Semitransparent organic photovoltaics enabled by transparent p-type inorganic semiconductor and near-infrared acceptor

Semitransparent organic photovoltaics(STOPVs)have gained wide attention owing to their promising applications in building-integrated photovoltaics,agrivoltaics,and floating photovoltaics.Organic semiconductors with high charge carrier mobility usually have planar and conjugated structures,thereby showing strong absorption in visible region.In this work,a new concept of incorporating transparent inorganic semiconductors is proposed for high-performance STOPVs.Copper(I)thiocyanate(CuSCN)is a visible-transparent inorganic semiconductor with an ionization potential of 5.45 eV and high hole mobility.The transparency of CuSCN benefits high average visible transmittance(AVT)of STOPVs.The energy levels of CuSCN as donor match those of near-infrared small molecule acceptor BTP-eC9,and the formed heterojunction exhibits an ability of exciton dissociation.High mobility of CuSCN contributes to a more favorable charge transport channel and suppresses charge recombination.The control STOPVs based on PM6/BTP-eC9 exhibit an AVT of 19.0%with a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 12.7%.Partial replacement of PM6 with CuSCN leads to a 63%increase in transmittance,resulting in a higher AVT of 30.9%and a comparable PCE of 10.8%.

Progress of semitransparent emerging photovoltaics for building integrated applications

With the rapid development of emerging photovoltaics technology in recent years,the application of building-integrated photovoltaics(BIPVs)has attracted the research interest of photovoltaic communities.To meet the practical application requirements of BIPVs,in addition to the evaluation indicator of power conversion efficiency(PCE),other key performance indicators such as heat-insulating ability,average visible light transmittance(AVT),color properties,and integrability are equally important.The traditional Si-based photovoltaic technology is typically limited by its opaque properties for application scenarios where transparency is required.The emerging PV technologies,such as organic and perovskite photovoltaics are promising candidates for BIPV applications,owing to their advantages such as high PCE,high AVT,and tunable properties.At present,the PCE of semitransparent perovskite solar cells(ST-PSCs)has attained 14%with AVT of 22–25%;for semitransparent organic solar cells(ST-OSCs),the PCE reached 13%with AVT of almost 40%.In this review article,we summarize recent advances in material selection,optical engineering,and device architecture design for high-performance semitransparent emerging PV devices,and discuss the application of optical modeling,as well as the challenges of commercializing these semitransparent solar cells for building-integrated applications.

Simultaneous Identification of Thermophysical Properties of Semitransparent Media Using a Hybrid Model Based on Artificial Neural Network and Evolutionary Algorithm

A hybrid identification model based on multilayer artificial neural networks(ANNs) and particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm is developed to improve the simultaneous identification efficiency of thermal conductivity and effective absorption coefficient of semitransparent materials.For the direct model,the spherical harmonic method and the finite volume method are used to solve the coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer problem in an absorbing,emitting,and non-scattering 2D axisymmetric gray medium in the background of laser flash method.For the identification part,firstly,the temperature field and the incident radiation field in different positions are chosen as observables.Then,a traditional identification model based on PSO algorithm is established.Finally,multilayer ANNs are built to fit and replace the direct model in the traditional identification model to speed up the identification process.The results show that compared with the traditional identification model,the time cost of the hybrid identification model is reduced by about 1 000 times.Besides,the hybrid identification model remains a high level of accuracy even with measurement errors.

Anti-solvent engineering for efficient semitransparent CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite solar cells for greenhouse applications

With ideal combination of benefits that selectively converts high photon energy spectrum into electricity while transmitting low energy photo ns for photos yn thesis,the CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite solar cell(BPSC)is a promising candidate for efficient greenhouse based building integrated photovoltaic(BIPV)applications.However,the efficiency of BPSCs is still much lower than their theoretical efficiency.In general,interface band alignment is regarded as the vital factor of the BPSCs whereas only few reports on enhancing perovskite film quality.In this work,highly efficient BPSCs were fabricated by improving the crystallization process of CH3NH3PbBr3 with the assistance of anti-solvents.A new anti-solvent of diphenyl ether(DPE)was developed for its strong interaction with the solvents in the perovskite precursor solution.By using the anti-solvent of DPE,trap-state density of the CH3NH3PbBr3 film is reduced and the electron lifetime is enhanced along with the large-grain crystals compared with the samples from conventional anti-solvent of chlorobenzene.Upon preliminary optimization,the efficiencies of typical and semitransparent BPSCs are improved to as high as 9.54%and 7.51%,respectively.Optical absorption measurement demonstrates that the cell without metal electrode shows 80%transparency in the wavelength range of 550-1000 nm that is perfect for greenhouse vegetation.Considering that the cell absorbs light in the blue spectrum before 550 nm,it offers very high solar cell efficiency with only 17.8%of total photons,while over 60%of total photons can transm让through for photosynthesis if a transparent electrode can be obtained such as indium doped SnO2.

