Photoacoustic and photothermal and the photovoltaic efficiency of solar cells: A tutorial

Abstract

Optical losses are the major drawback to overcome in the solar energy industry and development. Conversion of solar radiation into heat accounts for over 80% of the incident solar energy, which is driven by several aspects like the chosen design and encapsulation of the devices, built-in materials, and the mismatch between the solar spectrum and the active cell's bandgap energy. Photoacoustic (PA) and photothermal (PT) methods are characterization techniques based on the heat generation after the illumination of a material and respective detection. Since the beginning of the solar panel industrial development, these methods have been successfully applied to evaluate the photovoltaic efficiency of devices and the thermophysical parameters of related materials. Here, we present the state-of-art of application of these PA and PT methods to characterize solar cell devices and their built-in materials. Historical aspects, conceptual mechanisms of the basic phenomena, and perspectives on their application for energy-conversion measurements in the new frontier of solar cell research will be discussed.

Use of dye sensitizers for increased photoacoustic mechanosensation

“…The photoacoustic effect, discovered by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1880s, involves the use of pulsed light to generate pressure waves in matter [1]. The effect has been used for decades in materials research to measure dissipation and storage mechanisms in solids [8][9][10]. More recent applications have used the effect in concert with high-frequency ultrasound to create images and 3D maps of tissues using endogenous absorbers, e.g., hemoglobin, or exogenous absorbers [2][3][4], as sensitizers.…”