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CuI-Si heterojunction solar cells with carbon nanotube films as flexible top-contact electrodes

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Abstract

We report the fabrication of CuI-Si heterojunction solar cells with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a transparent electrode. A flexible CNT network was transferred onto the top of a polycrystalline CuI layer, making a conformal coating with good contact with the underlying CuI. The solar cells showed power conversion efficiencies in the range of 6% to 10.5%, while the efficiency degradation was less than 10% after the device was stored in air for 8 days. Compared with conventional rigid electrodes such as indium tin oxide (ITO) glass, the flexibility of the CNT films ensures better contact with the active layers and removes the need for press-contact electrodes. Degraded cells can recover their original performance by acid doping of the CNT electrode. Our results suggest that CNT films are suitable electrical contacts for rough materials and structures with an uneven surface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Peixu Li, Yi Jia, Zhen Li, Jinquan Wei, Kunlin Wang, Hongwei Zhu & Dehai Wu

  2. College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Shanshan Wang, Zuqiang Bian & Chunhui Huang

  3. College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Shanshan Wang, Chunyan Ji, Luhui Zhang, Hongbian Li, Enzheng Shi & Anyuan Cao

  4. Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Hongwei Zhu

Authors
  1. Peixu Li
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  2. Shanshan Wang
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  3. Yi Jia
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  4. Zhen Li
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  5. Chunyan Ji
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  6. Luhui Zhang
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  7. Hongbian Li
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  8. Enzheng Shi
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  9. Zuqiang Bian
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  10. Chunhui Huang
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  11. Jinquan Wei
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  12. Kunlin Wang
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  13. Hongwei Zhu
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  14. Dehai Wu
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  15. Anyuan Cao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anyuan Cao.

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These authors contributed equally to this work

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Li, P., Wang, S., Jia, Y. et al. CuI-Si heterojunction solar cells with carbon nanotube films as flexible top-contact electrodes. Nano Res. 4, 979–986 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0154-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0154-5

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