A review of photovoltaic performance of organic/inorganic solar cells for future renewable and sustainable energy technologies

Perovskite-based solar cells with planar configuration have been perceived as an alternative and attractive option for photovoltaic technology due to high power conversion efficiency (PCE) The performance of heterojunction-based devices is hindered by the recombination in the perovskite layers The homojunction is suitable for further improvement in PCE due to the built-in electric field, which will enhance the transport of photogenerated charge carriers, therefore, reducing recombination losses A detailed analysis of the homojunction-based device is needed for further improvement in PCE In this study, the planar homojunction perovskite photovoltaic device has been simulated by solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS) Simulation analysis shows the dependence of PCE on the thickness and defects of the perovskite layer Recombination analysis at the different junctions has been simulated using hypothetical interface layers at the respective junctions It has been revealed that the interface defects influence the device performance The proposed MAPbI3 homojunction-based devices have achieved more than 23% PCE, which is significantly higher than the existing planar heterojunction-based devices

Numerical Simulation: Design of High-Efficiency Planar p-n Homojunction Perovskite Solar Cells

An analytical study has been carried out to obtain the device performance parameters of InGaN/GaN-based multiple quantum well solar cell (MQWSC). Significant improvements are made upon the preexisting models reported in the literature for predicting device performance matrix for MQWSC. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards data sheets are utilized for attaining photon flux density instead of blackbody radiation formula. Furthermore, the photon flux density is utilized to evaluate the performance parameters of MQWSC and bulk p-i-n solar cell. Results suggest that by incorporating QWs in the intrinsic region ( ${x} = {0.1}$ in $\text{In}_{x}\text{Ga}_{{1}-{x}}\text{N}$ ), ∼27% increment in the conversion efficiency can be achieved as compared to that from the bulk solar cell. Moreover, the impact of operating temperature in the solar cell performance is also studied. The rise in temperature leads to an increase in short-circuit current density; however, open-circuit voltage and conversion efficiency decrease. A decrement of ∼9.7% in the conversion efficiency of MQWSC is observed with the rise in temperature from 200 to 400 K as compared to ∼11.6% decline in p-i-n solar cell.

Analytical Study of Performance Parameters of InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well Solar Cell

Monitoring and detecting carbon monoxide (CO) are critical because this gas is toxic and harmful to the ecosystem. In this respect, designing high-performance gas sensors for CO detection is necessary. Zinc oxide-based materials are promising for use as CO sensors, owing to their good sensing response, electrical performance, cost-effectiveness, long-term stability, low power consumption, ease of manufacturing, chemical stability, and non-toxicity. Nevertheless, further progress in gas sensing requires improving the selectivity and sensitivity, and lowering the operating temperature. Recently, different strategies have been implemented to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of ZnO to CO, highlighting the doping of ZnO. Many studies concluded that doped ZnO demonstrates better sensing properties than those of undoped ZnO in detecting CO. Therefore, in this review, we analyze and discuss, in detail, the recent advances in doped ZnO for CO sensing applications. First, experimental studies on ZnO doped with transition metals, boron group elements, and alkaline earth metals as CO sensors are comprehensively reviewed. We then focused on analyzing theoretical and combined experimental-theoretical studies. Finally, we present the conclusions and some perspectives for future investigations in the context of advancements in CO sensing using doped ZnO, which include room-temperature gas sensing.

Recent Advances in ZnO-Based Carbon Monoxide Sensors: Role of Doping.

Analysis of a novel photovoltaic/thermal system using InGaN/GaN MQWs cells in high temperature applications

In this article, we report on estimating the drain current ( ${I}_{d}$ ) characteristics of polycrystalline MgZnO/ZnO (MZO) and MgZnO/CdZnO (MCO) heterojunctions-based heterostructure FET (HFET). The developed model utilizes ionized interface state density ( ${Q}_{i}$ ) and its interrelationship with the barrier layer thickness ( ${d}$ ), Mg content ( ${x}$ ), and electron mobility ( ${\mu }$ ) to account for the interface defects and their variations with electrical and physical parameters of polycrystalline heterointerface-based ZnO HFETs. The results suggest that the saturation drain current ( ${I}_{{\text {dsat}}}$ ) in MCO HFET can be comparable to that in MZO HFET when ${Q}_{i}$ enhancement is considered along with the reduction in ${\mu }$ . This article has extensively explored major relationships of ${Q}_{i}$ , which governs ${I}_{d}$ in HFETs, with ${d}$ and ${x}$ to convincingly postulate that the experimental ${I}_{d}$ in polycrystalline MZO-and MCO-based HFETs could be a combination of the two extreme cases of ${Q}_{i}$ dependent and independent on ${d}$ and ${x}$ . This article is significant to enhance the understanding and therefore optimizing the direct current (dc) performance of polycrystalline ZnO HFETs.

