Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114163
R. Moruno , L. San José , E. Luis , F. Martín , L. Dávila , R. Núñez , R. Herrero , I. Antón
This study evaluates the performance of a vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) module under realistic dynamic shading along urban routes. A multistage framework combines image-based shadow extraction, irradiance and thermal modelling, and electrical simulation of two common interconnection schemes (series and total-cross-tied, TCT). Five routes covering different seasons and times of day were analysed, and four zone types—dense trees, scattered trees, open low-rise, and open midrise—were identified to contextualize shading behaviour. Results show that shading factor is the primary driver of performance losses, with winter routes exhibiting lower yield due to longer shadows despite cooler temperatures. TCT consistently outperforms series, particularly under highly non-uniform, dendritic winter shadows. Power spectral density analysis reveals that most power fluctuations occur below 24 Hz, enabling effective tracking by well-tuned P&O algorithms. Fixed-voltage control provides a strong baseline, while an artificial neural network evaluated on highly-dynamic sections offers modest improvements only in the TCT configuration.
{"title":"Comprehensive VIPV energy yield and MPPT evaluation under realistic dynamic shading in urban environments","authors":"R. Moruno , L. San José , E. Luis , F. Martín , L. Dávila , R. Núñez , R. Herrero , I. Antón","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluates the performance of a vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) module under realistic dynamic shading along urban routes. A multistage framework combines image-based shadow extraction, irradiance and thermal modelling, and electrical simulation of two common interconnection schemes (series and total-cross-tied, TCT). Five routes covering different seasons and times of day were analysed, and four zone types—dense trees, scattered trees, open low-rise, and open midrise—were identified to contextualize shading behaviour. Results show that shading factor is the primary driver of performance losses, with winter routes exhibiting lower yield due to longer shadows despite cooler temperatures. TCT consistently outperforms series, particularly under highly non-uniform, dendritic winter shadows. Power spectral density analysis reveals that most power fluctuations occur below 24 Hz, enabling effective tracking by well-tuned P&O algorithms. Fixed-voltage control provides a strong baseline, while an artificial neural network evaluated on highly-dynamic sections offers modest improvements only in the TCT configuration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114163"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114149
Muhammad Umair Khan , Alison Ciesla , Aeron Johns , Chandany Sen , Ting Huang , Hao Song , Munan Gao , Ruirui Lv , Yuanjie Yu , Xinyuan Wu , Haoran Wang , Xutao Wang , Bram Hoex
Tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells are susceptible to ultraviolet (UV)-induced degradation (UVID), which reduces their long-term performance. This study investigates the UVID mechanism in TOPCon lifetime structures with thin (4 nm) and thick (7 nm) AlOx layers. We use a cycle of UV exposure, dark storage, and dark annealing to track changes in chemical and field-effect passivation. During UV exposure, the chemical passivation degrades, shown by an increase in the interface defect density (Dit). We attribute this to high-energy UV photons breaking Si-H bonds within the SiNx capping layer, which releases mobile hydrogen that subsequently accumulates at the interface, thereby causing recombination-active defects. In contrast, the field-effect passivation is temporarily enhanced by charge trapping in the AlOx, which increases its negative fixed charge (Qf). A subsequent “dark storage degradation” occurs as these charges de-trap, while the chemical damage remains unchanged. During dark annealing, the accumulated hydrogen at the interface diffuses into the silicon bulk. This reduction in interfacial hydrogen concentration restores surface chemical passivation, as confirmed by a decrease in Dit. Although the chemical passivation shows a full recovery, as confirmed by a decrease in Dit, the FTIR analysis reveals that the complete degradation and recovery cycle induces a permanent structural rearrangement of the dielectric stack. Furthermore, the results show that the thicker 7 nm AlOx layer provides better UVID resilience. Since the field-effect passivation behaves similarly for both thicknesses, we attribute this resilience to the thicker film acting as a more effective physical barrier, reducing the transport of mobile hydrogen to the interface. This work presents a comprehensive model that links the observed UVID to specific, underlying structural changes in the passivation stack, providing guidance to address this failure mode at the solar cell level.
