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Schematic of the layer stack in a heterojunction with thin intrinsic layer (HIT) silicon PV cell. The hash (#) symbols indicate layers that could be replaced by oxide films as discussed in the main text.
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Metalloid and metal based oxides are an almost unavoidable component in the majority of solar cell technologies used at the time of writing this review. Numerous studies have shown increases of ≥1% absolute in solar cell efficiency by simply substituting a given layer in the material stack with an oxide. Depending on the stoichiometry and whether o...
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... heterojunction with an intrinsic thin layer (HIT) cell is a special type of silicon wafer PV cell whereby the p-n junction is realized by the deposition of intrinsic-doped a-Si and p-type a-Si layers on an n-type c-Si wafer using PECVD [71]. On the rear side, intrinsic-doped a-Si and n-type a-Si layers form the back surface field (BSF). TCO grown by sputtering at the front and the back of the PV cells forms the electrodes and metal grids are provided to improve current collection. The TCO at the front side of the PV cell also acts as an anti-reflection coating. The layer stack of a typical HIT solar cell is illustrated in Figure 4. The present record efficiency on this type of PV cell is 24.7% which is quite close to the record for conventional Si wafer cells and is technologically important because all processes are done at low temperatures and on thin wafers of about 100 µm thick [72]. Since amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) strongly absorbs blue photons, silicon sub-oxides have been explored to replace it in HIT cells. Recent investigations include replacement of the amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) emitter with doped amorphous hydrogenated silicon oxide a-SiO x :H and doped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiO x :H) [73,74]. On the other hand, doped amorphous hydrogenated silicon oxide a-SiO x :H has been used as an alternative to a-Si:H as a passivation layer [75]. ZnO:Al has also been used as a conductive window layer in heterojunction PV cells based on n-type and p-type crystalline germanium wafers [76]. Amorphous InGa 2 ZnO has been applied as the n-layer in a p-n hetero-junction on p-type wafer PV cells ...
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... We note from the absorption spectrum that the rate of doping (10%) shows the high absorption from the other samples as between (80-87) % within the visible area (400-700) nm of the electromagnetic spectrum. In contrast, they show less transparency than other samples within the same area of the spectrum this sample can be used to manufacture heterojunction dividers, optical signal detectors in the communications system and solar cells [26,27]. The spectra of absorption behavior the is completely opposite to that of the transmission and reflection spectra as shown in Figures (5). ...
District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease, prolonging the investment return period. The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor temperature function for heat demand forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665 buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors. The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications (the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered). The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations. Abstract Chromium doped tin oxide Sn1-xCrxO2 (where x=0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel technique. The nanoparticles were prepared by adding only distilled water to the raw materials which was SnCl4 .5H2O as a precursor and Cr (NO3)3.9H2O for doping. XRD patterns show that the obtained nanopowders is SnO2 with tetragonal phase fully compatible with (JCPDS) card no. 41-1445.The crystallite size was calculated by Scherrer and Williamson-Hall formula and was found to be 14.8-19.6nm and 13-18.4 nm respectively. The prepared nanopowders were examined by SEM, which revealed that they have a spherical or semi-spherical shape with some agglomeration and EDX confirm presence of Sn, Cr and O2 elements. FTIR examination revealed that the changing in the shapes and positions of absorption peaks indicates to presence of stretching modes, which are give an indication of successful doping Cr to tin dioxide nanoparticles. The wavelength range (350-1100) nm was used to study the optical properties. The measurement showed that the nature of the optical transitions represented direct allowed with energy gap varies in the range of (3.6-2.3) eV with change of Cr ratios parameter. The UV absorption, transmittance, reflection spectrum and optical constant computed of the prepared samples. Abstract Chromium doped tin oxide Sn1-xCrxO2 (where x=0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel technique. The nanoparticles were prepared by adding only distilled water to the raw materials which was SnCl4 .5H2O as a precursor and Cr (NO3)3.9H2O for doping. XRD patterns show that the obtained nanopowders is SnO2 with tetragonal phase fully compatible with (JCPDS) card no. 41-1445.The crystallite size was calculated by Scherrer and Williamson-Hall formula and was found to be 14.8-19.6nm and 13-18.4 nm respectively. The prepared nanopowders were examined by SEM, which revealed that they have a spherical or semi-spherical shape with some agglomeration and EDX confirm presence of Sn, Cr and O2 elements. FTIR examination revealed that the changing in the shapes and positions of absorption peaks indicates to presence of stretching modes, which are give an indication of successful doping Cr to tin dioxide nanoparticles. The wavelength range (350-1100) nm was used to study the optical properties. The measurement showed that the nature of the optical transitions represented direct allowed with energy gap varies in the range of (3.6-2.3) eV with change of Cr ratios parameter. The UV absorption, transmittance, reflection spectrum and optical constant computed of the prepared samples. 458 Tagreed M. Al-Saadi et al. / Energy Procedia 157 (2019) 457-465 2 Tagreed M. Al-Saadi et al. / Energy Procedia 00 (2018) 000-000
... 135,136 The performance of these devices is highly dependent on the electronic properties and structure-function relationships of the materials used. 137,138 As a result, a deep understanding of these properties and relationships is essential for designing and developing highperformance organic semiconductors for use in OPV cells. 139 4.3.2 ...
