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Fjell MD, Lothe JB, Halas NJ, Rosnes MH, Holst B, Greve MM. Enhancing Silicon Solar Cell Performance Using a Thin-Film-like Aluminum Nanoparticle Surface Layer. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 14:324. [PMID: 38392697 PMCID: PMC10891793 DOI: 10.3390/nano14040324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Solar cells play an increasing role in global electricity production, and it is critical to maximize their conversion efficiency to ensure the highest possible production. The number of photons entering the absorbing layer of the solar cell plays an important role in achieving a high conversion efficiency. Metal nanoparticles supporting localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) have for years been suggested for increasing light in-coupling for solar cell applications. However, most studies have focused on materials exhibiting strong LSPRs, which often come with the drawback of considerable light absorption within the solar spectrum, limiting their applications and widespread use. Recently, aluminum (Al) nanoparticles have gained increasing interest due to their tuneable LSPRs in the ultraviolet and visible regions of the spectrum. In this study, we present an ideal configuration for maximizing light in-coupling into a standard textured crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell by determining the optimal Al nanoparticle and anti-reflection coating (ARC) parameters. The best-case parameters increase the number of photons absorbed by up to 3.3%. We give a complete description of the dominating light-matter interaction mechanisms leading to the enhancement and reveal that the increase is due to the nanoparticles optically exhibiting both particle- and thin-film characteristics, which has not been demonstrated in earlier works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam D Fjell
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - John Benjamin Lothe
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Naomi J Halas
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Mali H Rosnes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Bodil Holst
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Martin M Greve
- Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
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Thangaraj H, David PW, Balachandran GB, Murugesan P. Experimental study of bifacial photovoltaic module with waste polyvinyl chloride flex and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene road side safety sticker as an alternative reflector: optimization using response surface methodology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-28257-7. [PMID: 37351743 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28257-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Bifacial photovoltaics (PV) are gaining rapid attention and their ability to generate more electricity is accelerating their deployment globally. However, literature on optimal bifacial PV is presented for the installation parameters of the system. In this study, we use response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the flex and roadside reflector wastes as alternate reflectors for bifacial PV modules by using a statistical model. Our primary objective in this study is to examine the significant influence of key input factors (front irradiation, rear irradiation, temperature, thickness, and height) on the irradiance factor, total solar reflectance, and power extracted. The results show that the power extraction of the bifacial PV module using the waste flex material is 9%, higher than that of the road side sticker waste. The result indicates that among all other input factors, front irradiation is the most significant parameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hariharasudhan Thangaraj
- Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology, K. Vellakulam, Near Virudhunagar, 625701, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Prince Winston David
- Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology, K. Vellakulam, Near Virudhunagar, 625701, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Gurukarthik Babu Balachandran
- Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology, K. Vellakulam, Near Virudhunagar, 625701, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Pravin Murugesan
- Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology, K. Vellakulam, Near Virudhunagar, 625701, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India
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Haque AJ, Suny AA, Sultan RB, Khan TA, Chowdhury MH. Effects of "defective" plasmonic metal nanoparticle arrays on the opto-electronic performance of thin-film solar cells: computational study. APPLIED OPTICS 2023; 62:3028-3041. [PMID: 37133149 DOI: 10.1364/ao.485633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This computational study investigates the effects of common defects that occur while fabricating arrays of plasmonic metal nanoparticles (NPs) on the absorbing layer of the solar cells for enhancing their opto-electronic performance. Several "defects" in an array of plasmonic NP arrays on solar cells were studied. The results demonstrated no major changes in the performance of solar cells in the presence of "defective" arrays when compared to a "perfect" array with defect-free NPs. The results indicate that relatively inexpensive techniques may be used to fabricate "defective" plasmonic NP arrays on solar cells and still obtain a significant enhancement in opto-electronic performance.
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El-Mahalawy AM, Amin FM, Wassel AR, Salam MA. Overcoming the poor performance of n-CdS/p-SnS solar cells by plasmonic effect of gold and silver nanoparticles. JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS 2022; 923:166484. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
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Increased Absorption with Al Nanoparticle at Front Surface of Thin Film Silicon Solar Cell. ENERGIES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/en12132602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This article presents an effective structural design arrangement for light trapping in the front surface of a thin film silicon solar cell (TFSC). Front surface light trapping rate is significantly enhanced here by incorporating the Aluminium (Al) nanoparticle arrays into silicon nitride anti-reflection layer. The light trapping capability of these arrays is extensively analyzed via Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method considering the wavelength ranging from 400 to 1100 nm. The outcome indicates that the structural parameters associated with the aluminium nanoparticle arrays like particle radii and separations between adjacent particles, play vital roles in designing the solar cell to achieve better light trapping efficiency. A detailed comparative analysis has justified the effectiveness of this approach while contrasting the results found with commonly used silver nanoparticle arrays at the front surface of the cell. Because of the surface plasmon excitation, lower light reflectance, and significant near field enhancement, aluminium nanoparticle arrays offer broadband light absorption by the cell.
