping may lead to the integration of photonic components with mature silicon CMOS technology in near future. Several promising applications based on Si and Ge nanowires have already been well established and studied, while others are now at the early demonstration stage. The control over various forms of energy and carrier transport through the unconstrained dimension makes Si and Ge nanowires a promising platform to manufacture advanced solid-state devices. This review presents the progress of the research with emphasis on their potential application of Si/Ge nanowires and their heterostructures for electronic, photonic, sensing and energy devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samit K Ray
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
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37
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Ghosh R, Giri PK. Silicon nanowire heterostructures for advanced energy and environmental applications: a review. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:012001. [PMID: 27893437 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/28/1/012001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Semiconductor nanowires (NWs), in particular Si NWs, have attracted much attention in the last decade for their unique electronic properties and potential applications in several emerging areas. With the introduction of heterostructures (HSs) on NWs, new functionalities are obtained and the device performance is improved significantly in many cases. Due to the easy fabrication techniques, excellent optoelectronic properties and compatibility of forming HSs with different inorganic/organic materials, Si NW HSs have been utilized in various configurations and device architectures. Herein, we review the recent developments in Si NW HS-based devices including the fabrication techniques, properties (e.g., light emitting, antireflective, photocatalytic, electrical, photovoltaic, sensing etc) and related emerging applications in energy generation, conversion, storage, and environmental cleaning and monitoring. In particular, recent advances in Si NW HS-based solar photovoltaics, light-emitting devices, thermoelectrics, Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen generation, artificial photosynthesis, photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in water treatment, chemical and gas sensors, biomolecular sensors for microbial monitoring etc have been addressed in detail. The problems and challenges in utilizing Si NW HSs in device applications and the key parameters to improve the device performance are pointed out. The recent trends in the commercial applications of Si NW HS-based devices and future outlook of the field are presented at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Ghosh
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, India
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38
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Shen X, Ma B, Chen L, Zhao J. High efficiency conjugated polymer/Si hybrid solar cells with tetramethylammonium hydroxide treatment. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra24970a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Conjugated polymer/Si hybrid solar cells are fabricated based on a Si nanowire array (SiNW) substrate prepared by metal-assisted electroless etching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Shen
- Institute of Polymer Materials
- School of Materials Science & Engineering
- Jiangsu University
- Zhenjiang
- P. R. China
| | - Baogen Ma
- Institute of Polymer Materials
- School of Materials Science & Engineering
- Jiangsu University
- Zhenjiang
- P. R. China
| | - Ling Chen
- Institute of Polymer Materials
- School of Materials Science & Engineering
- Jiangsu University
- Zhenjiang
- P. R. China
| | - Jie Zhao
- College of Physics
- Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology
- Suzhou
- P. R. China
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Lee YT, Lin FR, Chen CH, Pei Z. A 14.7% Organic/Silicon Nanoholes Hybrid Solar Cell via Interfacial Engineering by Solution-Processed Inorganic Conformal Layer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:34537-34545. [PMID: 27998134 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b10741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrated a high-performance Si-organic hybrid heterojunction solar cell utilizing low-temperature and liquid-phase-processed TiO2 as an interlayer between poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and Si nanoholes to produce a conformal contact on the surface of the Si nanostructure. The hydrophilic TiO2/Si-nanohole surface enabled the PEDOT:PSS to flow into the spacing of the close-packed nanoholes. Scanning electron microscopy images were used to confirm the PEDOT:PSS nanohole filling induced by the TiO2. With forming gas annealing of the double-sided TiO2, high Voc (0.63 V) and Jsc (35.7 mA/cm2) values were obtained, yielding a high power conversion efficiency of 14.7%. The high Voc was attributed to the surface passivation of Si by annealed TiO2. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigation at the TiO2/Si interface indicates the TiOx signal decreased and the TiO2 and SiOx signals increased after annealing. The Si-O bonding found in the O 1s study appeared in the form of Si-O-Si bonding to serve surface passivation. The band alignment of the PEDOT:PSS/TiO2/n-Si hetero-interfaces was postulated and plotted. The Vbi in the system after annealing was assumed to be higher because of the reduction of bulk and surface states that yield high Voc. After annealing, the Vbi increased from 0.805 to 0.905 V. The reduction of surface recombination velocity proved the passivation ability of TiO2 after annealing. With proven surface passivation and conformal PEDOT:PSS/Si nanohole interfaces for enhanced contact, this Si-organic hybrid heterojunction solar cell with solution-processed TiO2 interlayers has excellent potential for application as a high-efficiency and low-cost Si solar cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chien-Hsun Chen
- Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute , Chutung 310, Taiwan, ROC
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40
