Solar cell specifications

The deposition of CBD CdS as a junction layer for solar cell devices has proven to be a very successful industrially acceptable technique. Kessler et al.13 reported on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) mini-modules (area = 16cm2) with a conversion efficiency of 16.6%, wherein CBD CdS was used as a junction layer. Basol et al.14 fabricated 9.3% active-area efficient thin-film flexible CuInSe2 (CIS) solar cells (specific power >1 kW/kg) on lightweight, flexible metallic, and polymeric (polymide-based) substrates using CBD CdS. 

Many grades of interlayer are produced to meet specific length, width, adhesion, stiffness, surface roughness, color (93,94), and other requirements of the laminator and end use. Sheet can be suppHed with vinyl alcohol content from 15 to about 23 wt %, depending on the suppHer and appHcation. A common interlayer thickness for automobile windshields is 0.76 mm, but interlayer used for architectural or aircraft glaring appHcations, for example, may be much thinner or thicker. There are also special grades to bond rear-view mirrors to windshields (95,96) and to adhere the components of solar cells (97,98). Multilayer coextmded sheet, each component of which provides a separate property not possible in monolithic sheet, can also be made (99—101). 

Photovoltaic systems for specific applications are produced by connecting individual modules in series and parallel to provide the desired voltage and current (Figure 4). Each module is constructed of individual solar cells also connected in series and parallel. Modules are typically available in ratings from a few peak watts to 250 peak watts. 

Solar cells that have several layers of different semiconductors can be much more efficient. Each layer can be matched to a specific photon energy range. 

Development of cheap thermoplastics with specific properties for solar cells, displays and other high potential applications. 

Li-ion batteries (LIBs), solar cells and fuel cells due to their high specific surface area and mesoporous character [20],... 

Most studies of iodine electrogeneration are aimed at analytical or electrosynthetic applications of iodine, but there are also some specific uses such as the h ll redox system in dye sensitized solar cells. 

CdSe has been the most extensively stndied semicondnctor for PEC pnrposes. This is due to its fairly favorable bandgap for solar cell nse (1.73 eV), compared to the higher-bandgap CdS, although there are many, nsnally less detailed, PEC studies on CdS as well. Cell details are given in Table 9.1, specific comments follow. 

In the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells, one of the most difficult problems is the corrosion problem. In any solvent, but particularly in solvents with water present, anodic currents flowing from the solid to the solution will usually lead to corrosion. Specifically the corrosion will take the form of anodic oxidation of the semiconductor, with the products remaining as a film, dissolving into the solution, or evolving as a gas. Any such action will degrade the solar cell. 

The specific application of a material generally determines the particular structure desired. For example, hydrogenated amorphous silicon is used for solar cells and some specialized electronic devices (10). Because of their higher carrier mobility (see Carrier Transport, Generation, and Recombination), single-crystalline elemental or compound semiconductors are used in the majority of electronic devices. Polycrystalline metal films and highly doped polycrystalline films of silicon are used for conductors and resistors in device applications. 

Ultimately an understanding of electron transfer processes in dye-sensitized solar cells must be expressed in terms of a model which takes the specific nature of metal oxide surfaces into account [97]. Moreover, the nanostructured devices often involve oxide nanoparticles which approach the limit where quantum-size effects become important. It would be a great step forward if this could be incorporated into an electron-transfer model. 

Functional fibres, filaments and yams are the basic building blocks of electrotextiles. The textile industry has demonstrated a remarkable capability to incorporate both natural and man-made filaments into yarns and fabrics to satisfy a wide range of physical parameters which survive the manufacturing process and are tailored to specific application environments. Electronic components can be fabricated within and/or on the surface of filaments and can subsequently be processed into functional yams and woven into fabrics. Passive components such as resistors, capacitors and inductors can be fabricated in several different manners. Diodes and transistors can be made on long, thin, flat strands of silicon or formed in a coaxial way. Progress has been made in the development of fibre batteries and fibre-based solar cells. In addition, a variety of actuated materials (piezoelectric, etc.) can be made into multiple long strands (filaments) and subsequently be woven into fabric. 

Because of the presence of a well-defined energy gap between the conduction and the valence band, semiconductors are ideally suited for investigation of the interfacial interactions between immobilized molecular components and solid substrates. In this chapter, interfacial assemblies based on nanocrystalline TiOz modified with metal polypyridyl complexes will be specifically considered. It will be shown that efficient interaction can be obtained between a molecular component and the semiconductor substrate by a matching of their electronic and electrochemical properties. The nature of the interfacial interaction between the two components will be discussed in detail. The application of such assemblies as solar cells will also be considered. The photophysical processes observed for interfacial triads, consisting of nanocrystalline TiO 2 surfaces modified with molecular dyads, will be discussed. Of particular interest in this discussion is how the interaction between the semiconductor surface and the immobilized molecular components modifies the photophysical pathways normally observed for these compounds in solution. 

Recently, proton conductive ILs and iodide ion conductive ILs have also been investigated separately. These ILs for specific ion transport are quite important for the development of energy devices such as lithium batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells. This will be discussed further in the next section. 

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