Download or read book Nanostructured Photovoltaic Devices for Next Generation Solar Cell written by Sung Jin Kim and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the search for alternative sources of energy other than petroleum continues to expand, solar energy conversion has already been identified as one of the most promising technologies. In the past few years there has been extensive research focused on the next generation solar cells that can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit (a model that predicts the maximum achievable efficiency for a given material with a given bandgap). Moreover, nanoengineering approaches to enhance solar power conversion efficiency have started to receive considerable interest. Even in the most efficient commercially available solar devices utilizing crystalline silicon, a major portion of the absorbed ultraviolet photon energy is wasted as heat. Furthermore, this heat is detrimental to device reliability. Colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) offer the exciting prospect of simultaneously manipulating device and material structures and processes to enable more efficient solar energy conversion. Most importantly, these colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots are amenable to inexpensive fabrication techniques such as dip coating or spray coating of the constituent nanoscale materials onto various substrates. This dissertation focuses on the development of nanostructured photovoltaic devices, that exhibit multiple exciton generation, and that exploit the wide absorption spectra enabled by the quantum dots for next generation highly efficient, low cost, solar cells. Firstly, multiple exciton generation and subsequent electrical extraction from a thin film photoconductive device constructed from PbSe NQDs is demonstrated. As an extension of this work, this PbSe NQD photoconductor was used in a tandem structure with a polymer solar cell to demonstrate multiple carrier extraction the application of an external electric field. This structure exhibited improved device durability from UV irradiation due to the self-passivating effect provided by the PbSe layer. In order to achieve better exciton dissociation and charge transport, novel NQDs with functionalized ligands were developed. This research included the development of an approach to produce predefined patterns of quantum dots and multipod nanocrystals. The technique used optical lithography for direct writing of device structures for optoelectronic and electronic devices as well as the ability to change the ligand properties by using heat treatment. CdSe, CdTe, and PbSe nanocrystals were all functionalized by the incorporation of the functional ligand t -butoxycarbonyl (t -BOC). The ability to modify ligands of spin-casted nanocrystal layers by heating enables the fabrication of multi-layered structures. Moreover, the direct photopatterning of nanocrystal device structures was facilitated by the incorporation of a photo acid generator with the t -BOC functionalized nanocrystals. Finally, three different approaches that were recently developed to use t -BOC protected NQDs for photovoltaic devices will be discussed. The three types of devices that were developed include: (1) a multi-layered NQD all inorganic heterojunction photovoltaic devices; (2) a Schottky junction solar cell using a metal electrode on a NQD thin film; and (3) a hybrid (NQD/Polymer) bulk heterojunction device. Detailed characterization of these devices demonstrated that the t -BOC protected NQDs can be used to boost device performance (as compared to devices made from NQD with other ligands). This result provides significant advantages for realizing complicated device structures in the future.

Download or read book Next Generation of Photovoltaics written by Ana Cristobal and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-02-16 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents new concepts for a next generation of PV. Among these concepts are: Multijunction solar cells, multiple excitation solar cells (or how to take benefit of high energy photons for the creation of more than one electron hole-pair), intermediate band solar cells (or how to take advantage of below band-gap energy photons) and related technologies (for quantum dots, nitrides, thin films), advanced light management approaches (plasmonics). Written by world-class experts in next generation photovoltaics this book is an essential reference guide accessible to both beginners and experts working with solar cell technology. The book deeply analyzes the current state-of-the-art of the new photovoltaic approaches and outlines the implementation paths of these advanced devices. Topics addressed range from the fundamentals to the description of state-of-the-art of the new types of solar cells.

Download or read book Nanostructured Materials for Next Generation Energy Storage and Conversion written by Tulay Aygan Atesin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nanostructured Materials for Next-Generation Energy Storage and Conversion: Photovoltaic and Solar Energy, is volume 4 of a 4-volume series on sustainable energy. Photovoltaic and Solar Energy while being a comprehensive reference work, is written with minimal jargon related to various aspects of solar energy and energy policies. It is authored by leading experts in the field, and lays out theory, practice, and simulation studies related to solar energy and allied applications including policy, economic and technological challenges. Topics covered include: introduction to solar energy, fundamentals of solar radiation, heat transfer, thermal collection and conversion, solar economy, heating, cooling, dehumidification systems, power and process heat, solar power conversion, policy and applications pertinent to solar energy as viable alternatives to fossil fuels. The aim of the book is to present all the information necessary for the design and analysis of solar energy systems for engineers, material scientists, economics, policy analysts, graduate students, senior undergraduates, solar energy practitioner, as well as policy or lawmakers in the field of energy policy, international energy trade, and libraries which house technical handbooks related to energy, energy policy and applications.