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McGillivray D, Thomas JP, Abd-Ellah M, Heinig NF, Leung KT. Performance Enhancement by Secondary Doping in PEDOT:PSS/Planar-Si Hybrid Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:34303-34308. [PMID: 27998145 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b09704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Solar cells depend on effectively absorbing light and converting it into electrical current. It is therefore essential to increase conductivity and to limit both reflection and parasitic absorbance to achieve higher photoconversion efficiency. Here, we examine the effect of post-treatment on the absorbance and conductivity of hybrid solar cells comprised of p-type poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) on an n-type silicon substrate. Three sets of cells based on pristine PEDOT:PSS film, cosolvent enhanced PEDOT:PSS film using ethylene glycol as a cosolvent, and post-treated PEDOT:PSS film using a novel 1:1 binary mixture of ethylene glycol and methanol have been studied. Markedly different film conductivities have been found for the pristine (∼0.8 S/cm), cosolvent added (637 S/cm), and post-treated films (1334 S/cm). The photoconversion efficiency obtained over a large set of samples (72 cells) was used to evaluate the cosolvent addition and post-treatment. Post-treatment is found to reproducibly provide films with not only the highest conductivities but also the highest efficiencies along with higher open-circuit voltage and fill factor but lower short-circuit current density when compared to those of the cosolvent added films. The decrease in the latter is attributed to the increase in absorbance in the PEDOT:PSS film. The present work illustrates the delicate challenge in improving the conductivity and carrier collection efficiency of the cells not at the expense of other properties such as absorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald McGillivray
- WATLab and Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada
| | - Joseph P Thomas
- WATLab and Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada
| | - Marwa Abd-Ellah
- WATLab and Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada
| | - Nina F Heinig
- WATLab and Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada
| | - K T Leung
- WATLab and Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada
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41
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Shen X, Chen L, Pan J, Hu Y, Li S, Zhao J. Improved Work Function of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): Poly(styrenesulfonic acid) and its Effect on Hybrid Silicon/Organic Heterojunction Solar Cells. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:532. [PMID: 27905094 PMCID: PMC5131012 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1759-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid silicon/organic solar cells have been recently extensively investigated due to their simple structure and low-cost fabrication process. However, the efficiency of the solar cells is greatly limited by the barrier height as well as the carrier recombination at the silicon/organic interface. In this work, hydrochloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) is employed into the poly(3,4-ethlenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solution, and the work function (WF) of the PEDOT:PSS layer has been successfully improved. Based on the Pt-modified PEDOT:PSS layer, the efficiency of the silicon/PEDOT:PSS cell can be increased to 11.46%, corresponding to ~20% enhancement to the one without platinum (Pt) modification. Theoretical and experimental results show that, when increasing the WF of the PEDO:PSS layer, the barrier height between the silicon/PEDOT:PSS interface can be effectively enhanced. Meanwhile, the carrier recombination at the interface is significantly reduced. These results can contribute to better understanding of the interfacial mechanism of silicon/PEDOT:PSS interface, and further improving the device performance of silicon/organic solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Shen
- Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ling Chen
- Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianmei Pan
- Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue Hu
- Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Songjun Li
- Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province 212013 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Zhao
- College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006 People’s Republic of China
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42
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Lu R, Xu L, Ge Z, Li R, Xu J, Yu L, Chen K. Improved Efficiency of Silicon Nanoholes/Gold Nanoparticles/Organic Hybrid Solar Cells via Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:160. [PMID: 27003428 PMCID: PMC4803719 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1374-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Silicon is the most widely used material for solar cells due to its abundance, non-toxicity, reliability, and mature fabrication process. In this paper, we fabricated silicon nanoholes (SiNHS)/gold nanoparticles (AuNPS)/organic hybrid solar cells and investigated their spectral and opto-electron conversion properties. SiNHS nanocomposite films were fabricated by metal-assisted electroless etching (EE) method. Then, we modified the surface of the nanocomposite films by exposing the samples in the air. After that, polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT PSS) blended with AuNPS were spin-coated on the surface of the SiNHS nanocomposite films as a hole-transporting layer. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) values of the solar cells with AuNPS are higher than that of the samples without AuNPS in the spectral region of 600-1000 nm, which were essential to achieve high performance photovoltaic cells. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cells incorporating AuNPS exhibited an enhancement of 27 %, compared with that of the solar cells without AuNPS. We thought that the improved efficiency were attributed to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) triggered by gold nanoparticles in SiNHS nanocomposite films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronghua Lu
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ling Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhaoyun Ge
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Li
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun Xu
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Linwei Yu
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
| | - Kunji Chen
- National Laboratory of Solid State and Microstructures School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093 People’s Republic of China
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43