Apparent directional spectral emissivity determination of semitransparent materials

An inverse estimation method and corresponding measurement system are developed to measure the apparent spectral directional emissivities of semitransparent materials. The normal spectral emissivity and transmissivity serve as input for the inverse analysis. Consequently, the refractive index and absorption coefficient of the semitransparent material could be retrieved by using the pseudo source adding method as the forward method and the stochastic particle swarm optimization algorithm as the inverse method. Finally, the arbitrary apparent spectral directional emissivity of semitransparent material is estimated by using the pseudo source adding method given the retrieval refractive index and absorption coefficient. The present system has the advantage of a simple experimental structure, high accuracy, and excellent capability to measure the emissivity in an arbitrary direction. Furthermore, the apparent spectral directional emissivity of sapphire at 773 K is measured by using this system in a spectral range of 3 μm-12 μm and a viewing range of 0°-90°. The present method paves the way for a new directional spectral emissivity measurement strategy.

Analysis of Combined Natural Convection and Radiation Heat Transfer in a Partitioned Rectangular Enclosure with Semitransparent Walls

In this paper, we present a two-dimensional numerical analysis of the conjugate natural convection and radiation heat transfer in a double-space enclosure with two semitransparent walls. Two kinds of boundary conditions are considered, the rst being the isothermal process of the opaque wall, and the other the incidence of a constant radiation ux in the left semitransparent wall. The renormalization group k ε model is adopted to simulate the turbulent ow in the enclosure. To compute the radia- tion heat transfer in a semitransparent medium, the discrete ordinates model is used. We compare the behaviors of enclosures with single and double semitransparent walls and determine the di erence in the results obtained for semitransparent and opaque partitions. The results indicate that a semitransparent partition facilitates a reduction in the heat loss or obtains a higher temperature distribution. The transmittance of a semitransparent wall has a great e ect on the thermal and ow char- acteristics in an enclosure. The change of wall temperature is found to be signi cant when the thermal conductivity values range from 0.05 to 0.5 W/(m K), and to be small when ranging from 0.5 to 10 W/(m K). These conclusions are helpful for green design and energy saving in solar buildings.

Sputtered SnO_(2)as an interlayer for efficient semitransparent perovskite solar cells

SnO_(2)is widely used as the electron transport layer(ETL)in perovskite solar cells(PSCs)due to its excellent electron mobility,low processing temperature,and low cost.And the most common way of preparing the SnO_(2)ETL is spincoating using the corresponding colloid solution.However,the spin-coated SnO_(2)layer is sometimes not so compact and contains pinholes,weakening the hole blocking capability.Here,a SnO_(2)thin film prepared through magnetron-sputtering was inserted between ITO and the spin-coated SnO_(2)acted as an interlayer.This strategy can combine the advantages of efficient electron extraction and hole blocking due to the high compactness of the sputtered film and the excellent electronic property of the spin-coated SnO_(2).Therefore,the recombination of photo-generated carriers at the interface is significantly reduced.As a result,the semitransparent perovskite solar cells(with a bandgap of 1.73 eV)based on this double-layered SnO_(2)demonstrate a maximum efficiency of 17.7%(stabilized at 17.04%)with negligible hysteresis.Moreover,the shelf stability of the device is also significantly improved,maintaining 95%of the initial efficiency after 800-hours of aging.

Highly efficient bifacial semitransparent perovskite solar cells based on molecular doping of CuSCN hole transport layer

Coper thiocyanate(CuSCN)is generally considered as a very hopeful inorganic hole transport material(HTM)in semitransparent perovskite solar cells(ST-PSCs)because of its low parasitic absorption,high inherent stability,and low cost.However,the poor electrical conductivity and low work function of CuSCN lead to the insufficient hole extraction and large open-circuit voltage loss.Here,2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane(F4TCNQ)is employed to improve conductivity of CuSCN and band alignment at the CuSCN/perovskite(PVK)interface.As a result,the average power conversion efficiency(PCE)of PSCs is boosted by≈11%.In addition,benefiting from the superior transparency of p-type CuSCN HTMs,the prepared bifacial semitransparent n-i-p planar PSCs demonstrate a maximum efficiency of 14.8%and 12.5%by the illumination from the front side and back side,respectively.We believe that this developed CuSCN-based ST-PSCs will promote practical applications in building integrated photovoltaics and tandem solar cells.

