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Design and fabrication of 1-D semiconductor nanomaterials for high-performance photovoltaics

  • Review
  • Engineering Sciences
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Science Bulletin

Abstract

To date, the cost-effective utilization of solar energy by photovoltaics for large-scale deployment remains challenging. Further cost minimization and efficiency maximization, through reduction of material consumption, simplification of device fabrication as well as optimization of device structure and geometry, are required. The usage of 1D nanomaterials is attractive due to the outstanding light coupling effect, the ease of fabrication, and integration with one-dimensional (1-D) semiconductor materials. The light absorption efficiency can be enhanced significantly, and the corresponding light-to-electricity conversion efficiency can be as high as their bulk counterparts. Also, the amount of active materials used can be reduced. This review summarizes the recent development of 1-D nanomaterials for photovoltaic applications, including the anti-reflection, the light absorption, the minority diffusion, and the semiconductor junction properties. With solid progress and prospect shown in the past 10 years, 1-D semiconductor nanomaterials are attractive and promising for the realization of high-efficiency and low-cost solar cells.

摘要

至今,大面积利用光伏技术获取太阳能仍极具挑战,仍然需要减少材料的消耗,简化太阳能电池的制作并优化结构,以降低成本并提高效率。由于一维纳米材料具有极强的光耦合效应,并易于加工组装成电池器件,半导体纳米线材料在太阳能利用方面越来越受到关注。基于上述优势,其光吸收效率及光电转换效率均堪与块体材料相当,但是材料用量却极大减少。本文总结了一维半导体纳米材料在太阳能转换领域的最新研究进展,包括用于减反射、光吸收、少子扩散与收集等。从近年研究进展看,一维半导体纳米材料在高效低成本利用太阳能电池方面前景广阔。

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Early Career Scheme of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong SAR, China (CityU 139413), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51202205 and 61504151), the State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems (MPCS-2014-C-01 and MPCS-2015-A-04), the Science Technology and Innovation Committee of Shenzhen Municipality (JCYJ20140419115507588), and a Grant from the Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Ning Han, Ying Wang & Yunfa Chen

  2. CAS Center for Excellence in Urban Atmospheric Environment, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Ning Han, Ying Wang & Yunfa Chen

  3. Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Zaixing Yang, Hao Lin & Johnny C. Ho

  4. State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Zaixing Yang, Lifan Shen, Edwin Y. B. Pun & Johnny C. Ho

  5. Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Lifan Shen & Edwin Y. B. Pun

  6. Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China

    Zaixing Yang, Hao Lin & Johnny C. Ho

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  1. Ning Han
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  2. Zaixing Yang
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Han, N., Yang, Z., Shen, L. et al. Design and fabrication of 1-D semiconductor nanomaterials for high-performance photovoltaics. Sci. Bull. 61, 357–367 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1028-8

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