{"title":"Charge trapping, hydrogen accumulation, and structural rearrangement: A complete model for ultraviolet-induced degradation in TOPCon devices","authors":"Muhammad Umair Khan , Alison Ciesla , Aeron Johns , Chandany Sen , Ting Huang , Hao Song , Munan Gao , Ruirui Lv , Yuanjie Yu , Xinyuan Wu , Haoran Wang , Xutao Wang , Bram Hoex","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells are susceptible to ultraviolet (UV)-induced degradation (UVID), which reduces their long-term performance. This study investigates the UVID mechanism in TOPCon lifetime structures with thin (4 nm) and thick (7 nm) AlO<sub>x</sub> layers. We use a cycle of UV exposure, dark storage, and dark annealing to track changes in chemical and field-effect passivation. During UV exposure, the chemical passivation degrades, shown by an increase in the interface defect density (D<sub>it</sub>). We attribute this to high-energy UV photons breaking Si-H bonds within the SiN<sub>x</sub> capping layer, which releases mobile hydrogen that subsequently accumulates at the interface, thereby causing recombination-active defects. In contrast, the field-effect passivation is temporarily enhanced by charge trapping in the AlO<sub>x</sub>, which increases its negative fixed charge (Q<sub>f</sub>). A subsequent “dark storage degradation” occurs as these charges de-trap, while the chemical damage remains unchanged. During dark annealing, the accumulated hydrogen at the interface diffuses into the silicon bulk. This reduction in interfacial hydrogen concentration restores surface chemical passivation, as confirmed by a decrease in D<sub>it</sub>. Although the chemical passivation shows a full recovery, as confirmed by a decrease in D<sub>it</sub>, the FTIR analysis reveals that the complete degradation and recovery cycle induces a permanent structural rearrangement of the dielectric stack. Furthermore, the results show that the thicker 7 nm AlOx layer provides better UVID resilience. Since the field-effect passivation behaves similarly for both thicknesses, we attribute this resilience to the thicker film acting as a more effective physical barrier, reducing the transport of mobile hydrogen to the interface. This work presents a comprehensive model that links the observed UVID to specific, underlying structural changes in the passivation stack, providing guidance to address this failure mode at the solar cell level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114149"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114174
Ayesha Shafiq, Khaled AbouAitah, Beom Soo Kim
The rapid evolution of the solar energy industry has led to the accumulation of photovoltaic panels as waste, causing serious environmental pollution problems. The primary focus of this research was on achieving selective synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the metal mixture commonly found in photovoltaic panel waste, including copper, lead, aluminum, and tin. The experimental procedure involved the initial physical separation of solar panel components, followed by the leaching of silver metal from the silicon wafer using nitric acid. Subsequently, the selective reduction of silver metal into AgNPs was achieved for the first time using plant extract. To identify a suitable reducing agent, eighteen plants were screened. The leaf extract of Moringa oleifera was found to be the most effective reducing and stabilizing agent for synthesizing AgNPs with silver content up to 70 % as analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Quantitative analysis revealed that the yield of AgNPs from the recovered silver metal was 68 %. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis results detected pure AgNPs uncontaminated with other metals.
{"title":"An eco-friendly approach for selective synthesis of silver nanoparticles from metal mixtures extracted from discarded solar panels","authors":"Ayesha Shafiq, Khaled AbouAitah, Beom Soo Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114174","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114174","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid evolution of the solar energy industry has led to the accumulation of photovoltaic panels as waste, causing serious environmental pollution problems. The primary focus of this research was on achieving selective synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the metal mixture commonly found in photovoltaic panel waste, including copper, lead, aluminum, and tin. The experimental procedure involved the initial physical separation of solar panel components, followed by the leaching of silver metal from the silicon wafer using nitric acid. Subsequently, the selective reduction of silver metal into AgNPs was achieved for the first time using plant extract. To identify a suitable reducing agent, eighteen plants were screened. The leaf extract of <em>Moringa oleifera</em> was found to be the most effective reducing and stabilizing agent for synthesizing AgNPs with silver content up to 70 % as analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Quantitative analysis revealed that the yield of AgNPs from the recovered silver metal was 68 %. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis results detected pure AgNPs uncontaminated with other metals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114174"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114166
Hitoshi Sai, Takuya Matsui
Ultra-narrow strip-shaped crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells are promising for translucent photovoltaic modules but suffer from significant efficiency losses due to edge recombination after cell separation. An additional edge passivation process can alleviate this loss, but it increases cost and process complexity. This study investigates alternative approaches to suppress edge recombination loss without dedicated passivation layers. Strip-shaped silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells, 3–9 mm wide, were fabricated using laser scribing and mechanical cleaving (LSMC). Experimental results, supported by device simulations, reveal that front-junction configurations and thinner c-Si substrates effectively mitigate efficiency loss associated with cut edges. Two additional design strategies were evaluated. A transparent conductive oxide (TCO) margin approach, which removes the emitter near the edge, improved open-circuit voltage to 715 mV in 5-mm-wide cells, although efficiency was constrained by reduced short-circuit current density. In contrast, the Pre-Grooved LSMC (PG-LSMC) method, enabling in-situ partial edge passivation, suppressed edge recombination and enhanced efficiency, particularly in rear-junction-type cells. These results highlight that optimized device design, thickness reduction, emitter isolation, and in-situ partial passivation can compensate for the absence of dedicated edge passivation. The insights gained from these extreme geometries are broadly applicable to divided and shingled cells, where edge recombination remains a critical loss mechanism.