Inversion Methods of Optical Constants of Semitransparent Solid Materials from Transmittance Spectrograms

The direct calculation models of spectral transmittance of single and double slabs consisted of semitransparent solid materials were developed based on ray trace method, and a new inversion method of optical constants （k is extinction coefficient and n is refractive index ） of materials was proposed based on transmittance spectrograms of double slabs. Differences between the new method and two others currently used methods were studied, and application range of methods was also investigated. Optical constants of selenide glass attained in references were selected as true values, and spectral transmittances of glass simulated based on direct calculation model were regarded as experimental values. Optical constants of selenide glass were achieved by inverse models. Influences of measurement error on inverse results were also determined. The results showed that ： （ 1 ） based on transmittance spectrograms of double slabs in which thickness of single slab is the same, the new proposed method can attain optical constants of materials; （2） the effect of optical constants n and k on three inversion methods are urgent larger, but inversed calculation precision of optical constants are higher in most application ranges ; （ 3 ） the influence of measurement errors existed in experimental datum on the inverse precision of three methods are urgent distinctness.

Theoretical study on thermal radiative properties of semitransparent porous media

Thermal radiative properties are significant to radiative transfer processes in semitransparent media.In order to calculate thermal radiative properties,conventional Mie formulism and its various abbreviations are generally used,which are based upon electromagnetic scattering by a sphere submerged in a non absorbing medium.For some semitransparent porous media such as ceramics where the matrix is absorbing,the conventional Mie solution is no longer valid.In this study a rigid Mie solution of electromagnetic scattering by a sphere in an absorbing medium is introduced to analyze the radiative properties of such a medium,and reliability of conventional Mie formulism is also tested.Parametric studies show that scattering coefficient and phase function of porous media are influenced significantly by matrix refractive index and size parameter.The matrix absorbing index usually has little influence.But when the absorbing index is greater than 0.01,especially under the condition where the size parameter is greater than 30,the conventional Mie formulism is not appropriate.Such a porous media may exhibit scattering or absorbing dominated characters under different conditions and an optimal pore diameter exists for a specified wavelength,which decreases with the matrix refractive index.

On the combined heat transfer of natural convection, radiation and conduction in the non-gray semitransparent thermal fibrous insulation

A detailed numerical modeling is performed to investigate heat transfer in high-porous, high-temperature non-gray semitransparent silica insulation materials. Radiation between fibers, conduction within fibers and convection from the fibers to the surrounding fluid are considered. Macroscopic (porous media) modeling is used to determine the velocity, pressure and temperatures fields for fibrous insulation with a random packing geometry under natural convection. Based on a non-gray application of the solution to the radiative transfer equation, the value of the refractive index(n,m)is used to generate macroscopic average radiative properties such as extinction coefficient, scattering albedo and phase function. Key features of the macroscopic model include two-dimensional effects,non-gray radiative exchange, and the relaxation of the local thermodynamic non-equilibrium. The effectiveness of this numerical model is validated by the previous experimental data.

Semitransparent organic solar cells with high light utilization efficiency and color rendering index

Semitransparent organic solar cells(ST-OSCs)have garnered considerable attention as promising renewable energy technology for integrating photovoltaics into buildings.However,there is a trade-off between power conversion efficiency(PCE)and average visible transmittance(AVT),which hinders the achievement of a high light utilization efficiency(LUE).In this study,we propose a valuable method to address this challenge by replacing the transparent top electrode,Ag,with a 20 nm layer of Au.The ST-OSCs based on the 20 nm Au electrode demonstrate superior exciton extraction,more efficient charge collection,and higher color-rendering index(CRI)due to their smoother surface,higher conductivity,and enhanced visible light transmittance,resulting in a significantly higher PCE of 13.67%and an enhanced AVT of 30.17%,contributing to a high LUE of 4.15%.Additionally,optically transparent dielectric layers,applied on the front and back sides of the ST-OSCs to further boost performance,delivered an impressive LUE of 4.93%,with PCE and AVT values reaching 14.44%and 34.12%,respectively.Notably,the champion ST-OSCs also exhibited a favorable CRI value of 93.37.These achievements represent the bestperforming ST-OSCs to date with both high LUE and CRI and hold significant implications for the prospective commercialization of ST-OSCs.

