Low-cost Extremely Thinlayer Absorber (ETA) Solar Cell: A Novel approach to make the conformal ETA Layers
Lead Research Organisation:
Loughborough University
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
The Extremely Thin Absorber-layer (ETA) solar cell is a relatively new PV configuration. In materials viewpoint, there are a large number of semiconductor materials available that are suitable to employ in ETA cell configuration. Most of them are yet to be tested in ETA cell. The first part of the project will be aimed at screening semiconductor material combinations to find out novel material combinations (high band gap n-type semiconductor/low band gap light absorbing semiconductor/high band gap p-type semiconductor) for ETA cells. This will be done by aligning the band gap and band edges of semiconductors. The next part of the project is the construction of the integrated ALD and CVD deposition system. The main advantage of constructing this deposition system is that it will give us the capability of depositing conformal layers of light absorbing low band gap semiconductor materials on high aspect ratio of microstructures. The system will also be capable of deposition of pin-hole free compact layers and deposition of p-type high band gap semiconductors on high aspect ratio microstructures. Initially, a compact high band gap metal oxide semiconductor thin film will be deposited on FTO substrates using spray pyrolysis (to be used as a blocking layer). For the comparison the integrated deposition system will also be employed to make compact blocking layers. Then a microstructured porous film of the same high band gap semiconductor will be deposited on the compact layer. For this, a suitable deposition method will be selected from a range of methods (i.e. screen printing of sol-gel colloid, doctor-blading of sol-gel colloid, template assisted electrodeposition, spray pyrolysis). Then a conformal layer of light absorbing semiconductor material (i.e. CuInS2, Bi2S3, Cu2S, In2S3) will be deposited by using the integrated ALD and CVD deposition system. A high band gap p-type semiconductor (i.e. CuI, CuCNS, CuAlO2) will be deposited on the conformal layer by a suitable method (i.e. spray pyrolysis, dip coating, electrodeposition, integrated ALD/CVD method, or a combination of these methods). This will follow the deposition of a Au back contact. The completed cells will be characterised by a range of techniques (i.e. photocurrent spectroscopy, steady-state current-voltage plots, intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy and charge extraction technique) to study the limiting factors of cells. The resulting information will be fed into cell fabrication in order to improve light harvesting efficiency, photovoltage, and overall conversion efficiency. The project will be carried out by a postdoctoral research assistant who has the necessary skills over a period of three years. He will be supported by a dedicated PhD student (fully-funded by the Faculty of Science, Loughborough University) throughout the project. Regular meetings will be held with our industrial partners (Bac2 Ltd and PolySolar Ltd). The keen interest of industrial partners and their regular input is a key advantage for the project. Based on this work, new ideas, collaborations, and interdisciplinary projects will emerge and further funding will be applied for. In overall, the project will bring new capabilities to UK next generation solar cell research.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Upul Wijayantha-Kahagala-Gamage (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Hiralal P
(2008)
Growth and process conditions of aligned and patternable films of iron(III) oxide nanowires by thermal oxidation of iron.
in Nanotechnology
Tahir AA
(2009)
Photooxidation of water by NiTiO3 deposited from single source precursor [Ni2Ti2(OEt)2(micro-OEt)6(acac)4] by AACVD.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Saremi-Yarahmadi S
(2009)
Fabrication of nanostructured a-Fe2O3 electrodes using ferrocene for solar hydrogen generation
in Materials Letters
Tahir A
(2009)
Nanostructured a-Fe 2 O 3 Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation
in Chemistry of Materials
Saremi-Yarahmadi S
(2009)
Nanostructured a-Fe 2 O 3 Electrodes for Solar Driven Water Splitting: Effect of Doping Agents on Preparation and Performance
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Tahir A
(2010)
Photoelectrochemical water splitting at nanostructured ZnFe2O4 electrodes
in Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry
Tahir A
(2010)
ZnFe2O4 thin films from a single source precursor by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition
in Thin Solid Films
Dharmadasa R
(2010)
ZnO-SnO2 composite anodes in extremely thin absorber layer (ETA) solar cells
in Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
Tahir A
(2010)
Photoelectrochemical and Photoresponsive Properties of Bi 2 S 3 Nanotube and Nanoparticle Thin Films
in Chemistry of Materials
Saremi-Yarahmadi S
(2010)
Microwave-assisted low temperature fabrication of nanostructured a-Fe2O3 electrodes for solar-driven hydrogen generation
in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Akhtar J
(2010)
A greener route to photoelectrochemically active PbS nanoparticles
in Journal of Materials Chemistry
Macdonald I
(2010)
Photoinduced Superparamagnetism in Nanostructured a-Fe 2 O 3
in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Tahir A
(2011)
Effects of AACVD and Electrodeposited ZnO Seed Layer on the Growth and Alignment of ZnO Nanorods by Chemical Bath Deposition
in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters
Sultan M
(2011)
Isostructural copper-zinc mixed metal complexes for single source deposition of Cu-ZnO composite thin films.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Buckley BR
(2011)
Electrosynthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and atmospheric pressure carbon dioxide.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Hiralal P
(2011)
Nanostructured hematite photoelectrochemical electrodes prepared by the low temperature thermal oxidation of iron
in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
Dharmadasa R
(2011)
Single Step Growth and Characterization of Zinc Oxide, Tin Oxide, and Composite (Zn x Sn 1-x O y ) Nanoplate and Nanocolumn Electrodes
in Journal of the American Ceramic Society
Ehsan M
(2011)
Deposition of iron titanate/titania ceramic composite thin films from a single molecular precursor
in Inorganica Chimica Acta
Upul Wijayantha KG
(2011)
Kinetics of oxygen evolution at a-Fe2O3 photoanodes: a study by photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Cummings CY
(2012)
Kinetics and mechanism of light-driven oxygen evolution at thin film a-Fe2O3 electrodes.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Ehsan M
(2012)
Cobalt titanate-cobalt oxide composite thin films deposited from heterobimetallic precursor
in Applied Organometallic Chemistry
Sultan M
(2012)
Hexanuclear copper-nickel and copper-cobalt complexes for thin film deposition of ceramic oxide composites
in New Journal of Chemistry
Cummings CY
(2012)
New insights into water splitting at mesoporous a-Fe2O3 films: a study by modulated transmittance and impedance spectroscopies.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Tahir A
(2012)
Enhancement of Photoelectrochemical Performance of AACVD-produced TiO 2 Electrodes by Microwave Irradiation while Preserving the Nanostructure
in Chemical Vapor Deposition
Peter LM
(2012)
Kinetics of light-driven oxygen evolution at alpha-Fe2O3 electrodes.
in Faraday discussions
Sialvi MZ
(2013)
Electrochromic and colorimetric properties of nickel(II) oxide thin films prepared by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Buckley BR
(2013)
Observations on the modified Wenker synthesis of aziridines and the development of a biphasic system.
in The Journal of organic chemistry
Nirmal Peiris T
(2013)
Effect of ZnO seed layer thickness on hierarchical ZnO nanorod growth on flexible substrates for application in dye-sensitised solar cells
in Journal of Nanoparticle Research
Bhatti I
(2013)
Hierarchical ZnO nanorod electrodes: Effect of post annealing on structural and photoelectrochemical performance
in Materials Letters
Ehsan MA
(2013)
Development of molecular precursors for deposition of indium sulphide thin film electrodes for photoelectrochemical applications.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Tahir A
(2013)
A new route to control texture of materials: Nanostructured ZnFe2O4 photoelectrodes
in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Tahir A
(2014)
Photoelectrochemical properties of texture-controlled nanostructured a-Fe 2 O 3 thin films prepared by AACVD
in physica status solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters
Description | New solar cell confugarations, fabrication methods and new seconductor materials were the key outputs. |
Exploitation Route | As already stated, a large number of UK industries are helped by my group todate. KNowledge generated in this award set the science for this much wider engagement. |
Sectors | Education,Energy,Environment |
Description | The high citations received todate for out publicatiosn show the scientific impact. Outputs (of this award) has also resulted in a number of new industrial collaborations. They are significantly benefitting today. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Education,Energy,Environment |
Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
Description | Johnson Matthey Plc sponsored studentship support scheme |
Amount | £26,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Johnson Matthey |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2011 |
End | 06/2014 |
Description | PMI 2 Connect - Research Co-operation Award Pakistan |
Amount | £39,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | RCPK-65 |
Organisation | British Council |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2008 |
End | 06/2011 |
Description | UK/Japan Collaboration |
Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2008 |
End | 06/2010 |
Description | Advanced characterisation of ETA solar cells |
Organisation | University of Bath |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have prepared semiconductor electrodes and ETA cells for advanced characterisation |
Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators helped us to characterise the individual electrodes and cells |
Impact | Please see under the publication list |
Description | New Materials synthesis |
Organisation | University of Exeter |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team has studied the materials provided by the collaborators in electrochemical devices |
Collaborator Contribution | Collaborator provided new materials |
Impact | All joint research outputs have already entered in the relevant section |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | New Semiconductor Material Synthesis, Electrode Preparation and Device Fabrication |
Organisation | University of Malaya |
Country | Malaysia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | My team investigated/studied new semiconductor material electrodes received through this collaboration |
Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators synthesised a large number of new semiconductor materials and prepared photoelectrodes using them. |
Impact | This is multi-disciplinary collaboration and resulted a large number of joint research publications and new knowledge in the area of 'solar energy harvesting'. All joint research publications have added to the relevant section of this entry. |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | Solar Water Splitting |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | WE have characterised the photoelectrochemical properties of electrodes provided by collaborator. |
Collaborator Contribution | New photoelectrodes were received from the collaborator |
Impact | All research outputs have listed in the relevant section. |
Start Year | 2008 |