Analysis of Drain Current in Polycrystalline MgZnO/ZnO and MgZnO/CdZnO HFET

Electron scattering analysis in 2DEG in sputtering-grown MgZnO/ZnO heterostructure

In this article, the effect of the SiO2 layer is demonstrated on dual ion beam sputtered yttria-based memristive devices for the first time. It is found that the effect of thickening of SiO2 layer is extremely detrimental for resistive switching (RS) parameters such as endurance and uniformity of current-voltage characteristics. SiO2 interfacial layer causes the growth of nano stalagmite in the yttria layer. This interfacial layer is also responsible for the origin of pseudo bipolarity in RS characteristics and early failure of the device during endurance testing. The thickness of the SiO2 layer has a positive correlation with deposition temperature and oxygen partial pressure. It is found that the deposition temperature of 300°C and a mixture of Ar:O2 with a ratio of 2:3 shows the best RS characteristics.

Impact of Interfacial SiO 2 on Dual Ion Beam Sputtered Y 2 O 3 -Based Memristive System

A chemiresistive carbon monoxide (CO) gas sensor comprising of an organo-di-benzoic acidified zinc oxide (ODBA-ZnO) nanohybrid material is reported. The ODBA-ZnO hybrid material is prepared via a single-pot hydrothermal method. The electrical resistance of the drop-casted ODBA-ZnO film on interdigitated electrodes increases noticeably upon exposure to CO (5–500 ppm). The resistance increase is attributed to the formation of complex ions at the organic (ODBA)–inorganic (ZnO) interface in the presence of CO. The detailed CO sensing properties of the ODBA-ZnO nanohybrids reveal a remarkable selectivity to CO gas in comparison to other gases like CO₂, H₂S, and NH₃ at 125 °C. The maximum response to 100 ppm of CO is observed to be 35% with the achieved selectivity to CO being 88%, which is the best reported CO selectivity result available in the literature to date. The ODBA-ZnO nanohybrid sensor takes nearly 91 s to reach the saturated response to 100 ppm of CO and nearly 175 s to recover from it in a synthetic air environment. A systematic study using field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption tests, and thermogravimetric analysis reveals that introduction of an organic moiety (ODBA) to ZnO played a key role in achieving improved selectivity and sensitivity toward CO. The present work provides a simple route for fabricating the ODBA-ZnO sensor to achieve better selectivity and sensitivity to CO gas at a relatively low temperature (125 °C).

Organo-di-benzoic-acidified ZnO Nanohybrids for Highly Selective Detection of CO at Low Temperature

Multiple quantum wells (MQWs) of CdZnO/ZnO are realized, for the first time, by dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS) system at different deposition conditions in terms of ion beam power, substrate temperature, and time cessation between deposition of successive layers. The effects of DIBS deposition conditions are analyzed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and discussed systematically. The SIMS analysis has been used for depth profiling of CdZnO/ZnO-based MQWs structure. The deposition of CdZnO/ZnO-based MQW structure performed at 100 °C with time cessation of 30 min between successive layer growth and ion beam power of 14 W has displayed the best results in terms of distinct well and barrier layers formation. This work also includes an analytical study of CdZnO/ZnO-based MQW solar cell (MQWSC), in which a study is performed for solar irradiance dependence of performance parameters to explore the potential use of CdZnO/ZnO-based MQWSC for concentrator solar cell (SC). The short-circuit current density increases from 0.12 to 57.98 mA/cm2, the open-circuit voltage rises from 2.60 to 2.77 V, and the photon conversion efficiency is from 2.85% to 3.04%, as solar irradiance increases from 0.1 to 50 suns. The results show that the performance of SCs can be improved by using concentrators and also explore the possibility of efficiently absorbing short-wavelength photons.

Gaurav Siddharth

Papers

Analysis of Drain Current in Polycrystalline MgZnO/ZnO and MgZnO/CdZnO HFET

Electron scattering analysis in 2DEG in sputtering-grown MgZnO/ZnO heterostructure

Impact of Interfacial SiO 2 on Dual Ion Beam Sputtered Y 2 O 3 -Based Memristive System

Organo-di-benzoic-acidified ZnO Nanohybrids for Highly Selective Detection of CO at Low Temperature

Investigation of DIBS-Deposited CdZnO/ZnO-Based Multiple Quantum Well for Large-Area Photovoltaic Application