This paper provides a comprehensive overview of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells, including their materials, technologies, and performance. In this context, the historical evolution of PV cell technology is explored, and the classification of PV production technologies is presented, along with a comparative analysis of first, second, and third-generation solar cells. A classification and comparison of PV cells based on materials used is also provided. The working principles and device structures of OPV cells are examined, and a brief comparison between device structures is made, highlighting their advantages, disadvantages, and key features. The various parts of OPV cells are discussed, and their performance, efficiency, and electrical characteristics are reviewed. A detailed SWOT analysis is conducted, identifying promising strengths and opportunities, as well as challenges and threats to the technology. The paper indicates that OPV cells have the potential to revolutionize the solar energy industry due to their low production costs, and ability to produce thin, flexible solar cells. However, challenges such as lower efficiency, durability, and technological limitations still exist. Despite these challenges, the tunability and versatility of organic materials offer promise for future success. The paper concludes by suggesting that future research should focus on addressing the identified challenges and developing new materials and technologies that can further improve the performance and efficiency of OPV cells.
... Rare earth doped B2O3-PbO (Lead Borate) glasses have drawn huge attention because of its potential uses in thermoluminescence and solid-state lasers [22,23]. An exciting material for antireflection coatings in solar cell manufacture is lead oxide thin film [24]. There are numerous variations of lead oxide, including PbO, Pb3O4, Pb2O3, and PbO2. ...
Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have piqued the interest of material scientists in recent years due to their unique physicochemical properties which are dependent on their size, shape, and chemical surroundings. The sol gel combustion is one of the most straightforward and practical technique for getting tiny and similar size and shape of the powder out of all the current lead oxide nanoparticle synthesis techniques. In this study, PbO nanoparticles are prepared using the sol-gel method followed by an auto combustion process. This research is aimed at the particle size, shape, thermal analysis, and optical properties of nanostructured PbO. Several microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric analysis are employed for the structural characterization of lead oxide nanoparticles. Tiny lead oxide particles with a diameter of 60 nanometres have been prepared. The prepares sample’s optical band gap was discovered to be 2.44 electronvolt. Thermal investigations indicate the thermal behaviour and stability of synthesized lead oxide powder and are described in details.
... Rare earth doped B2O3-PbO (Lead Borate) glasses have drawn huge attention because of its potential uses in thermoluminescence and solid-state lasers [22,23]. An exciting material for antire ection coatings in solar cell manufacture is lead oxide thin lm [24]. There are numerous variations of lead oxide, including PbO, Pb3O4, Pb2O3, and PbO2. ...
Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have piqued the interest of material scientists in recent years due to their unique physicochemical properties which are dependent on their size, shape, and chemical surroundings. The sol gel combustion is one of the most straightforward and practical technique for getting tiny and similar size and shape of the powder out of all the current lead oxide nanoparticle synthesis techniques. In this study, PbO nanoparticles are prepared using the sol-gel method followed by an auto combustion process. This research is aimed at the particle size, shape, thermal analysis, and optical properties of nanostructured PbO. Several microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric analysis are employed for the structural characterization of lead oxide nanoparticles. Tiny lead oxide particles with a diameter of 60 nanometres have been prepared. The prepares sample's optical band gap was discovered to be 2.44 electronvolt. Thermal investigations indicate the thermal behaviour and stability of synthesized lead oxide powder and are described in details.
... The results obtained from the Hall measurements showed that the CdO: NiO thin films were n-type due to oxygen vacancies. These results agree with those of Calnan [23]. The charge carrier (nH) and mobility (μH) were calculated using the Hall coefficient for each sample. ...
