A polyolefin encapsulant material designed for photovoltaic modules: from perspectives of peel strength and transmittance

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A secondary master batch process had been applied to design a polyolefin encapsulant material for photovoltaic modules, in which the polymer blend was...     

光伏组件封装材料进展

封装材料是影响目前太阳能等光伏组件使用性能的重要因素。结合最新研究进展,本文从化学观点出发,综述和评论了实用的乙烯-乙烯醋酸酯共聚物(EVA)、聚乙烯醇缩丁醛(PVB)和聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)材料在使用过程出现的问题以及改性研究方法,强调了PDMS材料在太阳能光伏组件封装中的重要性。     

Microstructure design of nanoporous TiO2 photoelectrodes for dye-sensitized solar cell modules

The optimization of dye-sensitized solar cells, especially the design of nanoporous TiO2 film microstructure, is an urgent problem for high efficiency and future commercial applications. However, up to now, little attention has been focused on the design of nanoporous TiO2 microstructure for a high efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell modules. The optimization and design of TiO2 photoelectrode microstructure are discussed in this paper. TiO2 photoelectrodes with three different layers, including layers of small pore size films, larger pore size films, and light-scattering particles on the conducting glass with the desirable thickness, were designed and investigated. Moreover, the photovoltaic properties showed that the different porosities, pore size distribution, and BET surface area of each layer have a dramatic influence on short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and fill factor of the modules. The optimization and design of TiO2 photoelectrode microstructure contribute a high efficiency of DSC modules. The photoelectric conversion efficiency around 6% with 15 x 20 cm2 modules under illumination of simulated AM1.5 sunlight (100 mW/cm2) and 40 x 60 cm2 panels with the same performance tested outdoor have been achieved by our group.     

钙钛矿太阳能电池的商业化进展与挑战

钙钛矿太阳电池是一项颠覆性的光伏技术,具有能量转化效率高、生产成本低、制备工艺简单等优势。当前,钙钛矿太阳能电池的认证效率已达25.7%,但其面临着严重的商业化瓶颈,如稳定性差、模组效率相对低、铅毒性等,且这些问题相互关联。本文简述了钙钛矿太阳能电池的工作原理和器件结构,并归纳总结了在解决钙钛矿太阳能电池稳定性、封装和模组化等商业化瓶颈问题方面的主要研究进展。最后,本文提出了钙钛矿光伏商业化进程中值得关注的解决措施。     

Electrochemical impedance characterization and photovoltaic performance of N719 dye‐sensitized solar cells using quaternized ammonium iodide containing polyfluorene electrolyte solutions

This study develops a series of titanium oxide electrode‐based N719 dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using quaternized ammonium iodide containing main‐chain and star‐shaped polyfluorene (MPF‐E and SPF‐E) electrolyte solutions. The electrochemical impedance and photovoltaic properties of the polyfluorene electrolyte‐based DSSCs were studied and compared to those of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) electrolyte‐based DSSCs. As with the PEO electrolyte‐based DSSCs, the recombination impedance increased with increase in the polymer content for the MPF‐E electrolyte‐based DSSCs, whereas the photovoltaic performance did otherwise. Nevertheless, the reduction in the photovoltaic properties was not significant for the SPF‐E electrolyte‐based DSSCs. The electrochemical impedance and photovoltaic properties of the different polymer‐based DSSCs are also discussed as a function of the polymer concentration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organic photovoltaics: Challenges and opportunities

Challenges remain overcome on the road to manufacturing stable, high-performance organic photovoltaic modules in high volume at low cost. The major challenges are centered on stability to high-intensity solar radiation, which represents one of the many accelerated aging tests, and module efficiency. Several of the underlying problems for both of these will be discussed in the text, and some will be addressed in the following papers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Investigation of the curing state of ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) for photovoltaic applications by gel content determination,rheology, DSC and FTIR

The cure behaviour of a specific ethylene vinyl acetate material as used for encapsulation of photovoltaic modules was analysed by rheometer, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to test for a suitable replacement for the laborious determination of gel content.The results show that all applied methods are capable of describing the effects of the cross-linking process. Some provide results very similar to those yielded by analysis of the insoluble content, but the question remains as to whether indirect methods should be preferred over the direct measurement of physical properties, e.g. as performed by the curemeter.A material stored for one year was also tested to demonstrate the effect of extended storage on cure behaviour and how this is detected by different methods. This complements the other methods, which were clearly able to detect the different cure behaviour of the aged EVA, whereas determination of the gel content could not.     

