Current–voltage characteristics of semiconductor–electrolyte junction solar cells

An improved model for the semiconductor–electrolyte solar cell is discussed. Charge transfer kinetics, surface recombination, recombination in the quasi neutral region and in the depletion region, as well as the series and shunt resistance of the cell are included in our model. It is shown that the surface transfer velocity of minority carriers across the semiconductor–electrolyte interface affects primarily the open circuit voltage, the fill factor and power conversion efficiency, and only to a lesser degree the short circuit current.As is the case with nonelectrolytic solid state solar cells, the series resistance of the electrochemical cell reduces the fill factor and the conversion efficiency, while the shunt resistance reduces the open circuit voltage of the cell in addition to reducing the fill factor and the power conversion efficiency.