In this work, thin films of cadmium oxide: nickel oxide (CdO: NiO) were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at different pulse energies of Nd: YAG laser. The thin films' properties were determined by various techniques to study the effect of pulse laser energy on thin films' properties. X-ray diffraction measurements showed a mixture of both phases. The degree of crystallinity and the lattice constant increase with the laser energy increase, while the lattice strain decreases. FE-SEM images show that the substrates' entire surface is uniformly covered, without any cracks, with a well-connected structure consisting of small spherical particles ranging in size from 15 to 120 nm. Increasing the laser power causes to increase the particle size irregularly. EDX analysis showed increased oxidation in the samples using laser energy. The AFM of the thin film deposited at minimum energy shows the uniform deposition of samples prepared at the lowest energy. They are increasing pulses energy of the laser cause to increase in the average particle diameter and surface roughness. The charge carrier concentration decreases, and its mobility increases with laser energy. The I-V characteristics for CdO: NiO/porous-PSi heterojunctions prepared by different laser energies show photovoltaic properties. Optimum efficiency of the samples prepared with the lowest laser energy.
... 24 However, without the mentioned method of the thin film deposition which is considered to be a very complicated and energy demanding procedure, it is very unlikely to gain high PCE values. 26 Furthermore, the usage of the low-bandgap KBiFe2O5 material (Eg ~1.6 eV) in the photovoltaic cells appears to be restricted due to low PCE (~3 10 -3 %). 27 Therefore, the above mentioned examples demonstrate that further research is needed in finding more efficient narrow-bandgap, non-toxic and low-cost materials for solar cell devices. ...
This study outlines the synthesis and physicochemical characteristics of a solution-processable iron manganite (FeMnO3) nanoparticles via a chemical combustion method using tartartic acid as a fuel and demonstrates the performance of this material as a n-type photoactive layer in all-oxide solar cells. It is shown that the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method enables the formation of pure crystal phase FeMnO3 with controllable particle size. XRD pattern and morphology images from TEM confirm the purity of FeMnO3 phase and the relative small crystallite size (~13 nm), firstly reported in the literature. Moreover, to assemble a network of connected FeMnO3 nanoparticles, \b{eta}-alanine was used as a capping agent and dimethylformamide (DMF) as a polar aprotic solvent for the colloidal dispersion of FeMnO3 NPs. This procedure yields a ~500 nm thick photoactive layer. The proposed method is crucial to obtain functional solution processed NiO/FeMnO3 heterojunction inorganic photovoltaics. The optoelectronic properties of the heterojunction were established. These solar cells demonstrate a high open circuit voltage of 1.31 V with sufficient fill factor of 54.3% and low short circuit current of 0.07 mA cm-2 delivering a power conversion efficiency of 0.05% under 100 mW cm-2 illumination. This work expands on the burgeoning of environmentally friendly, low-cost, sustainable solar cell material that derive from metal oxides.
... In general, the absorbance gradient decreases with wavelength due to the defect states near the absorption edge [12]. It was also found that the absorbance increased with decreases with the Zn ratio which act as photon traps [13]. The optical energy gap for pure CdO and CdO:Zn thin films prepared by PLD on glass were determined by the Tauc equation [14]. ...
Pure cadmium oxide films (CdO) and doped with zinc were prepared at different atomic ratios using a pulsed laser deposition technique using an ND-YAG laser from the targets of the pressed powder capsules. X-ray diffraction measurements showed a cubic-shaped of CdO structure. Another phase appeared, especially in high percentages of zinc, corresponding to the hexagonal structure of zinc. The degree of crystallinity, as well as the crystal size, increased with the increase of the zinc ratio for the used targets. The atomic force microscopy measurements showed that increasing the dopant percentage leads to an increase in the size of the nanoparticles, the particle size distribution was irregular and wide, in addition, to increase the surface roughness of the nanoparticles. An increase in the zinc ratio also led to a decrease in the energy gap. While the Hall effect measuring showed an increase in the concentration of charge carriers and a decrease in their mobility with increasing the doping ratio.
... It is worth mentioning that a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to ∼8.1% has been recently achieved using a single ferroelectric Bi 2 FeCrO 6 layer fabricated by pulse laser deposited technique with the following structure: SrTiO 3 /SrRuO 3 /Bi 2 CrFeO 6 /ITO (Nechache et al., 2014). However, without the mentioned method of the thin film deposition which is considered to be a very complicated and energy demanding procedure, it is very unlikely to gain high PCE values (Calnan, 2014). Furthermore, the usage of the lowbandgap KBiFe 2 O 5 material (E g ∼1.6 eV) in the photovoltaic cells appears to be restricted due to low PCE (∼3 10 -3 %) (Zhang et al., 2013). ...
