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Book Silicon Nanoparticle Synthesis and Modeling for Thin Film Solar Cells

Download or read book Silicon Nanoparticle Synthesis and Modeling for Thin Film Solar Cells written by Zahra Albu and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nanometer-scale silicon shows extraordinary electronic and optical properties that are not available for bulk silicon, and many investigations toward applications in optoelectronic devices are being pursued. Silicon nanoparticle films made from solution are a promising candidate for low-cost solar cells. However, controlling the properties of silicon nanoparticles is quite a challenge, in particular shape and size distribution, which effect device performance. At present, none of the solar cells made from silicon nanoparticle films have an efficiency exceeding the efficiency of those based on crystalline silicon. To address the challenge of controlling silicon nanoparticle properties, both theoretical and experimental investigations are needed. In this thesis, we investigate silicon nanoparticle properties via quantum mechanical modeling of silicon nanoparticles and synthesis of silicon nanoparticle films via colloidal grinding. Silicon nanoparticles with shapes including cubic, rectangular, ellipsoidal and flat disk are modeled using semi-empirical methods and configuration interaction. Their electronic properties with different surface passivation were also studied. The results showed that silicon nanoparticles with hydrogen passivation have higher HOMOLUMO gaps, and also the HOMO-LUMO gap depends on the size and the shape of the particle. In contrast, silicon nanoparticles with oxygen passivation have a lower HOMO-LUMO gap. Raman spectroscopy calculation of silicon nanoparticles show peak shift and asymmetric broadening similar to what has been observed in experiment. Silicon nanoparticle synthesis via colloidal grinding was demonstrated as a straightforward and inexpensive approach for thin film solar cells. Data analysis of silicon particles via SEM images demonstrated that colloidal grinding is effective in reducing the Si particle size to sub-micron in a short grinding time. Further increases in grinding time, followed by filtration demonstrated a narrowing of the Si particle size and size-distribution to an average size of 70 nm. Raman spectroscopy and EDS data demonstrated that the Si nanoparticles contain oxygen due to exposure to air during grinding. I-V characterization of the milled Si nanoparticles showed an ohmic behaviour with low current at low biases then Schottky diode behaviour or a symmetric curve at large biases.

Book Solar Cells Based on Colloidal Nanocrystals

Download or read book Solar Cells Based on Colloidal Nanocrystals written by Holger Borchert and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a new system of solar cells. Colloidal nanocrystals possess many physical and chemical properties which can be manipulated by advanced control over structural features like the particle size. One application field is photovoltaics where colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are explored as components of photo-active layers which can be produced from liquid media, often in combination with conductive polymers. The further development of this interdisciplinary field of research requires a deep understanding of the physics and chemistry of colloidal nanocrystals, conducting polymers and photovoltaic devices. This book aims at bridging gaps between the involved scientific disciplines and presents important fundamentals and the current state of research of relevant materials and different types of nanoparticle-based solar cells. The book will be of interest to researchers and PhD students. Moreover, it may also serve to accompany specialized lectures in related areas.

Book Nanocrystals from Oriented Attachment for Energy Applications

Download or read book Nanocrystals from Oriented Attachment for Energy Applications written by Weidong He and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-08 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and materials technologies utilizing oriented-attachment nanocrystals (OA NCs) for the energy conversion devices. Starting with a historical introduction, the book presents basic theory with an emphasis on thermodynamic and kinetic models of the oriented-attachment nanocrystals growth. Further chapters review recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, and application of the oriented-attachment nanocrystals in fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells and photocatalysis. This book will appeal to researchers and scholars from a variety of disciplines including electrochemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, physics and mechanical engineering.

Book Synthesis and Modification of Nanostructured Thin Films

Download or read book Synthesis and Modification of Nanostructured Thin Films written by Ion N. Mihailescu and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Special Issue “Synthesis and Modification of Nanostructured Thin Films” highlights the recent progress in thin film synthesis/modification and characterization. New methods are reviewed for the synthesis and/or modification of thin films based on laser, magnetron, chemical, and other techniques. The obtained thin nanostructures are characterized by complex and complementary techniques. We think that most of proposed methods can be directly applied in production, but some others still need further elaboration for long-term prospective applications in lasers, optics, materials, electronics, informatics, telecommunications, biology, medicine, and probably many other domains. The Guest Editor and the MDPI staff are therefore pleased to offer this Special Issue to interested readers, including graduate and PhD students as well as postdoctoral researchers, but also to the entire community interested in the field of nanomaterials. We share the conviction that this can serve as a useful tool for updating the literature, but also to aid in the conception of new production and/or research programs. There is plenty of room for further dedicated R&D advances based on new instruments and materials under development.