{"title":"Ultra-narrow strip-shaped silicon solar cells for semi-transparent PV modules: Interplay among cut edges, cell structure, strip dimensions, and partial edge passivation","authors":"Hitoshi Sai, Takuya Matsui","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultra-narrow strip-shaped crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells are promising for translucent photovoltaic modules but suffer from significant efficiency losses due to edge recombination after cell separation. An additional edge passivation process can alleviate this loss, but it increases cost and process complexity. This study investigates alternative approaches to suppress edge recombination loss without dedicated passivation layers. Strip-shaped silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells, 3–9 mm wide, were fabricated using laser scribing and mechanical cleaving (LSMC). Experimental results, supported by device simulations, reveal that front-junction configurations and thinner c-Si substrates effectively mitigate efficiency loss associated with cut edges. Two additional design strategies were evaluated. A transparent conductive oxide (TCO) margin approach, which removes the emitter near the edge, improved open-circuit voltage to 715 mV in 5-mm-wide cells, although efficiency was constrained by reduced short-circuit current density. In contrast, the Pre-Grooved LSMC (PG-LSMC) method, enabling in-situ partial edge passivation, suppressed edge recombination and enhanced efficiency, particularly in rear-junction-type cells. These results highlight that optimized device design, thickness reduction, emitter isolation, and in-situ partial passivation can compensate for the absence of dedicated edge passivation. The insights gained from these extreme geometries are broadly applicable to divided and shingled cells, where edge recombination remains a critical loss mechanism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114166"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114147
Yalun Cai , Shuo Deng , Jialiang Huang , Zicheng Wang , Yuhao Cheng , Jialin Cong , Tang Qiao , Geng Zhang , Jian Song , Feng Li , Zhuo Xu , Ning Song
The parasitic absorption in the poly-Si layer on the rear side of a bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon) cell can compromise the short-circuit current density (JSC) and cell efficiency. In this work, we demonstrate a local thinning (LT) approach on the polysilicon (poly-Si) layer in TOPCon cells to mitigate parasitic absorption. The LT approach is achieved by combining laser and alkaline etching. The 355 nm ultraviolet picosecond (UV-ps) pulsed laser introduces a 4 nm surface silicon oxide (SiOX) which functions as an etch barrier in the subsequent alkaline etching. Consequently, lasered regions in the poly-Si layer can maintain a thickness of 110 nm while regions without laser treatment are thinned to about 30 nm. This local thinning process can suppress parasitic absorption while preserving excellent passivation. The laser also amorphizes the first 30 nm of the poly-Si into a-Si, which recrystallizes into poly-Si in later firing step with an increased doping concentration from 2E20 to 7E20 cm−3. Experimental J–V measurements show an increase in JSC by 0.13 mA/cm2, a VOC gain of 1.9 mV, and an absolute efficiency gain of 0.12 % under one-sun illumination. Device-level simulations with Quokka3 further predict the efficiency gain of TOPCon cells incorporating this LT process under idealized contact and passivation conditions. These results highlight that the LT-TOPCon approach can effectively suppress rear-side parasitic absorption while maintaining passivation quality, offering a practical route to boost the efficiency of next-generation bifacial silicon solar cells.