ZnO纳米粒子结构对光电量子限域特性的影响

Zn O作为一种宽禁带 (3 .3 6e V)高激子结合能 (60 me V)的半导体材料已引起人们的关注 .Zn O纳米粒子的比表面积较大 ,表面活性较高 ,对周围环境敏感 ,使其成为传感器制作中最有前途的材料[1] ,还在太阳能转换[2 ] 、发光材料[3] 、半导体表面修饰与敏化[4 ] 、纳米电子学以及分子电子学器件[5] 等领域显示出广阔的应用前景 .制约这些应用的关键是 Zn O纳米粒子表面和界面的电子结构和电荷转移行为 ,但有关此方面的报道较少 .本文用溶胶 -凝胶法制备了不同粒径的 Zn O纳米粒子 ,应用表面光电压谱 (SPS)和场诱导表面光电压谱 (FISPS…     

A comparative study of calorimetric methods to determine the crosslinking degree of the ethylene‐Co‐vinyl acetate polymer used as a photovoltaic encapsulant

EVA copolymer foils are widely used as encapsulants for photovoltaic (PV) cells in PV modules. These foils need to be crosslinked during module manufacturing, to enhance their properties. Accurate and reliable methods for the determination of their crosslinking degree are thus very important. In this work, two semi‐empirical calorimetric methods are considered and compared to a scientifically sound rheological method used as a reference. The main purpose of this work is to reveal the chemical and physical fundamentals on which the two calorimetric methods are based, to allow for a scientific understanding of their advantages, and limitations. For one of these calorimetric methods, the so‐called “Melt‐Freeze” method, we have sought for a deeper understanding of the underlying crystallization physics through the use of successive self‐nucleation and annealing experiments, which give access to the crystallite size distribution of EVA, and to the influence of crosslinking upon it. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 866–876     

Synthesis and Photovoltaic Properties of Donor–Acceptor Oligothiophene Derivatives Possessing Mesogenic Properties

For the purpose of developing novel photovoltaic materials and organic photovoltaic devices with good performance characteristics, 5-cyano-2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene (3T-CN) and 5-cyano-2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2″′-tetrathiophene (4T-CN) were synthesized. The 3T-CN and 4T-CN were donor–acceptor oligothiophene derivatives possessing mesogenic properties. The photovoltaic properties of 3T-CN and 4T-CN were studied. The rigid and flexible photovoltaic devices were fabricated using 3T-CN, 4T-CN, and 3,4,9,10-perylenetertracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA). The results showed that the -CN group played an important role in increasing short circuit current density (I _sc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Both rigid device glass-ITO/4T-CN/PTCDA/Al and flexible device PET-ITO (indium tin oxides coated with polyethylene terephthalate)/4T-CN/PTCDA/Al had greater I _sc and PCE compared with rigid device glass-ITO/4T/PTCDA/Al. It was possible that the -CN group, with strong electron-withdrawing character, and mesogenic properties of 4T-CN enhanced the efficiency by promoting forward interfacial electron transfer.      

Regioregular Phenyl and Phenoxy Substituted Polythiophenes for Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Summary: Poly[3-(4-octylphenyl) thiophene] (POPT) and poly[3-(4-octylphenoxy) thiophene] (POPOT) with high head-to-tail regioregularities have been synthesised and photovoltaic properties have been investigated. POPT-blend-PCBM exhibits an interesting behaviour in bulk heterojunction whereas POPOT presents poor photovoltaic performances. UV-visible absorption and AFM images of the blends are presented to explain these results.     

Correlations between the number of thiophene units and the photovoltaic behavior of fluorene–oligothiophene copolymers

The photophysical and photovoltaic properties of three alternated fluorene–thiophene copolymers were studied. With similar structure the copolymers differed by the numbers of thiophene units linked to each fluorene group:one, two and three. The electronic properties were analyzed through mobility measurements and the overall properties pointed out to the one containing the three rings as the best material, as anticipated, due to the larger number of thiophene units. However, after thermal annealing the polymer containing two thiophene rings presented the best photovoltaic efficiency, seven fold greater than the pristine material. The morphology, studied by atomic force microscopy, revealed to be one of the key factors for the performance of the materials as solar cells.     

Studies on the Photovoltaic Properties of Tetrabenzoporphyrin and Its Derivatives

The photovoltaic characteristic, of a series of tetrabenzoporphyrin dyes are described. By the aid of the principle of field effect, the influences of external electric field on photovoltaic properties were investigated.     

Silica aerogel–poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) composite for transparent heat retention films

Poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) plastic films are widely used for solar coverings including photovoltaic modules and commercial greenhouse films, but are poor at controlling heat flow. In this work, silica aerogel (SA) nanogels were examined for preparing transparent heat retention EVA films that block far infrared spectra radiation to maintain heat, without compromising the optical performance of the films. SA nanogels were melt‐mixed using a mini twin‐screw extruder with EVA pellets to form SA/EVA composite, which were pressed into thin films with controlled thickness. The composite films were characterized in terms of optical properties using a variety of analytical methods including FTIR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, electron, confocal, and atomic force microscopy. Both thermicity and thermal conductivity of commercial and experimental SA/EVA films were measured. The results demonstrated that the SA/EVA films gave improved infrared retention compared to commercial thermal plastic films without compromising visible light transmission, showing the potential for this approach in next generation heat retention films. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 927–935     

Effect of Different π-Conjugated Dyes Containing 4,5-Diazafluorenone-9- Hydrazone on The Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

