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Li Y, An J, Gong Y, Wang C, Liu D, Liu Z, Gao W, Liu Y, Li M. 21.83% incident light can circumvent a 6.6 × 6.6 cm 2 obstruction by introducing a layer of bubbles into the photovoltaic glass. OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 32:9837-9846. [PMID: 38571208 DOI: 10.1364/oe.517665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Obstruction is inevitable and will significantly impact the actual output performance of photovoltaic modules, even jeopardize their operational safety. We introduced a layer of bubbles into photovoltaic glass. These bubbles can alter the path of incident light, while the internal reflection at the glass/air interface enables the redirected light rays to have longer lateral propagation distance, circumventing the obstructions. The optimized photovoltaic glass with a bubble diameter of 1.8 mm and a surface density of 16 cm-2 enables the light intensity underneath a 6.6 × 6.6 cm2 obstruction to reach 21.83% of the incident light intensity. This enhancement permits a partial shading of the photovoltaic module, increasing its output power by ∼20.8% and decreasing the reverse bias voltage on the shaded cell by ∼1.4 V.
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2
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Krukiewicz K, Czerwińska-Główka D, Turczyn RM, Blacha-Grzechnik A, Vallejo-Giraldo C, Erfurt K, Chrobok A, Faure-Vincent J, Pouget S, Djurado D, Biggs MJ. Flexible, Transparent, and Cytocompatible Nanostructured Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films for Bio-optoelectronic Applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:45701-45712. [PMID: 37737728 PMCID: PMC10561142 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c10861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Electrical stimulation has been used successfully for several decades for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, including motor disorders, pain, and psychiatric disorders. These technologies typically rely on the modulation of neural activity through the focused delivery of electrical pulses. Recent research, however, has shown that electrically triggered neuromodulation can be further enhanced when coupled with optical stimulation, an approach that can benefit from the development of novel electrode materials that combine transparency with excellent electrochemical and biological performance. In this study, we describe an electrochemically modified, nanostructured indium tin oxide/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (ITO/PET) surface as a flexible, transparent, and cytocompatible electrode material. Electrochemical oxidation and reduction of ITO/PET electrodes in the presence of an ionic liquid based on d-glucopyranoside and bistriflamide units were performed, and the electrochemical behavior, conductivity, capacitance, charge transport processes, surface morphology, optical properties, and cytocompatibility were assessed in vitro. It has been shown that under selected conditions, electrochemically modified ITO/PET films remained transparent and highly conductive and were able to enhance neural cell survival and neurite outgrowth. Consequently, electrochemical modification of ITO/PET electrodes in the presence of an ionic liquid is introduced as an effective approach for tailoring the properties of ITO for advanced bio-optoelectronic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Krukiewicz
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- Centre
for Organic and Nanohybrid Electronics, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Dominika Czerwińska-Główka
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Roman Maria Turczyn
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- Centre
for Organic and Nanohybrid Electronics, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Agata Blacha-Grzechnik
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
- Centre
for Organic and Nanohybrid Electronics, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | | | - Karol Erfurt
- Department
of Chemical Organic Technology and Petrochemistry, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Anna Chrobok
- Department
of Chemical Organic Technology and Petrochemistry, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Jérôme Faure-Vincent
- CEA/INAC/SPrAM,
Laboratoire d’Electronique Moléculaire Organique et
Hybride, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Stéphanie Pouget
- CEA/INAC/SPrAM,
Laboratoire d’Electronique Moléculaire Organique et
Hybride, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - David Djurado
- CEA/INAC/SPrAM,
Laboratoire d’Electronique Moléculaire Organique et
Hybride, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Manus J.P. Biggs
- Centre
for Research in Medical Devices, University
of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
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Pompilio M, Ierides I, Cacialli F. Biomimetic Approaches to "Transparent" Photovoltaics: Current and Future Applications. Molecules 2022; 28:180. [PMID: 36615373 PMCID: PMC9822409 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been a surge in the interest for (semi)transparent photovoltaics (sTPVs) in recent years, since the more traditional, opaque, devices are not ideally suited for a variety of innovative applications spanning from smart and self-powered windows for buildings to those for vehicle integration. Additional requirements for these photovoltaic applications are a high conversion efficiency (despite the necessary compromise to achieve a degree of transparency) and an aesthetically pleasing design. One potential realm to explore in the attempt to meet such challenges is the biological world, where evolution has led to highly efficient and fascinating light-management structures. In this mini-review, we explore some of the biomimetic approaches that can be used to improve both transparent and semi-transparent photovoltaic cells, such as moth-eye inspired structures for improved performance and stability or tunable, coloured, and semi-transparent devices inspired by beetles' cuticles. Lastly, we briefly discuss possible future developments for bio-inspired and potentially bio-compatible sTPVs.