{"title":"Mitigating parasitic optical losses in bifacial TOPCon solar cells through localized thinning of polysilicon","authors":"Yalun Cai , Shuo Deng , Jialiang Huang , Zicheng Wang , Yuhao Cheng , Jialin Cong , Tang Qiao , Geng Zhang , Jian Song , Feng Li , Zhuo Xu , Ning Song","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The parasitic absorption in the poly-Si layer on the rear side of a bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contacts (TOPCon) cell can compromise the short-circuit current density (J<sub>SC</sub>) and cell efficiency. In this work, we demonstrate a local thinning (LT) approach on the polysilicon (poly-Si) layer in TOPCon cells to mitigate parasitic absorption. The LT approach is achieved by combining laser and alkaline etching. The 355 nm ultraviolet picosecond (UV-ps) pulsed laser introduces a 4 nm surface silicon oxide (SiO<sub>X</sub>) which functions as an etch barrier in the subsequent alkaline etching. Consequently, lasered regions in the poly-Si layer can maintain a thickness of 110 nm while regions without laser treatment are thinned to about 30 nm. This local thinning process can suppress parasitic absorption while preserving excellent passivation. The laser also amorphizes the first 30 nm of the poly-Si into a-Si, which recrystallizes into poly-Si in later firing step with an increased doping concentration from 2E20 to 7E20 cm<sup>−3</sup>. Experimental J–V measurements show an increase in J<sub>SC</sub> by 0.13 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, a V<sub>OC</sub> gain of 1.9 mV, and an absolute efficiency gain of 0.12 % under one-sun illumination. Device-level simulations with Quokka3 further predict the efficiency gain of TOPCon cells incorporating this LT process under idealized contact and passivation conditions. These results highlight that the LT-TOPCon approach can effectively suppress rear-side parasitic absorption while maintaining passivation quality, offering a practical route to boost the efficiency of next-generation bifacial silicon solar cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114147"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114164
Chandany Sen , Haoran Wang , Robert Heidrich , Marius Lüdemann , Muhammad Umair Khan , Bram Hoex
N-type tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell technology currently accounts for over 60 % of the PV market. Yet, its aluminium-rich front metallisation remains vulnerable to humidity-driven corrosion in glass/back-sheet modules. Building on our previous study, “Buyer Aware: Three new failure modes in TOPCon modules absent from PERC technology”, this work delves deeper into corrosion-induced degradation in TOPCon minimodules encapsulated with ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and three commercially sourced polyolefin elastomers (POE-A, -B, and -C). After 1000 h of damp-heat exposure (85 °C, 85 % RH), the module with EVA showed a ∼11 %rel drop in Pmax, mainly attributed to a 50 %rel rise in series resistance (Rs). Spectroscopic analysis suggests that acetic acid released from EVA hydrolysis reacts with solder-flux residues, promoting front metal corrosion at the cell contacts. POE-A and POE-B modules degraded by only 6–10 %rel, neither produced measurable organic acids, and POE-A's antioxidant package appears to inhibit polymer oxidation, confining the residual loss to isolated pre-lamination contaminants. In contrast, POE-C suffered a 55 %rel in Pmax. Chemical probing reveals a potential cascade of mutually reinforcing reactions that generate a highly acidic micro-environment comprising: (i) carboxylic acids from POE oxidation, (ii) azelaic acid liberated from soldering flux, and (iii) benzoic and phenolic by-products from the ultraviolet (UV) absorber breakdown. This corrosive cocktail potentially accelerates the electrochemical attack on the front cell metallisation, driving a drastic Rs increase and catastrophic module failure. The study highlights the pivotal influence of encapsulant formulation, antioxidant, UV absorber chemistry and manufacturing cleanliness on the long-term reliability of TOPCon modules.
