Composite photovoltaic technology

GreenhamN. C., Peng X. and Ahvisatos A. P. (1997), A CdSe nanocrystal/MEH-PPV polymer composite photovoltaic , in McConnell R., ed., Future Generation Photovoltaic Technologies First NREL Conference, Am. Inst. Phys., pp. 295-302. 

Polymeric materials are used In all solar technologies. In addition to such conventional applications as adhesives, coatings, moisture barriers, electrical and thermal Insulation, and structural members, polymers are used as optical components In solar systems. Mirrors on parabolic troughs are made up of metallized fluoropolymers and acrylics. Commercial flat-plate collectors are glazed with fluoropolymers and ultraviolet-stabilized polyester/ glass fiber composites. Photovoltaic (PV) cell arrays are encap-... 

Given the actual scenario, one can state that the emerging field of nanotechnology represents new effort to exploit new materials as well as new technologies in the development of efficient and low-cost solar cells. In fact, the technological capabilities to manipulate matter under controlled conditions in order to assemble complex supramolecular structures within the range of 100 nm could lead to innovative devices (nano-devices) based on unconventional photovoltaic materials, namely, conducting polymers, fuUerenes, biopolymers (photosensitive proteins), and related composites. 

Processing Technologies of Semiconducting Polymer Composite Thin Films for Photovoltaic Cell Applications... 

The Cu S film plays an important role in photovoltaic operation. It acts as an absorbing layer where the minority carriers are created by interaction with the incident radiation and where the transport to the junction takes place. Hence the Cu S film requires maximum cpntrol and reproducibility of optical and transport properties which in turn strongly depend on chemical composition, film thickness, grain size and interface states between Cu S and CdS. Hence special interest has to be directed towards technology and diagnostics of Cu S films. 

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