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Shen X, Xia Z, Chen L, Li S, Zhao J. Optical and electrical enhancement for high performance hybrid Si/organic heterojunction solar cells using gold nanoparticles. Electrochim Acta 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2016.11.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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44
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Sun Y, Gao P, He J, Zhou S, Ying Z, Yang X, Xiang Y, Ye J. Rear-Sided Passivation by SiNx:H Dielectric Layer for Improved Si/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Heterojunction Solar Cells. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:310. [PMID: 27352263 PMCID: PMC4925382 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1505-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Silicon/organic hybrid solar cells have recently attracted great attention because they combine the advantages of silicon (Si) and the organic cells. In this study, we added a patterned passivation layer of silicon nitride (SiNx:H) onto the rear surface of the Si substrate in a Si/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT PSS) hybrid solar cell, enabling an improvement of 0.6 % in the power conversion efficiency (PCE). The addition of the SiNx:H layer boosted the open circuit voltage (V oc) from 0.523 to 0.557 V, suggesting the well-passivation property of the patterned SiNx:H thin layer that was created by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and lithography processes. The passivation properties that stemmed from front PEDOT PSS, rear-SiNx:H, front PEDOT PSS/rear-SiNx:H, etc. are thoroughly investigated, in consideration of the process-related variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiling Sun
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingqi Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian He
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Suqiong Zhou
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqin Ying
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong Xiang
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People's Republic of China.
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45
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Jiang Y, Gong X, Qin R, Liu H, Xia C, Ma H. Efficiency Enhancement Mechanism for Poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonate)/Silicon Nanowires Hybrid Solar Cells Using Alkali Treatment. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:267. [PMID: 27225423 PMCID: PMC4880617 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1450-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The efficiency enhancement mechanism of the alkali-treated Si nanowire (SiNW) solar cells is discussed and analyzed in detail, which is important to control the useful photovoltaic process. All the results demonstrate that the photovoltaic performance enhancement of alkali-treated SiNW device steps from the formation of the good core-shell heterojunction, which consequently enhances the junction area, promotes fast separating and transporting of electron and hole pairs, and reduces the carrier surface combination. It also indicates that alkali treatment for SiNWs is a promising processing as an economical method for the formation of good core-shell SiNW/polymer heterojunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurong Jiang
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - Xiu Gong
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Ruiping Qin
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Hairui Liu
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Congxin Xia
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Heng Ma
- College of Physics & Materials Science, Henan Province Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
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46
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Wang H, Wang J, Hong L, Tan YH, Tan CS, Rusli. Thin Film Silicon Nanowire/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Solar Cells with Surface Treatment. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:311. [PMID: 27356558 PMCID: PMC4927559 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1527-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
SiNW/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells are fabricated on 10.6-μm-thick crystalline Si thin films. Cells with Si nanowires (SiNWs) of different lengths fabricated using the metal-catalyzed electroless etching (MCEE) technique have been investigated. A surface treatment process using oxygen plasma has been applied to improve the surface quality of the SiNWs, and the optimized cell with 0.7-μm-long SiNWs achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.83 %. The surface treatment process is found to remove surface defects and passivate the SiNWs and substantially improve the average open circuit voltage from 0.461 to 0.562 V for the optimized cell. The light harvesting capability of the SiNWs has also been investigated theoretically using optical simulation. It is found that the inherent randomness of the MCEE SiNWs, in terms of their diameter and spacing, accounts for the excellent light harvesting capability. In comparison, periodic SiNWs of comparable dimensions have been shown to exhibit much poorer trapping and absorption of light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Jianxiong Wang
- NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Lei Hong
- NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Yew Heng Tan
- NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Chuan Seng Tan
- NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
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47
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Sun Y, Yang Z, Gao P, He J, Yang X, Sheng J, Wu S, Xiang Y, Ye J. Si/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Solar Cells with Advanced Antireflection and Back Surface Field Designs. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2016; 11:356. [PMID: 27501806 PMCID: PMC4977237 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-016-1560-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Molybdenum oxide (MoO3) is one of most suitable antireflection (AR) layers for silicon/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (Si/ PEDOT PSS) hybrid solar cells due to its well-matched refractive index (2.1). A simulation model was employed to predict the optical characteristics of Si/ PEDOT PSS hybrid solar cells with the MoO3 layers as antireflection coatings (ARCs), as well as to analyze the loss in current density. By adding an optimum thickness of a 34-nm-thick ARC of MoO3 on the front side and an effective rear back surface field (BSF) of phosphorus-diffused N (+) layer at the rear side, the hybrid cells displayed higher light response in the visible and near infrared regions, boosting a short-circuit current density (J sc) up to 28.7 mA/cm(2). The average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the Si/ PEDOT PSS hybrid solar cells was thus increased up to 11.90 %, greater than the value of 9.23 % for the reference devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiling Sun
