Team fabricates tandem solar cell with power conversion efficiency greater than 20%

A analysis staff has demonstrated for the primary time a proof-of-concept tandem photo voltaic cell utilizing antimony selenide as the underside cell materials and a wide-bandgap natural–inorganic hybrid perovskite materials as the highest cell materials. The system achieved an influence conversion effectivity of over 20%. This research reveals that antimony selenide has nice potential for backside cell purposes.

The analysis is revealed within the journal Energy Materials and Devices on March 4, 2024.

Photovoltaic expertise, that harnesses daylight and converts it into electrical energy, is widespread as a result of it supplies a clear, renewable vitality supply. Scientists proceed to work to enhance the power conversion efficiencyor the measure of effectivity, in solar cells. They’ve achieved energy conversion efficiencies of over 20% in standard single-junction photo voltaic cells.

To attain energy effectivity above the Shockley-Queisser restrict in single-junction photo voltaic cells would require a lot larger prices. Nonetheless, the Shockley-Queisser restrict of single-junction photo voltaic cells may be overcome by means of the fabrication of tandem photo voltaic cells. With tandem photo voltaic cells, researchers are capable of acquire a better vitality effectivity by stacking photo voltaic cell supplies on high of one another.

The analysis staff labored to create tandem photo voltaic cells, utilizing a semiconductor referred to as antimony selenide. Previous analysis with antimony selenide has centered primarily on purposes in single-junction photo voltaic cells. However the analysis staff knew that from a band hole perspective, this semiconductor may show to be an applicable backside cell materials for tandem photo voltaic cells.

“Antimony selenide is a suitable bottom cell material for tandem solar cells. However, because of the rarity of reported tandem solar cells using it as a bottom cell, little attention has been paid to its application. We assembled a tandem solar cell with high conversion efficiency using it as the bottom cell to demonstrate the potential of this material,” mentioned Tao Chen, professor of Supplies Science and Engineering on the College of Science and Expertise of China.

Tandem photo voltaic cells are higher capable of take up daylight than single junction photo voltaic cells that use a single layer of semiconductor materials. The tandem photo voltaic cells convert a bigger portion of daylight into electrical energy, so they’re extra vitality environment friendly than single junction photo voltaic cells.

The staff fabricated perovskite/antimony selenide tandem photo voltaic cells which have a clear conducting electrode for an optimized spectral response. They have been capable of modify the thickness of the clear electrode layer of the highest cell to acquire a excessive effectivity of larger than 17%. They optimized the antimony selenide backside cell by introducing a double electron transport layer and achieved an influence conversion effectivity of seven.58%.

Once they mechanically assembled the highest and backside cells to create the four-terminal tandem photo voltaic cell, the ability conversion effectivity exceeded 20.58%, which is larger than that of the impartial subcells. Their tandem photo voltaic cell reveals wonderful stability with unhazardous compositional parts.

“This work provides a new tandem device structure and demonstrates that antimony selenide is a promising absorber material for bottom cell applications in tandem solar cells,” mentioned Chen.

Trying forward, the staff hopes to work towards a extra built-in two-terminal tandem photo voltaic cell and additional enhance system efficiency. Chen added, “The excessive stability of antimony selenide supplies nice comfort for the preparation of two-terminal tandem solar cell, which means that it may have good results when paired with quite a few different types of top cell materials.”

The analysis staff consists of Zhiyuan Cai, Huiling Cai, Yuehao Gu, Rongfeng Tang, Changfei Zhu, and Tao Chen from the College of Science and Expertise of China, together with Jia Solar and Paifeng Luo from Hefei College of Expertise.

Offered by
Tsinghua College Press