Nanomaterials for Solar Energy

Silicon-based solar cells currently dominate the market of thin-film solar cells. Unfortunately, the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of such solar cells decays by about 1/3 due to exposure to sun light. Our group investigates ways by which this loss of efficiency can be minimized by including silicon nanocrystals into the amorphous silicon films used in silicon solar cells. A new second thrust of our research is in using combinations of nanowires and nanoparticles to form very inexpensive solar cells of moderate efficiency. The initial emphasis is on combinations of zinc oxide nanowires with silicon nanocrystals.

Representative publications:
“Experimental investigations into the formation of nanoparticles in a/nc-Si:H thin films,” S. Thompson, C. R. Perrey, T. J. Belich, J. Kakalios, C. B. Carter, and U. Kortshagen, J. Appl. Physics 97, 034310 (2005), DOI: 10.1063/1.1849435.

“Observation of Si nanocrystals in a/nc-Si:H films by spherical-aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy,” Christopher R. Perrey, Siri Thompson, Markus Lentzen, Uwe Kortshagen, and C. Barry Carter, J. Noncrystalline Solids, 343 , 78-84 (2004), DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2004.06.013.

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous silicon film. (Image courtesy of C. R. Perrey and C. B. Carter).