This book presents the principle of operation, materials used and possible applications of third generation solar cells that are under investigation and have been not commercialized on a large scale yet. The third generation photovoltaic devices include promising emerging technologies such as: organic, dye sensitized, perovskite and quantum dot sensitized photocells. This book introduces the reader to the basics of third generation photovoltaics and presents in an accessible way phenomena and a diversity of materials used. In this book one will find the description of the working principle of new promising solar technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, prospect applications and preliminary analysis of their impact on the environment. The fundamentals of traditional solar cell operation are also included in the book facilitating understanding of new ideas.
This book is ideal reading for everyone who is interested in novel solutions in photovoltaics as well as applications of nanotechnology, photochemistry and materials research.
Author(s): Agata Zdyb
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 161
City: Leiden
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
Author
1 Fundamentals of Photovoltaics
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Solar cell: the principle of operation
1.3 Crystalline silicon solar cells of the first generation
1.3.1 The structure of crystalline silicon solar cells
1.3.2 Light absorption
1.3.3 Recombination of carriers
1.3.4 The impact of external conditions on the performance of the solar cell
1.3.5 Recent progress in silicon cells
1.4 Thin-film photovoltaic technologies of the second generation
1.4.1 CdS/CdTe cell
1.4.2 CIGS solar cell
1.4.3 Silicon thin-film solar cell
1.4.4 GaAs solar cell
1.5 Summary
2 Organic Solar Cells
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Organic semiconductors
2.3 Device architecture and performance
2.3.1 Single-layer organic photocell
2.3.2 Binary organic photocell
2.3.3 Bulk heterojunction organic photocell
2.3.4 Inverted structure of organic photocell
2.3.5 Ternary blends
2.4 Light trapping
2.5 Stability
2.6 Summary
3 Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Structure and basics of DSSC operation
3.2.1 Work cycle of DSSC
3.2.2 Inverted configuration of DSSC
3.3 Review of materials used in DSSC
3.3.1 Mesoporous semiconductor layer
3.3.2 Sensitizers
3.3.3 Counter electrode
3.3.4 Electrolytes
3.4 Summary
4 Perovskite Solar Cells
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Brief history of perovskite photocells
4.3 Operation of perovskite solar cells
4.3.1 General characteristics of perovskite materials
4.3.2 Solar cells based on organic-inorganic and all-inorganic perovskites
4.4 Architecture of perovskite cells
4.4.1 ETL
4.4.2 HTL
4.4.3 ETL-free and HTL-free perovskite photocells
4.5 Hysteresis
4.6 Stability
4.6.1 Thermal stability
4.6.2 Illumination
4.6.3 Moisture and oxygen
4.6.4 The methods of stability improvement
4.7 Lead-free perovskite cells
4.8 Summary
5 Quantum Dot-sensitized Solar Cells
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Structure and operation principle of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells
5.3 Quantum dots as sensitizers
5.3.1 Doped quantum dots
5.3.2 Alloy dots
5.3.3 Core-shell structure
5.3.4 Co-sensitization
5.4 Multiple exciton generation
5.5 Sensitization process – deposition of quantum dots
5.5.1 In situ deposition
5.5.2 Ex situ deposition
5.6 Other components of QDSSC
5.6.1 Electron transport layer
5.6.2 Electrolyte
5.6.3 Counter electrode
5.7 Summary
6 Environmental Impact of Emerging Photovoltaics
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Life cycle assessment of photovoltaic technologies
6.3 The end-of-life treatment of photovoltaic modules
6.4 Application of life cycle assessment to emerging photovoltaic technologies
6.4.1 Life cycle assessment of organic photovoltaic cells
6.4.2 Life cycle assessment of dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells
6.4.3 Life cycle assessment of perovskite photovoltaic cells
6.4.4 Life cycle assessment of quantum dot-sensitized photovoltaic cells
6.5 Summary
7 Applications of Emerging Photovoltaics – Future Outlook
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Organic photocells
7.3 Dye-sensitized photocells
7.4 Perovskite photocells
7.5 Quantum dot-sensitized photocells
7.6 Indoor applications of emerging photovoltaics
7.7 Tandem photocells
7.8 Summary
Index