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Lai FI, Yang JF, Liao WX, Kuo SY. Enhanced omnidirectional and weatherability of Cu 2ZnSnSe 4 solar cells with ZnO functional nanorod arrays. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14927. [PMID: 29097732 PMCID: PMC5668425 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14899-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents the use of nanorods of different sizes, deposited from a chemical solution, as an antireflection layer in copper-zinc-tin selenide (CZTSe) solar cells. With the aid of the nanorods, the surface reflection of the CZTSe solar cells was reduced from 7.76% to 2.97%, and a cell efficiency of 14% was obtained as a result. Omni-directional anti-reflection was verified by the angle-dependent reflection measurements. The nanorod arrays also provided the CZTSe solar cells with a hydrophobic surface, allowing it to exhibit high resistance against humidity during weatherability tests. This shows that the surface passivation brought by the nanorod layer at the surface could effectively extend the lifetime of the CZTSe solar cells. The rate of efficiency decay of the CZTSe solar cells was reduced by 46.85% from that of the device without a nanorod array at the surface, indicating that this surface layer not only provided effective resistance against reflection at the device surface, but also served as a passivation layer and humidity-resistant surface-protection layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang-I Lai
- Department of Photonics Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li, 320, Taiwan
- Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Fu Yang
- Department of Photonics Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li, 320, Taiwan
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, 333, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Xiang Liao
- Department of Photonics Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li, 320, Taiwan
| | - Shou-Yi Kuo
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, 333, Taiwan.
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, No. 5, Fuxing Street, Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, 333, Taiwan.
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Khan I, Bauch M, Dimopoulos T, Dostalek J. Nanostructured as-deposited indium tin oxide thin films for broadband antireflection and light trapping. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:325201. [PMID: 28617246 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa79df] [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
Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were sputter-deposited at ambient temperature on a glass-like substrate that was periodically nanostructured by UV nanoimprint lithography. Cross gratings of the corrugated and conformal ITO, with different periods and modulation depths, were tailored to exhibit light trapping or antireflection properties at specific spectral windows by combined optical simulations and experiments. For dense gratings, the light transmission in the 450-850 nm range was enhanced by 8% (absolute) compared to flat ITO films, which is one of the largest performance improvements reported in the literature for nanostructured transparent electrodes. Increasing the grating period shifts the threshold for diffraction coupling to waveguide modes in the visible and near infrared part of the spectrum, resulting in broad light trapping behaviour at wavelengths below this threshold. This work demonstrates a simple processing route at ambient temperature for the fabrication of high-performance transparent electrodes in order to fulfil different device requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imran Khan
- IT-Austrian Institute of Technology, Biosensor Technologies, Muthgasse 11, A-1190 Vienna, Austria. AIT- Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Energy, Photovoltaic Systems, Giefinggasse 2, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
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Chung CC, Tran BT, Lin KL, Ho YT, Yu HW, Quan NH, Chang EY. Efficiency improvement of InGaP/GaAs/Ge solar cells by hydrothermal-deposited ZnO nanotube structure. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2014; 9:338. [PMID: 25045341 PMCID: PMC4100492 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276x-9-338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanotube, fabricated by the hydrothermal growth method on triple-junction (T-J) solar cell devices to enhance efficiency, is investigated. Compared to those of bare T-J solar cells (without antireflection (AR) coating) and solar cells with Si3N4 AR coatings, the experimental results show that the T-J solar cells, which use a ZnO nanotube as an AR coating, have the lowest reflectance in the short wavelength spectrum. The ZnO nanotube has the lowest light reflection among all experimental samples, especially in the range of 350 to 500 nm from ultraviolet (UV) to visible light. It was found that a ZnO nanotube can enhance the conversion efficiency by 4.9%, compared with a conventional T-J solar cell. The Si3N4 AR coatings also enhance the conversion efficiency by 3.2%.The results show that a cell with ZnO nanotube coating could greatly improve solar cell performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Chen Chung
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Binh Tinh Tran
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Kung-Liang Lin
- Industrial Technology Research Institute, Mechanical and Systems Research Labs, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Road, Chutung, Hsinchu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Teng Ho
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Wei Yu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Nguyen-Hong Quan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Edward Yi Chang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
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Kuo SY, Hsieh MY, Han HV, Lai FI, Tsai YL, Yang JF, Chuang TY, Kuo HC. Dandelion-shaped nanostructures for enhancing omnidirectional photovoltaic performance. NANOSCALE 2013; 5:4270-4276. [PMID: 23549292 DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00526g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Broadband and omnidirectional light harvesting is important in photovoltaic technology because of its wide spectral range of radiation and the sun's movement. This study reports the fabrication and characterization of zinc oxide (ZnO) dandelions on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. The fabrication of dandelions involves the combination of self-assembled polystyrene (PS) nanospheres and the hydrothermal method, which is one of the simplest and cheapest methods of fabricating a three-dimensional, closely packed periodic structure. This study also investigates the optimization on dimension of the PS nanospheres using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method. This study uses an angle-resolved reflectance spectroscope and a homemade rotatable photo I-V measurement to investigate the omnidirectional and broadband antireflections of the proposed dandelion structure. Under a simulated one-sun condition and a light incident angle of up to 60°, cells with ZnO dandelions arrays enhanced the short-circuit current density by 31.87%. Consequently, ZnO dandelions are suitable for creating an omnidirectionally antireflective coating for photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Yi Kuo
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan.