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Ho WJ, Liu JJ, Yang YC, Ho CH. Enhancing Output Power of Textured Silicon Solar Cells by Embedding Indium Plasmonic Nanoparticles in Layers within Antireflective Coating. NANOMATERIALS 2018; 8:nano8121003. [PMID: 30518057 PMCID: PMC6315999 DOI: 10.3390/nano8121003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we sought to enhance the output power and conversion efficiency of textured silicon solar cells by layering two-dimensional indium nanoparticles (In NPs) within a double-layer (SiNx/SiO2) antireflective coating (ARC) to induce plasmonic forward scattering. The plasmonic effects were characterized using Raman scattering, absorbance spectra, optical reflectance, and external quantum efficiency. We compared the optical and electrical performance of cells with and without single layers and double layers of In NPs. The conversion efficiency of the cell with a double layer of In NPs (16.97%) was higher than that of the cell with a single layer of In NPs (16.61%) and greatly exceeded that of the cell without In NPs (16.16%). We also conducted a comprehensive study on the light-trapping performance of the textured silicon solar cells with and without layers of In NPs within the double layer of ARC at angles from 0° to 75°. The total electrical output power of cells under air mass (AM) 1.5 G illumination was calculated. The application of a double layer of In NPs enabled an impressive 53.42% improvement in electrical output power (compared to the cell without NPs) thanks to the effects of plasmonic forward scattering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jeng Ho
- Department of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 10608, Taiwan.
| | - Jheng-Jie Liu
- Department of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 10608, Taiwan.
| | - Yun-Chieh Yang
- Department of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei 10608, Taiwan.
| | - Chun-Hung Ho
- Realtek Semiconductor Corp., No. 2, Innovation Road II, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
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Magdi S, El-Rifai J, Swillam MA. One step fabrication of Silicon nanocones with wide-angle enhanced light absorption. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4001. [PMID: 29507294 PMCID: PMC5838109 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22100-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the fabrication of an array of random Silicon nanocones using a KrF excimer laser. A 370 nm thick amorphous Silicon layer deposited on a glass substrate was used in the process. The fabricated nanocones showed a large and broadband absorption enhancement over the entire visible wavelength range. An enhancement up to 350% is measured at λ = 650 nm. Additionally, the laser irradiation caused the nanocones to crystallize. The effect of changing the laser parameters (i.e. energy density, time, and frequency) on the morphology and the absorption is studied and compared. Wide-angle anti-reflective properties have been observed for the fabricated nanocones with less than 10% reflection for angles up to 60°. The major limitation of amorphous silicon thin film solar cells is the reduced absorption. This problem could be solved if light is trapped efficiently inside the thin film without the need of increasing the film thickness. The random array of nanocones presented in this work showed a substantial increase in absorption over a wide angle, were fabricated at a low cost and are easily scalable. This technique offers a fast approach which could significantly help in overcoming the absorption limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Magdi
- Nanotechnology Program, American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue New Cairo, 11835, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Joumana El-Rifai
- Department of Physics, American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue New Cairo, 11835, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Swillam
- Nanotechnology Program, American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue New Cairo, 11835, Cairo, Egypt. .,Department of Physics, American University in Cairo, AUC Avenue New Cairo, 11835, Cairo, Egypt.
