Surface modifications, photovoltaic

Encapsulants are necessary for electrical Isolation of the photovoltaic circuit. They also provide mechanical protection for the solar cell wafers and corrosion protection for the metal contacts and circuit interconnect system over the 20-year design life of a photovoltaic array. The required components Include the solar cell circuit, the rigid or structural member, the pottant, and the outer cover/insulator. Surface modifications may be needed to develop strong, stable bonds at the Interfaces in the composite. If the module is to be framed, edge sealants may also be required. The functions of the Individual components and the performance requirements as they are now known are described. Costs are ccmipared where possible and candidate materials identified. 

The work function control by alloy formation [588-592] and by the surface modification has been applied to enhanced charge injection at electrodes for OLEDs [306-313, 324, 325], electrochemical [314] and photovoltaic (PV) cell studies [308,... 

The absence of solvents in such solid-polymer-electrolyte photovoltaic cells presents the possibility of fabricating corrosion-free systems. The thin-film solid-state cells also allow fabrication of multispectral cells composed of more than one semiconductor in optical and electrical series. A solid-state photovoltaic cell, n-Si/Pt/PP/PEO(K.I/ l2)/Pt/ITO, was studied. The surface modifications of n-Si with PP can dramatically reduce the large activation energy barrier against efficient charge transfer between semiconductor and polymer-solid electrolyte. The efficiency of this cell is limited by a high surface recombination velocity associated with surface states of the n-Si. The cell had V = 225 mV and 11 niA cm at 100 mW cm illumination with junction ideality factor of 1.5. This implies the existence of deleterious surface states acting as recombination centres. 

Menzies, D. B. Dai, Q. Bourgeois, L. Caruso, R. A. Cheng, Y. B. Simon, G. P. Spiccia, L. 2007. Modification of mesoporous Ti02 electrodes by surface treatment with titanium(IV), indium(III) and zirconium(IV) oxide precursors Preparation, characterization and photovoltaic performance in dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells. Nanotechnology 18 125608. 

In addition to the illumination of the catalyst surface, another simple method is used for the alteration of the electron concentration and the occupation of the bond orbitals in the semiconductor surface. This method is a modification of the inverse mixed catalysts introduced by Schwab 89 9 . The electron concentration and distribution upon the bond states is achieved 1. by putting the surface bonds into the potential of a boundary layer of a metal-semiconductor junction and 2. by illumination of the semiconductor-metal junction with ultraviolet light (photovoltaic effect). 

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