Broadband solar absorption enhancement via periodic nanostructuring of electrodes

Adachi, Michael M.; Labelle, André J.; Thon, Susanna M.; Lan, Xinzheng; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Sargent, Edward H.

doi:10.1038/srep02928

Cited by 79 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…[199][200][201][202][203][204][205][206][207][208][209][210] Plasmonic enhancement is achieved mainly through three mechanisms, including far-field scattering, near-field enhancement, and charge carrier or resonant energy transfer. [206] Subwavelength-sized nanoparticles of noble metals such as Au and Ag can exhibit strong localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) at the wavelengths range from UV, visible to near infrared (NIR), depending on the kind of material, their size, particle aspect ratio, and the environment.…”

Section: Plasmonic Effect For Performance Enhancement In Pec Water Spmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hierarchical Nanostructures: Design for Sustainable Water Splitting

Fang

Dong

Wei

et al. 2017

Advanced Energy Materials

279

190

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Clean and sustainable hydrogen generation renders a magnificent prospect to fulfill the humans' dream of rebuilding energy supplying systems that work eternally and run without pollution. Water electrolysis driven by a renewable resource of energy, such as wind and solar, is a promising pathway to achieve this goal, which requires highly active and cost‐effective electrode materials to be developed. In this comprehensive review, we introduce the utilization of hierarchical nanostructures in electrocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications. The unique emphasis is given on the synthetic strategies of attaining these hierarchical structures as well as to demonstrate their corresponding mechanisms for performance improvement. Rather than simply discussing all the methods that can be used in nanofabrication, we focus on extracting the rules for structural design based on highly accessible and reliable methods. Examples are given to illustrate the versatility of these methods in the synthesis and manipulation of hierarchical nanostructures, which are concentrated on nonprecious transition metals or their alloys/compounds. Through this study, we aim to establish valuable guidelines and provide further insights for researchers to facilitate their design of more efficient water splitting systems in the future.

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Section: Plasmonic Effect For Performance Enhancement In Pec Water Spmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hierarchical Nanostructures: Design for Sustainable Water Splitting

Fang

Dong

Wei

et al. 2017

Advanced Energy Materials

279

190

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The absorption thus successfully exhibited strong enhancement, ranging from 600 to 1200 nm. J SC increased by 31% with further improvement requiring more uniform thickness of the films [235]. Light trapping techniques that rely on purely geometrical effects instead of device structuring have also been used in CQD solar cells.…”

Section: Light Trapping In Cqd Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A periodic structured PbS CQD solar cell ( Figure 6) was fabricated using nanosphere lithography to create nanopillars in the glass substrate with rationally designed geometrical features [235]. In this architecture, the nanostructure was propagated from the substrate through the device layers using conformal coating processes.…”

Section: Light Trapping In Cqd Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing colloidal quantum dot photovoltaic technology

et al. 2016

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Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive materials for solar cells due to their low cost, ease of fabrication and spectral tunability. Progress in CQD photovoltaic technology over the past decade has resulted in power conversion efficiencies approaching 10%. In this review, we give an overview of this progress, and discuss limiting mechanisms and paths for future improvement in CQD solar cell technology. We briefly summarize nanoparticle synthesis and film processing methods and evaluate the optoelectronic properties of CQD films, including the crucial role that surface ligands play in materials performance. We give an overview of device architecture engineering in CQD solar cells. The compromise between carrier extraction and photon absorption in CQD photovoltaics is analyzed along with different strategies for overcoming this trade-off. We then focus on recent advances in absorption enhancement through innovative device design and the use of nanophotonics. Several light-trapping schemes, which have resulted in large increases in cell photocurrent, are described in detail. In particular, integrating plasmonic elements into CQD devices has emerged as a promising approach to enhance photon absorption through both near-field coupling and far-field scattering effects. We also discuss strategies for overcoming the single junction efficiency limits in CQD solar cells, including tandem architectures, multiple exciton generation and hybrid materials schemes. Finally, we offer a perspective on future directions for the field and the most promising paths for achieving higher device efficiencies.

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“…[5][6][7][8] Over decades of thin film technology, many different physical phenomena have been considered and partial success has been reached when a certain degree of light trapping has been demonstrated. [9][10] Solar cells incorporating hexagonal arrays of nano-columns [11][12] or nano-hole [13] embossed in the active layer, nanoimprinted electrode capable of both diffracting light and collecting the photo-generated carriers, [14][15] textured electrodes in a periodic grating [16][17] or in a random configuration, [18] 1-D photonic crystals or Bragg reflectors for semi-transparent cells, [19][20][21][22][23][24] nanospheres to couple light in the whispering gallery, [25][26][27] metallic nanoparticles to increase light absorption as well as exciton dissociation, [28][29][30] nanocubes [31] or oligomers, [32][33] exhibited an improvement relative to a given reference cell. However, light trapping or confinement has never been shown to be critical to achieve record performing thin film cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Two‐Resonance Tapping Cavity for an Optimal Light Trapping in Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Liu

Romero‐Gómez

Mantilla-Pérez

et al. 2017

Advanced Energy Materials

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An optimal photon absorption in thin film photovoltaic technologies can only be reached by effectively trapping the light in the absorber layer provided a considerable portion of the photons is rejected or scattered out of such layer. Here, a new optical cavity is proposed that can be made to have a resonant character at two different nonharmonic frequencies when adjusting the materials or geometry configurations of the partially transmitting cavity layers. Specific configurations are found where a reminiscence of such two fundamental resonances coexists leading to a broadband light trapping. When a PTB7‐Th:PC71BM organic cell is integrated within such cavity, a power conversion efficiency of 11.1% is measured. This study also demonstrates that when materials alternative to organics are used in the photoactive cell layer, a similar cavity can be implemented to also obtain the largest light absorption possible. Indeed, when it is applied to perovskite cells, an external quantum efficiency is predicted that closely matches its corresponding internal one for a broad wavelength range.

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Broadband solar absorption enhancement via periodic nanostructuring of electrodes

Cited by 79 publications

References 34 publications

Hierarchical Nanostructures: Design for Sustainable Water Splitting

Hierarchical Nanostructures: Design for Sustainable Water Splitting

Advancing colloidal quantum dot photovoltaic technology

A Two‐Resonance Tapping Cavity for an Optimal Light Trapping in Thin‐Film Solar Cells

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