In this letter, we report on the fabrication and characterization of colored and semitransparent silver nanoparticle layers. A spin coating of silver nanoink is used to deposit silver nanoparticle layers onto substrates. The transmittance and color of the silver nanoparticle layers are significantly dependent on the spin speed and nanoink concentration, owing to variations in the size and distribution of the nanoparticles. Both color variation and efficiency improvement are achieved with the application of silver nanoparticles to semitransparent Si thin-film solar cells, which is associated with the excitation of the dipole or quadruple plasmon modes of the silver nanoparticles.
This paper reports on the fabrication of copper-based nanoparticles using microemulsions, and their optical properties for use in transparent solar cell applications. Microemulsions, containing pure copper nanoparticles, were prepared using the reaction process of CuCl2 with KBH4. We have confirmed that various sized copper nanoparticles, with a radius of up to 10 nm, form within an aqueous concentration of CuCl2 ≤ 2.0 M. Using microstructural observation, we found that parts of pure copper nanoparticles, synthesized in microemulsions, oxidize into cuprous oxide and agglomerate with one another in a normal atmosphere. The copper-based particles were then transferred to substrates by using a spin-coating process. Variations in spin speed led to significant changes in the transmittance and reflectance of the spin-coated particles. Transparent and anti-reflective properties of the particles were obtained at an optimum condition of spin speed. This suggests that the fabrication of the copper-based nanoparticles can be effectively applied to the manufacturing of transparent solar cells.
The dielectric thin films applied to multi-colored semitransparent thin film solar cells have been extensively studied. In this work, we prepared GeSbTe and GeTe chalcogenide thin films using magnetron sputtering, and investigated their optical and phase-change properties to replace the dielectric films. The changes of surface morphology, sheet resistance, and X-ray diffraction of the Te-based chalcogenide films support the fact that the amorphous stability of GeTe films is superior to that of GeSbTe films. While both amorphous GeSbTe and GeTe films thinner than 30 nm have optical transparency between 5% and 60%, GeTe films transmit more visible light than GeSbTe films. It is confirmed by computer simulation that the color of semitransparent silicon thin film solar cells can be adjusted with the addition of GeSbTe or GeTe films. Since it is possible to adjust the contrast of the solar cells by exploiting the phase-change property, the two kinds of chalcogenide films are anticipated to be used as an optical layer in semitransparent solar cells.
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