{"title":"The dark side of certain POE encapsulant: Chemical pathways to metallisation corrosion in TOPCon modules","authors":"Chandany Sen , Haoran Wang , Robert Heidrich , Marius Lüdemann , Muhammad Umair Khan , Bram Hoex","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114164","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114164","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>N-type tunnel-oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell technology currently accounts for over 60 % of the PV market. Yet, its aluminium-rich front metallisation remains vulnerable to humidity-driven corrosion in glass/back-sheet modules. Building on our previous study, “Buyer Aware: Three new failure modes in TOPCon modules absent from PERC technology”, this work delves deeper into corrosion-induced degradation in TOPCon minimodules encapsulated with ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and three commercially sourced polyolefin elastomers (POE-A, -B, and -C). After 1000 h of damp-heat exposure (85 °C, 85 % RH), the module with EVA showed a ∼11 %<sub>rel</sub> drop in P<sub>max</sub>, mainly attributed to a 50 %<sub>rel</sub> rise in series resistance (R<sub>s</sub>). Spectroscopic analysis suggests that acetic acid released from EVA hydrolysis reacts with solder-flux residues, promoting front metal corrosion at the cell contacts. POE-A and POE-B modules degraded by only 6–10 %<sub>rel</sub>, neither produced measurable organic acids, and POE-A's antioxidant package appears to inhibit polymer oxidation, confining the residual loss to isolated pre-lamination contaminants. In contrast, POE-C suffered a 55 %<sub>rel</sub> in P<sub>max</sub>. Chemical probing reveals a potential cascade of mutually reinforcing reactions that generate a highly acidic micro-environment comprising: (i) carboxylic acids from POE oxidation, (ii) azelaic acid liberated from soldering flux, and (iii) benzoic and phenolic by-products from the ultraviolet (UV) absorber breakdown. This corrosive cocktail potentially accelerates the electrochemical attack on the front cell metallisation, driving a drastic R<sub>s</sub> increase and catastrophic module failure. The study highlights the pivotal influence of encapsulant formulation, antioxidant, UV absorber chemistry and manufacturing cleanliness on the long-term reliability of TOPCon modules.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114164"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114142
Haoyue Liu , Liangchen Suo , Yuanwei Lu , Jingdan Mei , Tong Niu , Zhenze Xu , Han Yang
To address the significant accumulation of industrial waste salt and to promote advancements in energy structure optimization, this study presents a novel composite solid sensible heat storage material composed of NaCl and Na2SO4, enhanced by the incorporation of basalt. The material was prepared using a cold pressing-hot sintering process. The optimal additive amount and granularity of basalt were analyzed through evaluations of mechanical strength and thermal physical properties, supplemented by microstructural and compositional analyses. The results indicate that, under specific conditions, the incorporation of basalt can further improve the thermal properties or mechanical strength of the material; however, this enhancement is not stable. This instability may be attributed to the bonding density between the basalt and the material, as well as the porosity within the material. Weak bonding may also result in reduced thermal conductivity. This research broadens the potential for developing cost-effective heat storage materials and confirms the efficacy of basalt particles in enhancing the mechanical strength and thermophysical properties of salt-based solid heat storage materials.
{"title":"Preparation and performance study of NaCl-Na2SO4-basalt composite solid heat storage material based on industrial waste salt","authors":"Haoyue Liu , Liangchen Suo , Yuanwei Lu , Jingdan Mei , Tong Niu , Zhenze Xu , Han Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the significant accumulation of industrial waste salt and to promote advancements in energy structure optimization, this study presents a novel composite solid sensible heat storage material composed of NaCl and Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, enhanced by the incorporation of basalt. The material was prepared using a cold pressing-hot sintering process. The optimal additive amount and granularity of basalt were analyzed through evaluations of mechanical strength and thermal physical properties, supplemented by microstructural and compositional analyses. The results indicate that, under specific conditions, the incorporation of basalt can further improve the thermal properties or mechanical strength of the material; however, this enhancement is not stable. This instability may be attributed to the bonding density between the basalt and the material, as well as the porosity within the material. Weak bonding may also result in reduced thermal conductivity. This research broadens the potential for developing cost-effective heat storage materials and confirms the efficacy of basalt particles in enhancing the mechanical strength and thermophysical properties of salt-based solid heat storage materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114142"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145847597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114131
T.B. Wang , A. Aierken , S.Y. Zhang , M. Li , X.B. Zhang , J.S. Bi , X.F. Liu , M.Q. Liu , C.S. Gao
This study investigates the effects of 5 MeV proton irradiation on flexible inverted metamorphic GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs (IMM3J) triple-junction solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cathodoluminescence (CL) analyses confirm that the flexible IMM3J solar cells possess high crystal quality. Based on SRIM simulations, 5 MeV protons penetrate the entire cell structure, producing nearly uniform damage, with vacancy defect density peaking near the bottom of the base region in each subcell. With increasing irradiation fluence, degradation in open-circuit voltage (Voc) is more pronounced than that in short-circuit current density (Jsc). Analysis of the integrated current densities of the subcells reveals that the current-limiting junction shifts from the GaInP top cell to the InGaAs bottom cell as fluence increases. The degradation rate of the full-structure InGaAs subcell closely matches that of the complete IMM3J device, suggesting that damage in the InGaAs bottom cell plays a dominant role in determining overall current degradation. Dark-current curve fitting indicates that shunt resistance (Rsh) decreases while series resistance (Rs), diffusion current (Is1), and recombination current (Is2) increase with irradiation. Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) reveals no significant fabrication-induced defects. The most impactful irradiation-induced defect in the GaAs subcell is H1 (Ev+0.227 eV), while those in the InGaAs subcell are H2 (Ev+0.221 eV), H4 (Ev+0.547 eV), and H5 (Ev+0.558 eV).