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Hou J, Hong W, Li X, Yang C, Chen S. Biomimetic spiral grating for stable and highly efficient absorption in crystalline silicon thin-film solar cells. OPTICS EXPRESS 2017; 25:A922-A931. [PMID: 29041302 DOI: 10.1364/oe.25.00a922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
By emulating the phyllotaxis structure of natural plants, which has an efficient and stable light capture capability, a two-dimensional spiral grating is introduced on the surface of crystalline silicon solar cells to obtain both efficient and stable light absorption. Using the rigorous coupled wave analysis method, the absorption performance on structural parameter variations of spiral gratings is investigated firstly. Owing to diffraction resonance and excellent superficies antireflection, the integrated absorption of the optimal spiral grating cell is raised by about 77 percent compared with the conventional slab cell. Moreover, though a 15 percent deviation of structural parameters from the optimal spiral grating is applied, only a 5 percent decrease of the absorption is observed. This reveals that the performance of the proposed grating would tolerate large structural variations. Furthermore, the angular and polarization dependence on the absorption of the optimized cell is studied. For average polarizations, a small decrease of only 11 percent from the maximum absorption is observed within an incident angle ranging from -70 to 70 degrees. The results show promising application potentials of the biomimetic spiral grating in the solar cell.
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Jang YH, Jang YJ, Kim S, Quan LN, Chung K, Kim DH. Plasmonic Solar Cells: From Rational Design to Mechanism Overview. Chem Rev 2016; 116:14982-15034. [PMID: 28027647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plasmonic effects have been proposed as a solution to overcome the limited light absorption in thin-film photovoltaic devices, and various types of plasmonic solar cells have been developed. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art progress on the design and fabrication of plasmonic solar cells and their enhancement mechanism. The working principle is first addressed in terms of the combined effects of plasmon decay, scattering, near-field enhancement, and plasmonic energy transfer, including direct hot electron transfer and resonant energy transfer. Then, we summarize recent developments for various types of plasmonic solar cells based on silicon, dye-sensitized, organic photovoltaic, and other types of solar cells, including quantum dot and perovskite variants. We also address several issues regarding the limitations of plasmonic nanostructures, including their electrical, chemical, and physical stability, charge recombination, narrowband absorption, and high cost. Next, we propose a few potentially useful approaches that can improve the performance of plasmonic cells, such as the inclusion of graphene plasmonics, plasmon-upconversion coupling, and coupling between fluorescence resonance energy transfer and plasmon resonance energy transfer. This review is concluded with remarks on future prospects for plasmonic solar cell use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon Hee Jang
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Jin Jang
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Seokhyoung Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Li Na Quan
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungwha Chung
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Ha Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, School of Natural Sciences, Ewha Womans University , 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
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Broadband Anti-Reflective Coating Based on Plasmonic Nanocomposite. MATERIALS 2016; 9:ma9080636. [PMID: 28773753 PMCID: PMC5509082 DOI: 10.3390/ma9080636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2016] [Revised: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We report on the fabrication, the characterization, and the optical simulation of a gold–silica nanocomposite and present its integration into a broadband anti-reflective coating (ARC) for a silicon substrate. The two-layer ARC consists of a nanocomposite (randomly distributed gold cluster in a silica matrix) and a pure silica film. We capitalize on the large refractive index of the composite to impose an abrupt phase change at the interface of the coating to diminish the light reflection from the substrate through the ultrathin nanocoating. The average reflectivity of the silicon can be reduced by such a coating to less than 0.1% in the entire visible spectrum. We experimentally and numerically prove that percolated nanocomposites with an overall thickness of 20 nm can provide anti-reflectivity up to near infrared (NIR). The ARC bandwidth can be shifted more than 500 nm and broadened to cover even the NIR wavelength by changing the volume filling fraction of the gold clusters. The angular sensitivity of thin ultrathin antireflective coating is negligible up to 60°. The present ARC could find applications in thermo-photovoltaics and bolometers.
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Tang C, Yan Z, Wang Q, Chen J, Zhu M, Liu B, Liu F, Sui C. Ultrathin amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells by magnetic plasmonic metamaterial absorbers. RSC Adv 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra15177e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Energy harvesting in metamaterial-based solar cells containing an ultrathin α-Si film sandwiched between a silver (Ag) substrate and a square array of Ag nanodisks and combined with an indium tin oxide (ITO) anti-reflection layer is investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaojun Tang
- Department of Applied Physics
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310023
- China
| | - Zhendong Yan
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing 210093
- China
| | - Qiugu Wang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Iowa State University
- Ames
- USA
| | - Jing Chen
- College of Electronic Science and Engineering
- Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications
- Nanjing 210023
- China
| | - Mingwei Zhu
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing 210093
- China
| | - Bo Liu
- School of Mathematics and Physics
- Jiangsu University of Technology
- Changzhou 213001
- China
| | - Fanxin Liu
- Department of Applied Physics
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310023
- China
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics
| | - Chenghua Sui
- Department of Applied Physics
- Zhejiang University of Technology
- Hangzhou 310023
- China
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