In-situ defect passivation assisted three-step printing of efficient and stable formamidine-lead bromide solar cells

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)emerge as the most promising photovoltaics(PV)for their high performance and potential convenient cost-effective production routes comparing to the sophomore PV technologies.The printed PSCs with simplified device architecture and fabrication procedures could further enhance the competitive strength of PSC technology.In this work,we present an in-situ defect passivation(ISDP)assisted full-printing of high performance formamidine-lead bromide(FAPbBr_(3))PSCs.Only three rapid printing steps are involved for electron transporting layer(ETL),perovskite and carbon to form a complete solar cell on the low-cost fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO)substrate.Long-chain polymer monomethyl ether polyethylene glycol is particularly utilized as the ISDP passivator,leading to conformal coating on the rough FTO and defect passivation for both ETL and perovskite during printing.A high efficiency of 10.85%(certified 10.14%)and a high V_(oc)up to 1.57 V are achieved for the printed device.The unencapsulated PSCs maintain above 90%of the initial efficiency after continuously heating at 85℃for 1000 h and over 80%of the efficiency after the maximum power point tracking for 3500 h.The fully printed semitransparent PSCs with carbon grids(CGs)show average visible light transmittance over 33%and an efficiency of 8.81%.

Semitransparent polymer solar cells with 12.37% efficiency and 18.6% average visible transmittance

A series of opaque and semitransparent polymer solar cells(PSCs)were fabricated with PM6:Y6 as active layers,and 100 nm Al or 1 nm Au/(20,15,10 nm)Ag layer as electrode,respectively.The power conversion efficiency(PCE)of opaque PSCs arrives to 15.83%based on the optimized active layer with a thickness of 100 nm,resulting from the well-balanced photon harvesting and charge collection.Meanwhile,the 100 nm PM6:Y6 blend film exhibits a 50.5%average visible transmittance(AVT),which has great potential in preparing efficient semitransparent PSCs.The semitransparent electrodes were fabricated with 1 nm Au and different thick Ag layers,exhibiting a relatively high transmittance in visible light range and relatively low transmittance in near infrared range.The PCE and AVT of the semitransparent PSCs can be adjusted from 14.20%to 12.37%and from 8.9%to 18.6%along with Ag layer thickness decreasing from 20 to 10 nm,respectively,which are impressive values among the reported semitransparent PSCs.

Color and transparency-switchable semitransparent polymer solar cells towards smart windows

Semitransparent polymer solar cells(ST-PSCs)have attracted worldwide attention owing to unique superiority in multiple utilization of incident light However,the color of ST-PSCs is relatively uniform after fabrication,cannot be dynamically tuned in terms of application requirement.Herein,we demonstrate a high-efficiency ST-PSCs as a smart window,which can be reversibly switched on and off by a gasochromic tungsten trioxide/platinum(W03/Pt)back reflector layer.The ST-PSCs can be switchable between colored and bleached states with fast response speed of sub-second during hydrogen exposure.Meanwhile,the color and transparency-switching enable light trapping enhancement in long wavelength range,which can systematically improve power conversion efficiency(PCE).As a result,the ST-PSCs contribute a PCE of 10.2%and 9.1%as well as corresponding average visible transmission(AVT)of 25.4%and33.8%at colored state and bleached state,respectively,which can meet the visual aesthetics requirement well in building integrated photovoltaics.To the best of our knowledge,this is the first example for STPSCs that achieve both color-switching and light trapping.Furthermore,the smart windows facing to automobile sunroof are proposed to prove a practical application towards commercialization.We believe that smart windows with gasochromic functions can promise potential opportunities and directions for the future development of ST-PSCs.