Download or read book Materials for Solar Cell Technologies I written by Inamuddin and published by Materials Research Forum LLC. This book was released on 2021-01-20 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book reviews recent research and new trends in the area of solar cell materials. Topics include fabrication methods, solar cell design, energy efficiency and commercialization of next-generation materials. Special focus is placed on graphene and carbon nanomaterials, graphene in dye-sensitized solar cells, perovskite solar cells and organic photovoltaic cells, as well as on transparent conducting electrode (TCE) materials, hollow nanostructured photoelectrodes, monocrystalline silicon solar cells (MSSC) and BHJ organic solar cells. Also discussed is the use of graphene, sulfides, and metal nanoparticle-based absorber materials. Keywords: Solar Cell, Graphene Nanomaterials, Carbon Nanomaterials, Graphene in Dye-sensitized Solar Cells, Perovskite Solar Cells, Organic Photovoltaic Cells, Transparent Conducting Electrode (TCE) Materials, Hollow Nanostructured Photoelectrodes, Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cells (MSSC), BHJ Organic Solar Cells, Electrochemical Sensing, Low Band-Gap Materials, Absorber Materials for Solar Cells.

Download or read book Nanostructured Solar Cells written by Narottam Das and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2017-02-22 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nanostructured solar cells are very important in renewable energy sector as well as in environmental aspects, because it is environment friendly. The nano-grating structures (such as triangular or conical shaped) have a gradual change in refractive index which acts as a multilayer antireflective coating that is leading to reduced light reflection losses over broadband ranges of wavelength and angle of incidence. There are different types of losses in solar cells that always reduce the conversion efficiency, but the light reflection loss is the most important factor that decreases the conversion efficiency of solar cells significantly. The antireflective coating is an optical coating which is applied to the surface of lenses or any optical devices to reduce the light reflection losses. This coating assists for the light trapping capturing capacity or improves the efficiency of optical devices, such as lenses or solar cells. Hence, the multilayer antireflective coatings can reduce the light reflection losses and increases the conversion efficiency of nanostructured solar cells.

Download or read book The Future of Semiconductor Oxides in Next Generation Solar Cells written by Monica Lira-Cantu and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future of Semiconductor Oxides in Next-Generation Solar Cells begins with several chapters covering the synthesis of semiconductor oxides for NGSCs. Part II goes on to cover the types and applications of NGSCs currently under development, while Part III brings the two together, covering specific processing techniques for NGSC construction. Finally, Part IV discusses the stability of SO solar cells compared to organic solar cells, and the possibilities offered by hybrid technologies. This comprehensive book is an essential reference for all those academics and professionals who require thorough knowledge of recent and future developments in the role of semiconductor oxides in next generation solar cells. Unlocks the potential of advanced semiconductor oxides to transform Next Generation Solar Cell (NGSC) design Full coverage of new developments and recent research make this essential reading for researchers and engineers alike Explains the synthesis and processing of semiconductor oxides with a view to their use in NGSCs

Download or read book Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion written by Tetsuo Soga and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2006-12-14 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion covers a wide variety of materials and device types from inorganic materials to organic materials. This book deals with basic semiconductor physics, modelling of nanostructured solar cell, nanostructure of conventional solar cells such as silicon, CIS and CdTe, dye-sensitized solar cell, organic solar cell, photosynthetic materials, fullerene, extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cell, quantum structured solar cell, intermediate band solar cell, carbon nanotube, etc. including basic principle and the latest results. There are many books written on conventional p-n junction solar cells, but few books focus on new concepts in this area. * Focuses on the use of nanostructured materials for solar energy* Looks at a wide variety of materials and device types* Covers both organic and inorganic materials

Download or read book Nanotechnology and Photovoltaic Devices written by Jan Valenta and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Silicon is an abundant element and is produced in large quantities for the electronic industry. The falling price of this commodity also feeds the growth of solar photovoltaics (PV). However, solar cells (SCs) based on bulk semiconductors have quite limited maximum attainable performance. Therefore, new principles and materials are being investigat