{"title":"Effects of 5 MeV proton irradiation on flexible inverted metamorphic GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs triple-junction solar cells","authors":"T.B. Wang , A. Aierken , S.Y. Zhang , M. Li , X.B. Zhang , J.S. Bi , X.F. Liu , M.Q. Liu , C.S. Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the effects of 5 MeV proton irradiation on flexible inverted metamorphic GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs (IMM3J) triple-junction solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cathodoluminescence (CL) analyses confirm that the flexible IMM3J solar cells possess high crystal quality. Based on SRIM simulations, 5 MeV protons penetrate the entire cell structure, producing nearly uniform damage, with vacancy defect density peaking near the bottom of the base region in each subcell. With increasing irradiation fluence, degradation in open-circuit voltage (<em>V</em><sub>oc</sub>) is more pronounced than that in short-circuit current density (<em>J</em><sub>sc</sub>). Analysis of the integrated current densities of the subcells reveals that the current-limiting junction shifts from the GaInP top cell to the InGaAs bottom cell as fluence increases. The degradation rate of the full-structure InGaAs subcell closely matches that of the complete IMM3J device, suggesting that damage in the InGaAs bottom cell plays a dominant role in determining overall current degradation. Dark-current curve fitting indicates that shunt resistance (<em>R</em><sub>sh</sub>) decreases while series resistance (<em>R</em><sub>s</sub>), diffusion current (<em>I</em><sub>s1</sub>), and recombination current (<em>I</em><sub>s2</sub>) increase with irradiation. Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) reveals no significant fabrication-induced defects. The most impactful irradiation-induced defect in the GaAs subcell is H1 (Ev+0.227 eV), while those in the InGaAs subcell are H2 (Ev+0.221 eV), H4 (Ev+0.547 eV), and H5 (Ev+0.558 eV).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114131"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114150
E. Valadez-Renteria , E. Monroy-Sandoval , L.M. Prieto-Zuleta , A.C. Hernandez-Arteaga , V. Rodriguez-Gonzalez , J. Oliva
Solar steam generation (SSG) devices are a promising alternative for producing fresh water from seawater and polluted matrices. This study evaluates graphite recycled from spent lithium (CLB) and alkaline carbon-zinc batteries (CZB) for their application as photothermal materials in evaporation processes. A 3D loofah sponge served as the structural support for the fabricated steam evaporators, which were coated with graphite recycled from alkaline/lithium batteries. The evaporator coated with CZB achieved an evaporation rate of 2.22 kg/m2h, while the evaporator coated CLB reached the higher evaporation rate of 2.4 kg/m2h under natural sunlight exposition. The most efficient solar evaporators were successfully tested for the purification of tap water contaminated with the recalcitrant pollutants (20 ppm) ambroxol (ABX) and glyphosate (GYL). Absorbance analysis of the evaporated water confirmed the complete purification of tap water, that is, the complete elimination of ABX and GYL from the water. The superior performance of solar evaporator made with CLB over that made with CZB is attributed to three main factors: i) enhanced optical absorbance in the visible region, ii) higher hydrophilicity and iii) higher content of defect, which facilitates the heat localization and minimizes the thermal loss. Overall, this study confirms that utilizing recycled graphite from batteries for SSG applications is a feasible strategy for developing high-performance devices capable of water desalination/cleaning.