Book Colloidal Nanocrystal Assemblies

Download or read book Colloidal Nanocrystal Assemblies written by Brian William Goodfellow and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colloidal nanocrystal assemblies offer an attractive opportunity for designer metamaterials. The ability to permute chemical composition, size, shape, and arrangement of nanocrystals leads to an astounding number of unique materials properties that find use in an extensive array of applications---ranging from solar cells to medicine. However, to take full advantage of these materials in useful applications, the nature of their assembly and their behavior under external stimuli must be well understood. Additionally, the assembly of colloidal nanocrystals into thin films provides a promising pathway to the solution-processing of inorganic materials that are prohibitively too expensive and/or difficult to deposit by conventional methods. Nanocrystal superlattices (NCSLs) of sterically stabilized nanocrystals were assembled by slow evaporation of colloidal dispersions on various substrates. Detailed analysis of the NCSL structures was carried out using transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). Body-centered cubic (bcc) NCSLs, in particular, were studied in detail and ligand packing frustration was proposed as a significant driving force for their assembly. The behavior of NCSLs was also studied by SAXS under mild heating and solvent vapor exposure revealing several remarkable order-order, order-disorder, and amorphous-crystalline structural transitions. Colloidal Cu(In [subscript 1-x] Ga [subscript x])Se2 (CIGS) nanocrystals were synthesized by arrested precipitation and formulated into inks. These inks were spray deposited into thin films under ambient conditions to serve as the active light absorbing material in printed low-cost photovoltaic (PV) devices. These devices, which were fabricated without the need for high temperature processes, have achieved power conversion efficiencies above 3 % under AM1.5 illumination. While the efficiencies of these devices are still too low for commercial viability, this work does provide a proof of concept that reasonable efficient solar cells can be created with a low-cost printable process using nanocrystal inks. Since high temperatures are not used to form the light-absorbing layer, nanocrystal-based solar cells were built on flexible light weight plastic substrates. The main obstacle to achieving high power conversation efficiencies was found to be the ability to extract the photo induced charge carriers. Nanocrystal films suffer from poor transport that leads to high recombination rates in thicker films. To date, the best efficiencies have been achieved with thin light absorber layers that only absorb a fraction of the incident light.

Book Colloidal Quantum Dot Optoelectronics and Photovoltaics

Download or read book Colloidal Quantum Dot Optoelectronics and Photovoltaics written by Gerasimos Konstantatos and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-07 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captures the most up-to-date research in the field, written in an accessible style by the world's leading experts.

Book Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Based Thin Film Solar Cells

Download or read book Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Based Thin Film Solar Cells written by Kentaro Ito and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with an overview and historical background of Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) technology, subsequent chapters cover properties of CZTS thin films, different preparation methods of CZTS thin films, a comparative study of CZTS and CIGS solar cell, computational approach, and future applications of CZTS thin film solar modules to both ground-mount and rooftop installation. The semiconducting compound (CZTS) is made up earth-abundant, low-cost and non-toxic elements, which make it an ideal candidate to replace Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe solar cells which face material scarcity and toxicity issues. The device performance of CZTS-based thin film solar cells has been steadily improving over the past 20 years, and they have now reached near commercial efficiency levels (10%). These achievements prove that CZTS-based solar cells have the potential to be used for large-scale deployment of photovoltaics. With contributions from leading researchers from academia and industry, many of these authors have contributed to the improvement of its efficiency, and have rich experience in preparing a variety of semiconducting thin films for solar cells.

Book Crystallization and Growth of Colloidal Nanocrystals

Download or read book Crystallization and Growth of Colloidal Nanocrystals written by Edson Roberto Leite and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-11-17 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the size, shape, and microstructure of nanocrystalline materials strongly impact physical and chemical properties, the development of new synthetic routes to nanocrystals with controlled composition and morphology is a key objective of the nanomaterials community. This objective is dependent on control of the nucleation and growth mechanisms that occur during the synthetic process, which in turn requires a fundamental understanding of both classical nucleation and growth and non-classical growth processes in nanostructured materials. Recently, a novel growth process called Oriented Attachment (OA) was identified which appears to be a fundamental mechanism during the development of nanoscale materials. OA is a special case of aggregation that provides an important route by which nanocrystals grow, defects are formed, and unique—often symmetry-defying—crystal morphologies can be produced. This growth mechanism involves reversible self-assembly of primary nanocrystals followed by reorientation of the assembled nanoparticles to achieve structural accord at the particle-particle interface, the removal of adsorbates and solvent molecules, and, finally, the irreversible formation of chemical bonds to produce new single crystals, twins, and intergrowths. Crystallization and Growth of Colloidal Nanocrystals provides a current understanding of the mechanisms related to nucleation and growth for use in controlling nanocrystal morphology and physical-chemical properties, and is essential reading for any chemist or materials scientist with an interest in using nanocrystals as building blocks for larger structures. This book provides a compendium for the expert reader as well as an excellent introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students seeking a gateway into this dynamic area of research.