Download or read book Design and Implementation of Quantum Dot Enhanced Next Generation Photovoltaic Devices written by Stephen Jade Polly and published by . This book was released on with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Photovoltaics are an essential enabling technology providing power both where it would be impractical to deliver otherwise and where sustainably produced -- and recently, economically competitive -- energy is demanded. Significant effort has gone into increasing the efficiency of these devices since their initial development in the 1950s. The most dramatic enhancements have been from the judicious choice of material used for photon collection, with current state of the art (SOA) conversion efficiencies reaching 46%. Further improvements may be engineered through exploration of next-generation methodologies, such as the incorporation of quantum dots (QDs), to maximally exploit the solar spectrum and develop solar cells producing both large current densities and large voltages compared to current SOA. In this work, the electrical, optical, and mechanical properties of GaAs solar cells incorporating nanostructured InAs QDs, strain balanced with GaP, were studied. QDs allow for an increase in the current generation capabilities of the bulk GaAs semiconductor through absorption of sub-bandgap photons via bound states in the low-bandgap, low-dimensional material. QDs alter the recombination dynamics of charge carriers in the photovoltaic device, which typically led to an undesirable reduction in voltage of more than 200 mV. The addition of dopant, necessary to explore the effects of an intermediate band solar cell, showed a voltage recovery of 121 mV, with no positive or negative effects on sub-bandgap collection. Advanced characterization and data analysis techniques were developed, combining photoreflectance and temperature-dependent photoluminescence, to investigate the activation energy of bound states in the QD, which were shown to undesirably decrease by 34 meV to 40 meV with the addition of doping. Simulation of alternative structures that may help to increase this activation energy were performed using alternative strain balancing designs, and a general strain balancing model for strained nanostructured superlattices for a variety of material systems was developed."--Abstract.

Download or read book Quantum Dot Solar Cells written by Jiang Wu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-09-28 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third generation of solar cells includes those based on semiconductor quantum dots. This sophisticated technology applies nanotechnology and quantum mechanics theory to enhance the performance of ordinary solar cells. Although a practical application of quantum dot solar cells has yet to be achieved, a large number of theoretical calculations and experimental studies have confirmed the potential for meeting the requirement for ultra-high conversion efficiency. In this book, high-profile scientists have contributed tutorial chapters that outline the methods used in and the results of various quantum dot solar cell designs, including quantum dot intermediate band solar cells, hot electron quantum dot solar cells, quantum-dot sensitized solar cells, colloidal quantum dot solar cells, hybrid polymer-quantum dot solar cells, and MEG quantum dot solar cells. Both theoretical and experimental approaches are described. Quantum Dot Solar Cells helps to connect the fundamental laws of physics and the chemistry of materials with advances in device design and performance. The book can be recommended for a broad audience of chemists, electrical engineers, and materials scientists, and is suitable for use in courses on materials and device design for advanced and future optoelectronics.

Download or read book Nanostructured And Photoelectrochemical Systems For Solar Photon Conversion written by Mary D Archer and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2008-08-04 with total page 781 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, expert authors describe advanced solar photon conversion approaches that promise highly efficient photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical cells with sophisticated architectures on the one hand, and plastic photovoltaic coatings that are inexpensive enough to be disposable on the other. Their leitmotifs include light-induced exciton generation, junction architectures that lead to efficient exciton dissociation, and charge collection by percolation through mesoscale phases. Photocatalysis is closely related to photoelectrochemistry, and the fundamentals of both disciplines are covered in this volume./a

Download or read book Recent Advances in Photovoltaics written by Meera Ramrakhiani and published by Materials Research Forum LLC. This book was released on 2017-10-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ever growing demand for clean energy potentially can be met by solar-to-electrical energy conversion. This book on “Recent Advances in Photovoltaics” presents a detailed overview of recent research and developments in the field of photovoltaics and solar cells. It starts with the basic theory and gradual progress in the field of photovoltaics and various generations of solar cells. The search for new materials and/or new structures such as multi-junctions, nanostructures, photoelectrochemical cells, organic solar cells etc. for improved performance is discussed. The experimental investigations on certain materials and modelling for better results are also described in the book. Photovoltaics, Solar Cells, Multi-Junctions Solar Cells, Nanostructured Solar Cells, Photoelectrochemical Solar Cells, Organic Solar Cells, Polymer Solar Cells