{"title":"Efficient 3D Solar Evaporator for water-cleaning/seawater-desalination made with Loofah coated with graphite recycled from alkaline/spent batteries","authors":"E. Valadez-Renteria , E. Monroy-Sandoval , L.M. Prieto-Zuleta , A.C. Hernandez-Arteaga , V. Rodriguez-Gonzalez , J. Oliva","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar steam generation (SSG) devices are a promising alternative for producing fresh water from seawater and polluted matrices. This study evaluates graphite recycled from spent lithium (CLB) and alkaline carbon-zinc batteries (CZB) for their application as photothermal materials in evaporation processes. A 3D loofah sponge served as the structural support for the fabricated steam evaporators, which were coated with graphite recycled from alkaline/lithium batteries. The evaporator coated with CZB achieved an evaporation rate of 2.22 kg/m<sup>2</sup>h, while the evaporator coated CLB reached the higher evaporation rate of 2.4 kg/m<sup>2</sup>h under natural sunlight exposition. The most efficient solar evaporators were successfully tested for the purification of tap water contaminated with the recalcitrant pollutants (20 ppm) ambroxol (ABX) and glyphosate (GYL). Absorbance analysis of the evaporated water confirmed the complete purification of tap water, that is, the complete elimination of ABX and GYL from the water. The superior performance of solar evaporator made with CLB over that made with CZB is attributed to three main factors: i) enhanced optical absorbance in the visible region, ii) higher hydrophilicity and iii) higher content of defect, which facilitates the heat localization and minimizes the thermal loss. Overall, this study confirms that utilizing recycled graphite from batteries for SSG applications is a feasible strategy for developing high-performance devices capable of water desalination/cleaning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114150"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114170
Bernice Mae Yu Jeco-Espaldon , Aris C. Larroder , Dan Michael A. Asequia , Myeongok Kim , Erwin C. Sumarago , Jaedy V. Declarador , Stephen G. Sabinay , Noel Peter B. Tan , Yoshitaka Okada
Organic nanomaterials like nanocellulose offer sustainable advantages due to their renewability. Although nanocellulose is well-established in polymer reinforcement, its application as an anti-reflection coating in photovoltaic technologies remains underexplored. This study investigates Agave cantala nanocellulose–cyclic olefin copolymer (ACN-COC) composites as eco-friendly anti-reflection coating for III-V multijunction solar cells (MJSCs). Composite films with 0.10 % weight-to-volume (w/v) ACN concentration and 1.0 % w/v COC were prepared and coated to commercial MJSCs, resulting in an absolute 1.60 % increase in power conversion efficiency at unconcentrated, global air mass 1.5 standard illumination. This suggests that ACN-COC coatings are effective in reducing solar cell device's surface reflection. These findings highlight the promise of ACN-COC composites as eco-friendly coating that can boost solar cell performance and durability, paving the way for high-efficiency, next-generation sustainable photovoltaic technologies.
{"title":"Agave cantala nanocellulose – cyclic olefin copolymer composite as anti-reflection coating for III-V multijunction solar cell device","authors":"Bernice Mae Yu Jeco-Espaldon , Aris C. Larroder , Dan Michael A. Asequia , Myeongok Kim , Erwin C. Sumarago , Jaedy V. Declarador , Stephen G. Sabinay , Noel Peter B. Tan , Yoshitaka Okada","doi":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114170","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.solmat.2026.114170","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic nanomaterials like nanocellulose offer sustainable advantages due to their renewability. Although nanocellulose is well-established in polymer reinforcement, its application as an anti-reflection coating in photovoltaic technologies remains underexplored. This study investigates <em>Agave cantala</em> nanocellulose–cyclic olefin copolymer (ACN-COC) composites as eco-friendly anti-reflection coating for III-V multijunction solar cells (MJSCs). Composite films with 0.10 % weight-to-volume (w/v) ACN concentration and 1.0 % w/v COC were prepared and coated to commercial MJSCs, resulting in an absolute 1.60 % increase in power conversion efficiency at unconcentrated, global air mass 1.5 standard illumination. This suggests that ACN-COC coatings are effective in reducing solar cell device's surface reflection. These findings highlight the promise of ACN-COC composites as eco-friendly coating that can boost solar cell performance and durability, paving the way for high-efficiency, next-generation sustainable photovoltaic technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":429,"journal":{"name":"Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells","volume":"298 ","pages":"Article 114170"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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