Enhanced properties of silicon nano-textured solar cells enabled by controlled ZnO nanorods coating. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Feng, Zezeng; Jia, Rui; Dou, Bingfei; Li, Haofeng; Jin, Zhi; Liu, Xinyu; Li, Feng; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Chenyang
• Is Part Of: Solar energy. Volume 115(2015)
• Page Start: 770
• Page End: 776
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Silicon nanostructure -- ZnO nanorods -- Solar cell -- Hydrothermal; Solar energy -- Periodicals; Solar engines -- Periodicals; 621.47
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2015.03.019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-092X

Abstract

Highlights: ZnO nanorods were introducted for silicon nanostructure solar cell application. Short-circuit current was significantly enhanced carrier transport and electrode contact enhancement. ZnO nanowire was embedded into Si nanowire solar cell to enhance its performances. Abstract: In the work, ZnO nanorods (NRs) were combined with silicon (Si) nanostructures for solar cell application. The optical and photovoltaic properties of silicon nanostructures coated with ZnO NRs were measured and discussed. The fabrication processes were composed of metal-assisted chemical etching combined with hydrothermal synthesized ZnO NRs growth. In contrast to the ordinary silicon nanostructures, this new hierarchical structures can maximize the light absorption and significantly enhance the electrode contact and carrier transport ability. By these optimizations, nano-textured solar cells' performance was improved. The data obtained from this work are fundamental and has some reference value for future studies.