Download or read book Nanostructured Architectures for Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells written by Joel Jean (S.M.) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis introduces a novel ordered bulk heterojunction architecture for colloidal quantum dot (QD) solar cells. Quantum dots are solution-processed nanocrystals whose tunable bandgap energies make them a promising active-layer candidate for next-generation optoelectronic devices, including solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Despite rapid advances in performance, however, modern QD solar cells remain limited by a fundamental trade-o between light absorption and photocarrier collection due to poor electronic transport. Vertically aligned arrays of ZnO nanowires can decouple absorption and collection: The nanowires penetrate into the QD film and serve as highly-conductive channels for extracting photogenerated electrons from deep within the film. After optimizing the nanowire growth and device fabrication processes, we nd that incorporating nanowires boosts the photocurrent and the eciency of planar QD photovoltaic devices by 50% and 35%, respectively. The demonstrated AM1.5G power conversion eciency of 4.9% is among the highest ever reported for a ZnO-based QD solar cell. We further show that graphene can serve as a viable alternative to tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) as a transparent conductive electrode for thin-film optoelectronics. We grow ZnO nanowires on graphene and fabricate prototype graphene-based ordered bulk heterojunction QD devices with photovoltaic performance approaching that of ITO-based solar cells. Our work shows that nanostructured architectures can substantially improve QD solar cell performance, and that a simple, low-temperature, bottom-up solution growth process can produce nanowire alignment and device performance matching that of top-down synthetic processes, with the added advantage of compatibility with a variety of rigid and flexible substrates. The 1-D nanostructure design principles we propose and apply here can be generalized to a broad range of optoelectronic device applications. This study of scalable bottom-up processing of ZnO nanowire-based QD solar cells suggests that 1-D nanostructures may be the key to enhancing the eciency and hence the economic viability of quantum dot photovoltaics.

Download or read book Solar Cell Device Physics written by Stephen J. Fonash and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2010-06-17 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been an enormous infusion of new ideas in the field of solar cells over the last 15 years; discourse on energy transfer has gotten much richer, and nanostructures and nanomaterials have revolutionized the possibilities for new technological developments. However, solar energy cannot become ubiquitous in the world's power markets unless it can become economically competitive with legacy generation methods such as fossil fuels. The new edition of Dr. Stephen Fonash's definitive text points the way toward greater efficiency and cheaper production by adding coverage of cutting-edge topics in plasmonics, multi-exiton generation processes, nanostructures and nanomaterials such as quantum dots. The book's new structure improves readability by shifting many detailed equations to appendices, and balances the first edition's semiconductor coverage with an emphasis on thin-films. Further, it now demonstrates physical principles with simulations in the well-known AMPS computer code developed by the author. Classic text now updated with new advances in nanomaterials and thin films that point the way to cheaper, more efficient solar energy production Many of the detailed equations from the first edition have been shifted to appendices in order to improve readability Important theoretical points are now accompanied by concrete demonstrations via included simulations created with the well-known AMPS computer code

Download or read book Nanostructured Solar Cells written by Guanying Chen and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2018-07-04 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Nanostructured Solar Cells" that was published in Nanomaterials

Download or read book Nanostructured Materials for Type III Photovoltaics written by Peter Skabara and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2017-11-08 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Materials for type III solar cells have branched into a series of generic groups. These include organic ‘small molecule’ and polymer conjugated structures, fullerenes, quantum dots, copper indium gallium selenide nanocrystal films, dyes/TiO2 for Grätzel cells, hybrid organic/inorganic composites and perovskites. Whilst the power conversion efficiencies of organic solar cells are modest compared to other type III photovoltaic materials, plastic semiconductors provide a cheap route to manufacture through solution processing and offer flexible devices. However, other types of materials are proving to be compatible with this type of processing whilst providing higher device efficiencies. As a result, the field is experiencing healthy competition between technologies that is pushing progress at a fast rate. In particular, perovskite solar cells have emerged very recently as a highly disruptive technology with power conversion efficiencies now over 20%. Perovskite cells, however, still have to address stability and environmental issues. With such a diverse range of materials, it is timely to capture the different technologies into a single volume of work. This book will give a collective insight into the different roles that nanostructured materials play in type III solar cells. This will be an essential text for those working with any of the devices highlighted above, providing a fundamental understanding and appreciation of the potential and challenges associated with each of these technologies.

Download or read book Photon Absorption Models in Nanostructured Semiconductor Solar Cells and Devices written by Antonio Luque and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended to be used by materials and device physicists and also solar cells researchers. It models the performance characteristics of nanostructured solar cells and resolves the dynamics of transitions between several levels of these devices. An outstanding insight into the physical behaviour of these devices is provided, which complements experimental work. This therefore allows a better understanding of the results, enabling the development of new experiments and optimization of new devices. It is intended to be accessible to researchers, but also to provide engineering tools which are often only accessible to quantum physicists. Photon Absorption Models in Nanostructured Semiconductor Solar Cells and Devices is intended to provide an easy-to-handle means to calculate the light absorption in nanostructures, the final goal being the ability to model operational behaviour of nanostructured solar cells. It allows researchers to design new experiments and improve solar cell performances, and offers a means for the easy approximate calculation of the energy spectrum and photon absorption coefficients of nanostructures. This calculation is based on the effective mass model and uses a new Hamiltonian called the Empirical kp Hamiltonian, which is based on a four band kp model.