This study outlines the synthesis and physicochemical characteristics of a solution-processable iron manganite (FeMnO3) nanoparticles via a chemical combustion method using tartaric acid as a fuel whilst demonstrating the performance of this material as a n-type photoactive layer in all-oxide solar cells. It is shown that the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method enables the formation of pure crystal phase FeMnO3 with controllable particle size. XRD pattern and morphology images from TEM confirm the purity of FeMnO3 phase and the relatively small crystallite size (∼13 nm), firstly reported in the literature. Moreover, to assemble a network of connected FeMnO3 nanoparticles, β-alanine was used as a capping agent and dimethylformamide (DMF) as a polar aprotic solvent for the colloidal dispersion of FeMnO3 NPs. This procedure yields a ∼500 nm thick FeMnO3 n-type photoactive layer. The proposed method is crucial to obtain functional solution processed NiO/FeMnO3 heterojunction inorganic photovoltaics. Photovoltaic performance and solar cell device limitations of the NiO/FeMnO3-based heterojunction solar cells are presented.
... Over the recent decade, this class of materials has achieved and proved a high-power conversion efficiency (PCE) in the field of photovoltaic devices from 17.03% to 26.7% [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The simple, low-cost preparation process at ambient conditions as well as the abundance, nontoxic, chemical stability of the component of oxide materials are considered among the advantages for solar cell devices [7,8]. In addition, due to their unique and excellent optical and electronic properties, a multitude of oxide materials such as TiO 2, SnO 2 , ZnO, CdO, etc. thin-films tend to take a place in various optoelectronic devices and current commercial PV [9][10][11][12]. ...
In this research, the effect of the control condition on the physical properties of Copper Oxide (CuO) thin-film has been successfully performed through the sol-gel procedure followed by spin coating technique on a glass sub-strate. Taguchi model was reported to find the most prominent factor on the deposits process of CuO thin coat with an L9 (3 3) orthogonal array. Besides, from XRD, we deduce the texture coefficient used to determine the S/N ratio. The selected influential parameters are: concentration of Copper (II) ions "Cu 2+ ", preheating temperature T P and the final heat-treatment temperature T f. The results showed that the obtained crystals exhibit a uniform and smooth morphology. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) exploits the chemical composition of the prepared films. In addition, the Absorption spectra by UV-vis analysis of the obtained thin films reveal high absorbance in the visible range. In fact, the CuO films showed optimal gap energy of 1.47 eV. However, the prepared thin CuO films by the optimization of the Taguchi model lead to the enhancement of the optical properties and suggested that CuO thin film could be one of the potential solar cell absorbers in PV devices.
... To overcome some of these challenges, energy storage devices are used to effectively store energy captured during the day [1,2]. These storage devices are in different categories which include conventional capacitors, batteries and supercapacitors [3]. Micro batteries have received much attention as a potential resolution but they still suffer some setbacks such as relatively low power densities and short-term cycle stability as a result of high volumetric electrochemical reactions [4,5]. ...
... Although, various thin film compounds have been used for these purposes, some of them are costly due to their deposition processes while some are not environmentally friendly. However, some transition metal oxide based materials have been found useful because of their multifunction capabilities [3]. Their unique varying and tuneable optical properties enable them a major role in photovoltaic process such as light harvesting, charge extraction, transport and so on. ...
... Their unique varying and tuneable optical properties enable them a major role in photovoltaic process such as light harvesting, charge extraction, transport and so on. Nevertheless, silicon and some III-V semiconductors have historically received much attention, only few metal oxides have been specifically investigated as photon absorber [2,3]. But recently, many emerging oxides are being investigated. ...
Portable electronic devices require a small volume self-powered energy system that can combine fabrication of energy harvesting and storage devices in one plane. This study focuses on fabricating novel all-oxide photovoltaic and supercapacitor devices based on MoO 3 , V 2 O 5 , and Co x O y thin electrodes prepared by a two-electrode cell arrangement. The fabricated devices were tested using solar simulator and potentiostat at ambient temperature. The power conversion efficiencies of the fabricated photovoltaic devices were found in the range of 0.17-0.39% depending on buffer layer characteristics. It therefore suggests that V 2 O 5 and MoO 3 can buffer photovoltaic processes by lowering the conduction band offset in the proximate Co x O y absorber. Pseudocapacitive behavior of MoO 3 /Co x O y ||MoO 3 /Co x O y and V 2 O 5 /Co x O y ||V 2 O 5 /Co x O y planar devices showed that they delivered maximum specific areal capacity values of 0.694 and 0.778 μAhcm − 2 respectively at discharge current density of 0.1 mAcm − 2. They also showed considerably low reduction in energy density (about 38.7%) even at a remarkable increase in power density of about 450% (at a high current density of 1.0 mAcm − 2). In addition, the symmetric microsupercapacitors showed excellent retention of capacity even after 5000 cycles. These results generally indicate the reliability of the fabricated devices in the development of portable electronic components for energy application.