Adoption of wide-bandgap microcrystalline silicon oxide and dual buffers for semitransparent solar cells in building-integrated photovoltaic window system

We focused on developing penetration-type semitransparent thin-film solar cells(STSCs) using hydrogenated amorphous Si(a-Si:H) for a building-integrated photovoltaic(BIPV) window system. Instead of conventional p-type a-Si:H, p-type hydrogenated microcrystalline Si oxide(p-μc-SiOx:H) was introduced for a wide-bandgap and conductive window layer. For these purposes, we tuned the CO2/SiH4 flow ratio(R) during p-μc-SiOx:H deposition. The film crystallinity decreased from 50% to 13% as R increased from 0.2 to 1.2. At the optimized R of 0.6, the quantum efficiency was improved under short wavelengths by the suppression of p-type layer parasitic absorption. The series resistance was well controlled to avoid fill factor loss at R = 0.6. Furthermore, we introduced dual buffers comprising p-a-SiOx:H/i-a-Si:H at the p/i interface to alleviate interfacial energy-band mismatch. The a-Si:H STSCs with the suggested window and dual buffers showed improvements in transmittance and efficiency from 22.9% to 29.3% and from 4.62% to 6.41%, respectively, compared to the STSC using a pristine p-a-Si:H window.

Recent advances in semitransparent perovskite solar cells

The environmental challenges across the world step up the researcher's interest in different energy resources.Semitransparent perovskite solar cells(STPSCs)could expedite generation of electricity as well as shows reassuring its significance in flexible electronics and building-integrating photovoltaic as so forth in the next decade.It is highly recommended to endorse the relevance of semitransparent solar devices to fulfill the required level of energy even by using the roofs and windows of the buildings.In this review article,we pay more attention to recent developments of ST-PSCs.Herein,a succinct overview of latest research about semitransparent solar cell technologies and ST-PSCs is summarized.Moreover,the strategies to enhance the transparency of solar cells are described utilizing structure,transparent electrodes,perovskite film formation,tandem solar cells,color tuning,and human eye perception.Last but not least is that the serious concerns about stability of ST-PSCs are vividly reviewed.

Surfactant-assisted doctor-blading-printed FAPbBr3 films for efficient semitransparent perovskite solar cells

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells have generated wide interest due to the rapid development of their photovoltaic conversion effciencies.However,the majority of the reported devices have been fabricated via spin coating with a device areaof<1 cm2.In this study,we fabricated a wide-bandgap formamidi-nium lead bromide(FAPbBr3)film using a cost-effective,high-yielding doctor-blade-coating process.The effects of different surfactants,such as I-α-phosphatidylcholine,polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate,sodium lauryl sulfonate,and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide,were studied during the printing process.Accompanying the optimization of the blading temperature,crystal sizes of over 10μm and large-area perovskite films of5cm×5 cm were obtained using this method.The printed FAPbBr3 solar cells exhibited a short-circuit current density of 8.22 mA/cm2,an open-circuit voltage of 1.175 V,and an efficiency of 7.29%.Subsequently,we replaced the gold with silver nanowires as the top electrode to prepare a semitransparent perovskite solar cell with an average transmittance(400-800 nm)of 25.42%,achieving a high-power efficiency of 5.11%.This study demonstrates efficient doctor-blading printing for preparing large-area FAPbBr3 films that possess high potential for applications in building integrated photovoltaics.

Multifunctional semitransparent organic solar cells with excellent infrared photon rejection

Semitransparent organic solar cells(ST-OSCs)have the potentials to open promising applications that differ from those of conventional inorganic ones,such as see-through power windows with both energy generation and heat insulation functions.However,to achieve so,there remain significant challenges,especially for balancing critical parameters,such as power conversion efficiency(PCE),average visible transparency(AVT)and low energy infrared photon radiation rejection(IRR)to realize the full potentials of ST-OSCs.Herein,we demonstrate the new design of ST-OSCs through the rational integration of organic materials,transparent electrode and infrared photon reflector in one device.With the assistance of optical simulation,new ST-OSCs with precise layout exhibit state-of-art performance,with near 30%AVT and PCE of 7.3%,as well as an excellent IRR of over 93%(780-2500 nm),representing one of best multifunctional ST-OSCs with promising perspective for window application.

Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Semitransparent Media at Temperatures from 300 to 800 K by Hot－Wire Method

In this paper,a new measurement technique for determining thermal conductivity of semitransparent media in the temperature range 300-800 K is reported.The experimental setup is based on the step power forced transient hot wire technique.It is assumed that the radiative contribution to the heat transfer process arises from emission,not from absorption.In this case,application of the'thermal quadruples'method allows a very simple construction of analytical models of the experimental setup.The parameter sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the thermal conductivity of semitransparent media can be determined from the hot wire temperature response. The experimental results of a kind of glass between 300 and 800 K are presented.