Enhanced Erbium-Doped Ceria Nanostructure Coating to Improve Solar Cell Performance

Abstract

This paper discusses the effect of adding reduced erbium-doped ceria nanoparticles (REDC NPs) as a coating on silicon solar cells. Reduced ceria nanoparticles doped with erbium have the advantages of both improving conductivity and optical conversion of solar cells. Oxygen vacancies in ceria nanoparticles reduce Ce4+ to Ce3+ which follow the rule of improving conductivity of solar cells through the hopping mechanism. The existence of Ce3+ helps in the down-conversion from 430 nm excitation to 530 nm emission. The erbium dopant forms energy levels inside the low-phonon ceria host to up-convert the 780 nm excitations into green and red emissions. When coating reduced erbium-doped ceria nanoparticles on the back side of a solar cell, a promising improvement in the solar cell efficiency has been observed from 15% to 16.5% due to the mutual impact of improved electric conductivity and multi-optical conversions. Finally, the impact of the added coater on the electric field distribution inside the solar cell has been studied.

Optical fluorescent spider silk electrospun nanofibers with embedded cerium oxide nanoparticles

“…The trivalent cerium ions show fluorescence characteristics when are exposed to UV light. 20 Ceria nanoparticles are prepared using a simple chemical precipitation technique. 21 Then, the embedded ceria nanoparticles are added in situ with SS solution and electrospun into nanofibers.…”

Electrospun PVA Polymer Embedded with Ceria Nanoparticles as Silicon Solar Cells Rear Surface Coaters for Efficiency Improvement

“…These electrical issues mainly affect the cell conductivity and electrical I-V curve including open circuit voltage (V OC ) and short circuit current (I SC ), therefore reducing the overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell. Coating solar cells or panels with nanostructures have recently been investigated in extensive research to enhance the overall efficiency of the cells [8]. In this paper, the aim is to coat the rear surface of silicon (Si) cell with a thin layer of optical conductive electrospun nanofiber mat to improve the cell PCE.…”

Fluorescence intensity and lifetime quenching of ceria nanoparticles as optical sensor for tiny metallic particles

“…1,2 These promising properties are useful in many applications related to the medical, environmental, and sustainable energy fields. [3][4][5] Depending on the oxidation state of cerium ions, ceria could exist in two forms: active with associated charged oxygen vacancies (O-vacancies) associated to trivalent ionization state of cerium ion (Ce 3þ ) and nonactive ceria with no formed O-vacancies according to the normal cerium ion of (Ce 4þ ). 6 The formed active (Ce 3þ ) ions undergo a relaxation process from 5d-4f transitions under near-UV excitation, which results in a green wavelength fluorescence photons emission around 520-nm wavelength.…”

“…Thus, these formed O-vacancies can act as optical probes to scavenge some charged particles, such as reactive oxygen species, metal ions, and dissolved oxygen. [5][6][7] In this presented research work, ceria nanoparticles have been investigated as colloidal fluorescent probe for different types of tiny metallic particles, such as lead (Pb) particles and iron (Fe) particles, as studied optical quenchers. Hence, any adsorption of these tiny particles in ceria O-vacancies will result in lowering the fluorescence intensity, and consequently that could be considered the sensing technique using ceria nanoparticles host.…”