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731 People’s Republic of China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhenhai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Pingqi Gao
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian He
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xi Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiang Sheng
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Sudong Wu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Xiang
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jichun Ye
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219# Zhongguanxi Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201 People’s Republic of China
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48
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Sun B, Shao M, Lee S. Nanostructured Silicon Used for Flexible and Mobile Electricity Generation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2016; 28:10539-10547. [PMID: 27414045 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201601012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2016] [Revised: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The use of nanostructured silicon for the generation of electricity in flexible and mobile devices is reviewed. This field has attracted widespread interest in recent years due to the emergence of plastic electronics. Such developments are likely to alter the nature of power sources in the near future. For example, flexible photovoltaic cells can supply electricity to rugged and collapsible electronics, biomedical devices, and conformable solar panels that are integrated with the curved surfaces of vehicles or buildings. Here, the unique optical and electrical properties of nanostructured silicon are examined, with regard to how they can be exploited in flexible photovoltaics, thermoelectric generators, and piezoelectric devices, which serve as power generators. Particular emphasis is placed on organic-silicon heterojunction photovoltaic devices, silicon-nanowire-based thermoelectric generators, and core-shell silicon/silicon oxide nanowire-based piezoelectric devices, because they are flexible, lightweight, and portable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoquan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Mingwang Shao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Shuitong Lee
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
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49
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Li H, Kim NT, Su TA, Steigerwald ML, Nuckolls C, Darancet P, Leighton JL, Venkataraman L. Mechanism for Si–Si Bond Rupture in Single Molecule Junctions. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:16159-16164. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b10700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haixing Li
- Department
of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Nathaniel T. Kim
- Department
of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Timothy A. Su
- Department
of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | | | - Colin Nuckolls
- Department
of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Pierre Darancet
- Center
for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - James L. Leighton
- Department
of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Latha Venkataraman
- Department
of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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50
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Kim E, Cho Y, Sohn A, Hwang H, Lee YU, Kim K, Park HH, Kim J, Wu JW, Kim DW. Mie Resonance-Modulated Spatial Distributions of Photogenerated Carriers in Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)/Silicon Nanopillars. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29472. [PMID: 27388122 PMCID: PMC4937449 DOI: 10.1038/srep29472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Organic/silicon hybrid solar cells have great potential as low-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. The superior light trapping capability, mediated by the optical resonances, of the organic/silicon hybrid nanostructure-based cells enhances their optical performance. In this work, we fabricated Si nanopillar (NP) arrays coated with organic semiconductor, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), layers. Experimental and calculated optical properties of the samples showed that Mie-resonance strongly concentrated incoming light in the NPs. Spatial mapping of surface photovoltage, i.e., changes in the surface potential under illumination, using Kelvin probe force microscopy enabled us to visualize the local behavior of the photogenerated carriers in our samples. Under red light, surface photovoltage was much larger (63 meV) on the top surface of a NP than on a planar sample (13 meV), which demonstrated that the confined light in the NPs produced numerous carriers within the NPs. Since the silicon NPs provide pathways for efficient carrier transportation, high collection probability of the photogenerated carriers near the NPs can be expected. This suggests that the optical resonance in organic/silicon hybrid nanostructures benefits not only broad-band light trapping but also efficient carrier collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunah Kim
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Yunae Cho
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Ahrum Sohn
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Heewon Hwang
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Y U Lee
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Kyungkon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Hyeong-Ho Park
- Applied Device and Material Lab., Device Technology Division, Korea Advanced Nanofab Center (KANC), Suwon 443-270, Korea
| | - Joondong Kim
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 406-772, Korea
| | - J W Wu
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
| | - Dong-Wook Kim
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea
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