Book Physics of Solar Cells

    Book Details:
  • Author : Peter Würfel
  • Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
  • Release : 2016-06-13
  • ISBN : 352741309X
  • Pages : 288 pages

Download or read book Physics of Solar Cells written by Peter Würfel and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-06-13 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new edition of this highly regarded textbook provides a detailed overview of the most important characterization techniques for solar cells and a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages. It describes in detail all aspects of solar cell function, the physics behind every single step, as well as all the issues to be considered when improving solar cells and their efficiency. The text is now complete with examples of how the appropriate characterization techniques enable the distinction between several potential limitation factors, describing how quantities that have been introduced theoretically in earlier chapters become experimentally accessible. With exercises after each chapter to reinforce the newly acquired knowledge and requiring no more than standard physics knowledge, this book enables students and professionals to understand the factors driving conversion efficiency and to apply this to their own solar cell development.

Book Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals  Synthesis  Properties  and Applications

Download or read book Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals Synthesis Properties and Applications written by Vladimir Lesnyak and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2020-01-06 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Crystallization of Nanoscaled Colloids

Download or read book Crystallization of Nanoscaled Colloids written by Philip G. Born and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-05-23 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis deals with the processes that create ordered assemblies from disordered nanoparticles. Ordered packings of nanoscale particles can exhibit unusual properties. This work investigates the self-assembly of such particles, a process widely employed for the generation of ordered structures, but not yet well understood. In situ methods are used to observe the assembly of sub-micron polymer lattices and sub-10 nm gold particles into crystalline monolayers and aggregates. On the basis of these results, the book develops new models that describe the competition between different influences, such as thermal agitation and directional forces. It suggests necessary criteria that lead to the emergence of order.

Book Handbook of Thin Film Deposition

Download or read book Handbook of Thin Film Deposition written by Krishna Seshan and published by William Andrew. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Thin Film Deposition is a comprehensive reference focusing on thin film technologies and applications used in the semiconductor industry and the closely related areas of thin film deposition, thin film micro properties, photovoltaic solar energy applications, new materials for memory applications and methods for thin film optical processes. In a major restructuring, this edition of the handbook lays the foundations with an up-to-date treatment of lithography, contamination and yield management, and reliability of thin films. The established physical and chemical deposition processes and technologies are then covered, the last section of the book being devoted to more recent technological developments such as microelectromechanical systems, photovoltaic applications, digital cameras, CCD arrays, and optical thin films. A practical survey of thin film technologies aimed at engineers and managers involved in all stages of the process: design, fabrication, quality assurance and applications Covers core processes and applications in the semiconductor industry and new developments in the photovoltaic and optical thin film industries The new edition takes covers the transition taking place in the semiconductor world from Al/SiO2 to copper interconnects with low-k dielectrics Written by acknowledged industry experts from key companies in the semiconductor industry including Intel and IBM Foreword by Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and formulator of the renowned ‘Moore’s Law’ relating to the technology development cycle in the semiconductor industry

Book Synthesis and Surface Characterization of Semiconductor Nanocrystals for Photovoltaic Application

Download or read book Synthesis and Surface Characterization of Semiconductor Nanocrystals for Photovoltaic Application written by Irina Lokteva and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first part of the thesis, the kinetics of a novel colloidal synthesis of nearly monodisperse CdSe and CdS QDs involving in situ formed Cd particles was studied. Reactions with different types of Se and S precursors, Cd to Se and S ratio, and different amount of the stabilizer (oleic acid) were characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the size distribution of as-synthesized CdSe and CdS NCs. In the second part, a surface modification of originally oleic acid-capped CdSe QDs with pyridine molecules was carried out. The pyridine-treated NCs were characterized by different analytical methods. Then the pyridine-treated CdSe QDs were used for the fabrication of hybrid P3HT/CdSe solar cells. Additionally, a cross-linking procedure of the pyridine-treated NCs was applied to enable more efficient charge transfer between nanoparticles in the hybrid blends. engl.

Book Colloidal Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals and Thin Films

Download or read book Colloidal Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals and Thin Films written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: