Due to the excellent optical and electrical properties, CuCl is emerging as a promising material for enhancing the efficiency of CdTe solar cells. In this work, we present a low-cost, solution-based method for CuCl doping, which not only significantly reduces Cu dosage but also enhances the efficiency of Cu incorporation compared to traditional deposition techniques that are often costly and time-consuming. When CuCl was applied to a device structured as FTO/MZO/CdS/CdSe/CdTe, the experiments revealed that optimal efficiency was achieved with a CuCl volume of 300 mu L and an annealing temperature of 280 degrees C. This configuration resulted in an impressive efficiency of 17.3% (cell area = 0.24 cm(2)) without the use of an antireflection coating, representing nearly a 40% increase over the control cell's efficiency of 12.38% . The observed improvements can be attributed to an increase in carrier concentration and a reduction in the back contact barrier, which collectively lead to a remarkable short-circuit current density of 30.3 mA/cm(2), nearing the highest level reported for Cu-doped devices in the literature.

Cadmium Telluride thin film solar cell is very suitable for building integrated photovoltaics due to its high efficiency and excellent stability. To further reduce the production costs, relieve the scarcity of Tellurium, and apply in building integrated photovoltaics, ultra-thin CdTe photovoltaic technology has been developed. Some study have discussed the research progress of ultra-thin solar cells in terms of silicon and copper indium gallium selenide solar cells, but there are few review papers from the aspect of CdTe solar cells. This review focuses on the ultra-thin CdTe solar cell for the first time and provides a comprehensive and systematic summary. Firstly, the structure of this device is described, and the history of its development is reviewed. Secondly, the advantages and disadvantages of different methods are discussed, and the corresponding solutions are given. Thirdly, the factors limiting device efficiency are analyzed and future directions are suggested. Lastly, the application of ultra-thin device in semi-transparent devices is presented and the challenges are summarized. By reviewing a wide range of materials, we aim to provide valuable insights into the development of ultra-thin cadmium telluride solar cells and to promote its application in building integrated photovoltaics, which is of great importance in reducing carbon emissions to achieve sustainable development.

The regulation of buried interface is crucial for high‐performance wide‐bandgap perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which can influence the interfacial defects, the charge transport, and the crystallization of perovskites. In this work, a facile strategy is reported of inserting a multi‐functional (Z)‐4‐Fluoro‐ N ′‐hydroxybenzimidamide (4F‐HBM) molecule between self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) and wide‐bandgap (WBG) perovskite layer, actively regulating crystal growth and promoting hole extraction. It is found that the F atoms in 4F‐HBM form a hydrogen bond with the SAM. 4F‐HBM interacts with Pb 2+ in the perovskites, effectively reducing the defect state density at the interface and non‐radiative charge recombination losses at the buried interface. The 1.77‐eV WBG PSC using 4F‐HBM has a significantly improved power conversion efficiency of 20.09% and a high fill factor of 84.71%, higher than those for the control device (18.47% and 82.53%, respectively). The device can maintain 85% of its original efficiency after 821 h of maximum power point tracking, showing improved stability. Four‐terminal all‐perovskite tandem solar cells by combining such a semitransparent WBG subcell with a 1.25 eV low‐bandgap PSC obtains a PCE of 28.71%, among the highest efficiencies for four‐terminal all‐perovskite tandem cells to date. The work offers a promising strategy to enhance buried interface contact and defect passivation for perovskite‐based tandem devices.

In recent years, the development of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) has brought new research hotspots and challenges to ultra-thin cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells. In this work, we report the first application of solution-synthesized and air-stable CuxByO film for high-performance ultra-thin CdTe solar cells and characterize the properties of materials and devices by SEM, KPFM, TOF-SIMS, J-V, C-V, EQE, etc. The results show that the CuxByO layer exhibited a 5.4 eV work function and the carrier concentration of ultra-thin devices exceeded 1015 cm- 3. Finally, the devices with a 0.8 mu m CdTe absorber layer achieve a conversion efficiency of 12.79 % with the open-circuit voltage of 810 mV, and a fill factor of 75.5 %, which was the best conversion efficiency for ultra-thin CdTe solar cells with no more than 1 mu m absorber layer. Furthermore, we use transparent electrodes instead of Au electrodes to achieve bifacialization, and the bifacial devices with the same thickness of absorber layer obtain an efficiency of 10.27 % under front illumination, and an efficiency of 4.28 % under back illumination. Our approach has demonstrated the CuxByO buffer layer by a low-temperature solution processing holds great potential for the advancement of high-performance ultra-thin mono- and bifacial CdTe solar cells.

A novel bulk nano-heterojunction (BNH) architecture comprised of ZnO and NiO x nanocrystals is introduced for all-solution-processed, high performance ultraviolet photodetectors, enabling record external quantum efficiency and responsivity.

The prevailing short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) photodetectors (PDs) based on III-V materials face challenges in heteroepitaxial material growth and device fabrication which adds cost and complexity. SeTe alloy is a potential candidate for SWIR PDs due to its low-cost growth and adjustable bandgap. However, the performance of SeTe-based PDs is currently hindered by the narrow depletion region and high dark current. Herein, large-scale, high-quality Se0.3Te0.7 thin film is fabricated through a CMOS-compatible magnetron sputtering method followed by a low-temperature annealing process. A Si/Se0.3Te0.7/ITO vertical heterostructure is constructed with enhanced performances induced by an internal photoemission effect of top Schottky diode, which significantly increases carriers injected into Se0.3Te0.7 and transported by Si/Se0.3Te0.7 heterojunction. The PD shows superior broadband photoelectric properties with a 10000% improved responsivity at 1310 and 1550 nm, and a response time of approximate to 20 mu s over a wide spectral range which represents a 100-fold reduction compared to traditional devices in the absence of hot holes trapping mechanism. This pioneering research provides fresh avenues for significantly improving the optoelectronic performance of analogous devices with narrow depletion regions in photosensitive materials and showcases potential applications in Si-based broadband detection and imaging systems with high sensitivity and high speed at room temperature.

Antimony selenosulfide, denoted as Sb2(S,Se)3, has garnered attention as an eco-friendly semiconductor candidate for thin-film photovoltaics due to its light-absorbing properties. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells has recently increased to 10.75%, but significant challenges persist, particularly in the areas of open-circuit voltage (Voc) losses and fill factor (FF) losses. This study delves into the theoretical relationship between Voc and FF, revealing that, under conditions of low Voc and FF, internal resistance has a more pronounced effect on FF compared to non-radiative recombination. To address Voc and FF losses effectively, a phased optimization strategy was devised and implemented, paving the way for Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells with PCEs exceeding 20%. By optimizing internal resistance, the FF loss was reduced from 10.79% to 2.80%, increasing the PCE to 12.57%. Subsequently, modifying the band level at the interface resulted in an 18.75% increase in Voc, pushing the PCE above 15%. Furthermore, minimizing interface recombination reduced Voc loss to 0.45 V and FF loss to 0.96%, enabling the PCE to surpass 20%. Finally, by augmenting the absorber layer thickness to 600 nm, we fully utilized the light absorption potential of Sb2(S,Se)3, achieving an unprecedented PCE of 26.77%. This study pinpoints the key factors affecting Voc and FF losses in Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells and outlines an optimization pathway that markedly improves device efficiency, providing a valuable reference for further development of high-performance photovoltaic applications.

As single-junction devices are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve higher efficiencies, a great amount of design and fabrication of multijunction solar cells has been reported. There have been many independent studies on silicon and II-VI photovoltaic materials, but their integration to form II-VI/crystalline silicon tandem solar cell is still relatively rare. In this work, the structure of cadmium telluride (CdTe)//Si(TOPCon) four-terminal (4-T) mechanical stacked solar cell was numerically simulated and the performances of this cell were explored by varying the thickness of CdTe absorber layer in the top cells. The simulation results demonstrated that the 32.2% optimum efficiency of CdTe//Si(TOPCon) 4-T mechanical stacked solar cell can be obtained when the CdTe thickness was about 600 nm. Specifically, tungsten doped indium oxide (IWO) as a transparent back electrode was innovatively incorporated into the top cell to increase the transmission in the near-infrared region (800–1200 nm), which can reach the bottom cell well and be absorbed. Finally, glass/SnO 2 :F/CdS/CdTe/CuCl 2 /IWO translucent solar cell as a top cell was prepared, and then, CdTe//Si(TOPCon) 4-T mechanical stacked solar cell with a 12.4% conversion efficiency were fabricated for the first time with rigorous and meticulous optical balance design.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cell (PSC) plays a pivotal role as the top subcell in all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs), facilitating the absorption of high-energy photons and affording a large open-circuit voltage (VOC). Nonetheless, the stability and efficiency of WBG PSCs are constrained by light-induced halide segregation and non-radiative recombination losses. In this study, this work presents an approach of utilizing 2-methylpiperazinium bromide (2-MePBr) via interfacial engineering to realize high-efficiency WBG (1.77 eV) PSCs. The C & horbar;NH & horbar;C functional group in 2-MePBr, serving as an electron donor, can interact with under-coordinated lead defects at the perovskite surface. Consequently, the treatment with 2-MePBr mitigates interfacial non-radiative recombination, enhances charge transport, inhibits ion migration, and thus delivers an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.30% with a VOC of 1.29 V, and a fill factor of 83.08%. Notably, the WBG PSCs manifest enhanced stability, preserving 80% of the initial PCE after 337 h of continuous operation under 1 sun illumination at the maximum power point. Furthermore, the all-perovskite TSCs based on this WBG subcell achieve a PCE of 27.47%, showing its promising application in perovskite-based tandem solar cells. The 2-methylpiperazinium bromide (2-MePBr) is employed to treat the surface of wide-bandgap (1.77 eV) perovskites to inhibit the ion migration and passivate defects. The 2-MePBr treatment has resulted in an improved power conversion efficiency of 19.30% with a VOC of 1.29 V and a remarkable fill factor of 83.08%, as well as enhanced stability. image

Clay and clay-based minerals have attracted research attention because of their unique properties and a vast range of applications in industry. In order to assess the potential applications, four different processed local kaolin-based raw minerals were collected from the Aral Sea region of Uzbekistan, and the total mineralogical properties have been explored. The results reveal that the structural, vibrational and electronic properties of metakaolinites only slightly differ from those of kaoline. The presence of corundum, quartz and kaolinite structural phase in minerals was determined by XRD analysis. FTIR and Raman studies expose the primary peaks which are associated with the functional groups of Al-OH, Al-O and Si-O in higher-frequency stretching and lower-frequency bending modes. The elemental and chemical compositional (XRF and XPS) analysis demonstrates the presence of major elements (Al, Si, Na, Fe, Ti) in the raw mineral and other metal contaminations (Mg, Ca, S, Cr, Zr). The SEM analysis demonstrates the morphological nature of kaolin-based raw minerals that can be exploited for industrial purposes.

TiO2-based colossal dielectric ceramics have emerged as a prominent research focus in recent years. However, their further applications have been constrained by several key limitations, including the requirement of high sintering temperature (>1400 degrees C), relatively high dielectric loss (>0.05, 1 kHz), and temperature stability (<200 degrees C). This study reports rutile (In0.5Ta0.5)(0.1)Ti0.87O1.88F0.12 ceramics at 1220 degrees C sintering using 12 % InF3 as the acceptor In3+ source, which exhibits a colossal dielectric constant (1.1 x 10(5)) and an ultra-low dielectric loss (0.0071) at 1 kHz and room temperature, even loss values below 0.04 (20 Hz - 100 kHz). Notably, the thermal stabilities (10 kHz, 100 kHz) simultaneously satisfy X9E (Delta epsilon(r)/epsilon(25) (degrees C) <= +/- 4.7 %) above 300 degrees C. F- not only supplies electrons to enhance the semiconductivity of grains, but also decreases the oxygen vacancy and average grain size (270 +/- 12.53 nm) to improve grain boundaries resistances, which reduces dielectric loss and enhances frequency and temperature stabilities. As a result, the dielectric mechanism is mainly related to internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) and high grain boundary resistance. Therefore, this strategy provides a creative design for developing TiO2-based ceramics.

Wide-bandgap (> 1.7 eV) perovskites suffer from severe light-induced phase segregation due to high bromine content, causing irreversible damage to device stability. However, the strategies of suppressing photoinduced phase segregation and related mechanisms have not been fully disclosed. Here, we report a new passivation agent 4-aminotetrahydrothiopyran hydrochloride (4-ATpHCl) with multifunctional groups for the interface treatment of a 1.77-eV wide-bandgap perovskite film. 4-ATpH+ impeded halogen ion migration by anchoring on the perovskite surface, leading to the inhibition of phase segregation and thus the passivation of defects, which is ascribed to the interaction of 4-ATpH+ with perovskite and the formation of low-dimensional perovskites. Finally, the champion device achieved an efficiency of 19.32% with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.314 V and a fill factor of 83.32%. Moreover, 4-ATpHCl modified device exhibited significant improved stability as compared with control one. The target device maintained 80% of its initial efficiency after 519 h of maximum power output (MPP) tracking under 1 sun illumination, however, the control device showed a rapid decrease in efficiency after 267 h. Finally, an efficiency of 27.38% of 4-terminal all-perovskite tandem solar cells was achieved by mechanically stacking this wide-bandgap top subcell with a 1.25-eV low-bandgap perovskite bottom subcell.

Fabrication of bifacial translucent solar cell is a promising technology for the development of building integrated photovoltaics and the construction of tandem solar cell. In this work, cadmium telluride (CdTe) polycrystalline thin films with a thickness of 1 mu m were prepared by using close space sublimation system while nitrogen-doped zinc telluride (ZnTe: N) and tungsten-doped indium oxide (IWO) layers were deposited by using magnetron sputtering and reactive plasma deposition technology, respectively. After analyzing the optical and electrical properties of films and optimizing their deposition processes, a bifacial ultrathin solar cell with a 7.1% back illumination conversion efficiency was developed, which was currently the best back illumination efficiency for CdTe solar cell with an absorption layer thickness of no more than 1 mu m. Furthermore, the bifacial ultrathin CdTe solar cell with ZnTe:N/IWO composite transparent back electrode can achieved a maximum theoretical efficiency of up to 20% under the back illumination by employing SCAP software simulation design.

The thermolabile polymer substrate of flexible perovskite solar cells (f-PSCs) enables defect formation during solution treatment and annealing. This phenomenon is unamiable to the device's efficiency and mechanical stability, which is the motivation of this work and drives the strategy regarding the multifunctional modification by introducing 7-amino-4-(trifluoromethyl)-2-benzopyrone (ATB) into the perovskite precursor solution. Results indicate that the ATB involvement contributes to the formation of high-quality perovskite films and passivates the defects in the perovskite film, extending the carrier lifetime and enabling a f-PSC with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.47%. The ATB participation also facilitates the bending stability of the flexible f-PSC device, where 89.1% of the initial PCE remains after 5000 bending cycles with a bending radius of 5 mm, compared to the 65.3% residual of the control device without ATB. Furthermore, the unencapsulated device exhibits an 82.8% remainder of the initial efficiency after 2100 h exposure at an ambient condition of 20 degrees C and 40 +/- 5% relative humidity more excellent than the control (68.4%). Hopefully, this work presents a fresh strategy in enhancing the mechanical stability of flexible f-PSC device with a decent PCE.

The band offsets of heterojunctions formed between indium tin oxide (ITO) and amorphous gallium oxide (a-GaO x ) of different stoichiometric ratios were measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using the Kraut method. a-GaO x films with different stoichiometric ratios were deposited on commercial ITO/quartz substrates using radio frequency magnetron sputtering by varying the Ar/O 2 flux ratio. With the increase of oxygen flux in the reaction gas, the oxygen vacancy (V O ) concentration of a-GaO x decreases and its bandgap increases from 5.2 eV to 5.32 eV, while the valence band offset of ITO/a-GaO x heterojunction changes from 0.29 ± 0.07 eV to −0.74 ± 0.06 eV and conduction band offset changes from 0.95 ± 0.085 to 2.10 ± 0.075 eV. The results indicate that the band alignment of ITO/a-GaO x heterojunction can change from type I to type II with the variation of Ga/O stoichiometric ratio, which can provide guidance for the design of their corresponding high-performance heterostructured devices.

Sb2S3 has a unique one-dimensional structure-composed (Sb4S6) n ribbons leads to strong anisotropic carrier transport characteristic: carrier transport along the (Sb4S6) n ribbon is more efficient than other ribbons. Therefore, it's crucial to control the direction of grain growth along the (hk1) orientation. In this work, the close space sublimation method was utilized to fabricate Sb2S3 thin films with a systematical regulation of substrate temperature. The results demonstrate that optimized Sb2S3 thin film presented preferred orientation at the direction of (hk1). The champion device based on Au and Ni electrodes achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.06% and 1.69%, respectively.

Incorporating Se element into Cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based superstrate configuration solar cells have advanced impressively. However, molybdenum (Mo)/CdTe/CdSe substrate configuration devices remain relatively unexplored, and Mo foil oxidation behavior during the fabrication process is kept in the dark. This work investigates a fresh CdTe/CdSe substrate configuration solar cell using Mo substrates. Mo/CdTe/CdSe/ZnO/AZO/ITO solar cells have been fabricated, CdTe absorber layer was obtained by closed space sublimation (CSS) under ∼2000 pa pressure in varying Ar/O2 flu ratio. The champion device had an efficiency of 3.87% with unintentional Cu-doping and back contact. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDS) were applied to study the properties of CdTe films. Before CdTe deposition, molybdenum oxide (MoOx) was generated while heating the Mo substrate in an oxygen-containing environment. This buffer layer plays a pivotal role in blocking non-Ohmic back contact analyzed by current-voltage-temperature (J-V-T) measurements. Molybdenum oxidation states were extensively studied to build the relationship with a solar cell device. Our findings indicated that different oxygen partial pressure had less relevance with the CdTe surface chemical environment but was incredibly relevant for Mo metal foil oxidation states.

导电浆料目前在电子产品中得到广泛的应用,是电子信息产业发展不可或缺的关键辅材.该文针对国内硅胶按键用导电浆料的研发需求,设计一种碳基掺金属/非金属粉末的导电浆料,以炭黑掺银粉作为主要的导电相,煤油作为溶剂,聚乙烯吡咯烷酮作为保护剂,二氧化硅作为填充改性剂,控制不同组分的含量和配比,得到碳基复合导电浆料.采用光学显微镜、四探针测试仪、扫描电镜、EDS、洛氏硬度计、百格刀等手段对固化后的导电浆料进行光学、电学、形貌、组分、强度及附着力等性质测试,分析金属导电相和无机非金属填充相的加入对导电浆料性能的影响.综合各种因素,最终得到改进附着力(4B等级)、导电性(6Ω·cm)和机械强度(185 Hv0.5),适用于硅胶按键的低成本碳基复合导电浆料,其基体/银粉/二氧化硅比例约为100:5:1.

The aim of this work is study of physical and chemical properties of dust of the Pre-Aral region of Uzbekistan such as Karakalpakstan and Khorezm that are located near the three deserts such as the Aralkum, Karakum, and Kyzylkum. The dust particles fell on glass have been collected in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm and studied systematically by employing wide range of methods. Particle volume vs size distribution has been measured with maximum around 600 nm and ~ 10 µm. The major and minor constituent materials present in the dust have been studied systematically by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Main characteristic absorption bands corresponding to Si–O, Si–O-Si bonding in quartz and Fe–O bonds in hematite Fe2O3 have been identified by infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Quartz, hematite, lime, corundum, magnesia, and several other trace minerals have been identified in the dust particles. X-ray diffraction peaks corresponding to quartz, hematite, and corundum are sharp and are found to be more crystalline with some level of disorder. Analysis of the particle size and crystallinity on human being has been performed: disordered or crystalline quartz can create the lung disease; the particles in the size of 0.5–0.7 µm may produce diseases such as chronic silicosis, silicosis, and silica tuberculosis whereas hematite might create lung disease. Dust particles worsen optical transmittance of glass of the panels.

Antimony sulfide-selenide, Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 (0 < x < 1), with a tunable bandgap combining the advantages of antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) and antimony selenide (Sb2Se3), shows great potential as a promising light-absorbing material in low-cost, low-toxic, and high-stability thin-film solar cells. In this work, high-quality Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 thin films were successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using the Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 compound targets for the first time and realized tunable bandgaps by simply changing the S/(Se + S) ratios of compound targets. The effects of substrate temperature and S/(S + Se) ratio on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of films were investigated separately. It was discovered that 500 °C was the optimum substrate temperature to grow high-crystallinity, good-morphology, and low-defects Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 thin films, and the film with S/(S + Se) ratio of 0.2 showed optimal properties. Optical characterization demonstrated all Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 thin films owned high absorption coefficients above 105 cm−1 at the visible light region and suitable bandgaps near the ideal value of the Shockley–Queisser limit. The results of energy dispersive spectrometer showed that all films were poor in Sb and rich in (S + Se), which was a favorable condition for them as light absorbers. The activation energy obtained from the electrical measurement revealed that the conductivity of Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 thin films was mainly contributed by the intrinsic thermal excitation at 350–500 K. Our research offered a simple and reliable technology to prepare Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 thin films with adjustable bandgaps and favorable properties, which is expected to promote the development and application of this semiconducting material in thin-film solar cells.