Dramatic efficiency boost of single-walled carbon nanotube-silicon hybrid solar cells through exposure to ppm nitrogen dioxide in air: An ab-initio assessment of the measured device performances
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2020
Citazione:
Dramatic efficiency boost of single-walled carbon nanotube-silicon hybrid solar cells through exposure to ppm nitrogen dioxide in air: An ab-initio assessment of the measured device performances / S. Freddi, S. Achilli, R. Soave, S. Pagliara, G. Drera, A. De Poli, F. De Nicola, M. De Crescenzi, P. Castrucci, L. Sangaletti. - In: JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE. - ISSN 0021-9797. - 566:(2020 Apr 15), pp. 60-68. [10.1016/j.jcis.2020.01.038]
Abstract:
We observed a 73% enhancement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a photovoltaic cell based on a single wall carbon nanotube/Si hybrid junction after exposing the device to a limited amount (10 ppm) of NO2 diluted in dry air. On the basis of a computational modeling of the junction, this enhancement is discussed in terms of both carbon nanotube (CNT) p-doping, induced by the interaction with the oxidizing molecules, and work function changes across the junction. Unlike studies so far reported, where the PCE enhancement was correlated only qualitatively to CNT doping, our study (i) provides a novel and reversible path to tune and considerably enhance the cell efficiency by a few ppm gas exposure, and (ii) shows computational results that quantitatively relate the observed effects to the electrostatics of the cell through a systematic calculation of the work function. These effects have been cross-checked by exposing the cell to reducing molecules (i.e·NH3) that resulted to be detrimental to the cell efficiency, consistently with the theoretical ab-initio calculations.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Carbon nanotubes; Solar cells; Gas adsorption; Ab-initio calculations; Heterojunctions; CNT-Si PV cell; NO2; NH3
Elenco autori:
S. Freddi, S. Achilli, R. Soave, S. Pagliara, G. Drera, A. De Poli, F. De Nicola, M. De Crescenzi, P. Castrucci, L. Sangaletti
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