In this study, two ligands and their ruthenium complexes are synthesized and their photovoltaic properties for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) of new substances substituted by 4,5-diazafluorenone-9-hydrazone groups is investigated. The structures of the compounds are determined by FTIR, UV-Vis, HNMR, CNMR, and MS spectroscopic techniques. The photovoltaic and electrochemical properties of these compounds are investigated and the applicability in DSSCs as photo sensitizers is studied. Photovoltaic cell efficiencies (PCEs) of the devices are in the range 0.08-1.54% under simulated AM 1.5 solar irradiation of 100 mW/cm², and the highest open-circuit voltage (V_oc) reaches 0.43 V. When the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC devices is compared, it indicates that PCEs assume the following: P1–Ru > > P2–Ru > P1 > P2. The PCE value of 1.54% is obtained with DSSC based on P1–Ru under AM irradiation (100 mW/cm²). DSSC based on the P1–Ru produced efficiency of 1.54% whereas DSSC-based P1 exhibits the device performance with an efficiency of 0.08% under illumination. These results suggest that a larger π-conjugated bridge and a richer electron donor of P1–Ru are beneficial for the photovoltaic performance of DSSC.     

四苯基卟啉及其衍生物的表面光电压谱

酞菁和卟啉染料是一类典型的分子半导体材料,由于其在生命过程、癌的治疗等生物学上的探索及其化学传感、光电特性在固体电子学器件研究中占有很重要的地位。尤以这类染料的光电性质深受人们的重视,这与太阳能光电池、光MOS晶体管等的应用前景是分     

Photovoltaic properties of film composites based on poly(vinyl butyral) with Cu/Mn heterometallic complex and a cationic organic dye

It has been found that film composites based on nonphotoconducting poly(vinyl butyral) doped with a Cu/Mn heterometallic complex possess photovoltaic properties in the region of absorption of this complex. Introduction of a xanthene dye into the composite leads to an increase in the absolute value of the photovoltaic response, with the sign of the response changing from negative to positive. It is assumed that for the samples with free surface of composite films without a dye, the photovoltaic effect is determined by diffusion of more mobile negative carriers (Dember effect), whereas upon introduction of the cationic dye, photogenerated positive charge carriers play a dominant role in the photovoltaic effect.     

Optimizing Photovoltaic Performance by Kinetic Quenching of Layered Heterojunctions

The mixing morphology control plays a crucial role in photovoltaic power generation,yet this specific effect on device performances remains elusive.Here,we employed computational approaches to delineate the photovoltaic properties of layered heterojunction polymer solar cells with tunable mixing morphologies.One-step quench and two-step quench strategies were proposed to adjust the mixing morphology by thermodynamic and kinetic effects.The computation for the one-step quench revealed that modulating interfacial widths and interfacial roughness could significantly promote the photovoltaic performance of layered heterojunction polymer solar cells.The two-step quench can provide a buffer at a lower temperature before the kinetic quenching,leading to the formation of small-length-scale islands connected to the interface and a further increase in photovoltaic performance.Our discoveries are supported by recent experimental evidence and are anticipated to guide the design of photovoltaic materials with optimal performance.     

TiO_2纳米管阵列的制备与稀土掺杂改性研究

在水相中采用阳极氧化法制备了高度有序的TiO2纳米管阵列。探讨了稀土掺杂和染料敏化等因素对TiO2纳米管光电性能的影响,并对样品分别进行了X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、紫外吸收光谱(UV-V is)、荧光光谱(FS)和光电测试等性能测定。实验结果表明,通过稀土(Gd3+,La3+,Y3+)掺杂TiO2纳米管的光电性能都有所提升,其中Y3+掺杂的TiO2纳米管的光电效率和填充因子最高达到0.92%和0.59,Y3+掺杂后染料敏化TiO2纳米管太阳能光阳极的光电转换效率增加了近3.2倍。     

Small compounds based on 2,7-silafluorene and 4,7-di (2′-thienyl) for heterojunction organic solar cells: DFT study

To understand the effect of the substitution by several strong electron-withdrawing groups ([1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline; benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole and quinoxaline) and end-capped donor groups (thiophene and phenyl) on the structural and optoelectronic properties of six conjugated compounds C1–C6 based on 2,7-silafluorene and 4,7-di (2′-thienyl) used for organic solar cells application such as bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell. We have done a theoretical study to calculate and predict these properties. The electronic structures and optical absorption spectra of donors were calculated using density functional theory, and the Zerner’s intermediate neglect of differential overlap functional theory level is employed to investigate the excited singlet states, respectively, and to shed light on how the substitution and the pi-conjugation order influence the performance of these compounds in the BHJ cell. Moreover, the theoretical results including optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties of the compound C1 are in good agreement with the available experimental data extracted from bibliography. The calculated results of these molecules reveal that the compounds C3 and C6, with the [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline as electron acceptor seem to be good candidates materials for photovoltaic applications due to their best optoelectronic and photovoltaic properties.