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Schuster CS, Kowalczewski P, Martins ER, Patrini M, Scullion MG, Liscidini M, Lewis L, Reardon C, Andreani LC, Krauss TF. Dual gratings for enhanced light trapping in thin-film solar cells by a layer-transfer technique. OPTICS EXPRESS 2013; 21 Suppl 3:A433-A439. [PMID: 24104431 DOI: 10.1364/oe.21.00a433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Thin film solar cells benefit significantly from the enhanced light trapping offered by photonic nanostructures. The thin film is typically patterned on one side only due to technological constraints. The ability to independently pattern both sides of the thin film increases the degrees of freedom available to the designer, as different functions can be combined, such as the reduction of surface reflection and the excitation of quasiguided modes for enhanced light absorption. Here, we demonstrate a technique based on simple layer transfer that allows us to independently pattern both sides of the thin film leading to enhanced light trapping. We used a 400 nm thin film of amorphous hydrogenated silicon and two simple 2D gratings for this proof-of-principle demonstration. Since the technique imposes no restrictions on the design parameters, any type of structure can be made.
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9
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Bozzola A, Liscidini M, Andreani LC. Photonic light-trapping versus Lambertian limits in thin film silicon solar cells with 1D and 2D periodic patterns. OPTICS EXPRESS 2012; 20 Suppl 2:A224-A244. [PMID: 22418672 DOI: 10.1364/oe.20.00a224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We theoretically investigate the light-trapping properties of one- and two-dimensional periodic patterns etched on the front surface of c-Si and a-Si thin film solar cells with a silver back reflector and an anti-reflection coating. For each active material and configuration, absorbance A and short-circuit current density Jsc are calculated by means of rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), for different active materials thicknesses in the range of interest of thin film solar cells and in a wide range of geometrical parameters. The results are then compared with Lambertian limits to light-trapping for the case of zero absorption and for the general case of finite absorption in the active material. With a proper optimization, patterns can give substantial absorption enhancement, especially for 2D patterns and for thinner cells. The effects of the photonic patterns on light harvesting are investigated from the optical spectra of the optimized configurations. We focus on the main physical effects of patterning, namely a reduction of reflection losses (better impedance matching conditions), diffraction of light in air or inside the cell, and coupling of incident radiation into quasi-guided optical modes of the structure, which is characteristic of photonic light-trapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Bozzola
- Dipartimento di Fisica Alessandro Volta, Università degli Studi di Pavia, via Bassi 6,I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
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Lin GJ, Lai KY, Lin CA, He JH. Solar energy harvesting scheme using syringe-like ZnO nanorod arrays for InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well solar cells. OPTICS LETTERS 2012; 37:61-63. [PMID: 22212791 DOI: 10.1364/ol.37.000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Syringe-like ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) synthesized by a hydrothermal method were applied as the light-harvesting layer on InGaN-based multiple quantum well (MQW) solar cells. Theoretical calculations show that the NRAs with an abrupt shrinkage of tip diameter can further suppress surface reflectance in comparison with the flat NRAs. InGaN-based MQW solar cells with the syringe-like NRAs exhibit greatly improved conversion efficiencies by 36%. These results are attributed to the improved flatness of the refractive index profile at the air/device interface, which results in enhanced light trapping effect on the device surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- G J Lin
- Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
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