Advanced Light Management in Solar Energy Conversion Devices with Quasi-1D Hierarchical Mesostructures grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Energy conversion devices draw much attention due to their effective usage of energy and resulting decrease in CO2 emissions, which slows down the global warming processes. Fabrication of energy conversion devices based on ferroelectric and piezoelectric lead-free films is complicated due to the difficulties associated with insufficient elaboration of growth methods. Most ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials (LiNbO3, BaTiO3, etc.) are multi-component oxides, which significantly complicates their integration with micro- and nanoelectronic technology. This paper reports the effect of the oxygen pressure on the properties of nanocrystalline lithium niobate (LiNbO3) films grown by pulsed laser deposition on SiO2/Si structures. We theoretically investigated the mechanisms of LiNbO3 dissociation at various oxygen pressures. The results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study have shown that conditions for the formation of LiNbO3 films are created only at an oxygen pressure of 1 × 10−2 Torr. At low residual pressure (1 × 10−5 Torr), a lack of oxygen in the formed films leads to the formation of niobium oxide (Nb2O5) clusters. The presented theoretical and experimental results provide an enhanced understanding of the nanocrystalline LiNbO3 films growth with target parameters using pulsed laser deposition for the implementation of piezoelectric and photoelectric energy converters.

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Spectral light management for solar energy conversion systems

Nanophotonics ◽

10.1515/nanoph-2016-0035 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 161-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Cameron Stanley ◽

Ahmad Mojiri ◽

Gary Rosengarten

Keyword(s):

Solar Energy ◽

Energy Conversion ◽

Solar Spectrum ◽

Solar Energy Conversion ◽

Thermal Systems ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Energy Conversion Systems ◽

Light Management ◽

Spectral Splitting ◽

Energy Conversion Devices

Abstract Due to the inherent broadband nature of the solar radiation, combined with the narrow spectral sensitivity range of direct solar to electricity devices, there is a massive opportunity to manipulate the solar spectrum to increase the functionality and efficiency of solar energy conversion devices. Spectral splitting or manipulation facilitates the efficient combination of both high-temperature solar thermal systems, which can absorb over the entire solar spectrum to create heat, and photovoltaic cells, which only convert a range of wavelengths to electricity. It has only recently been possible, with the development of nanofabrication techniques, to integrate micro- and nano-photonic structures as spectrum splitters/manipulators into solar energy conversion devices. In this paper, we summarize the recent developments in beam splitting techniques, and highlight some relevant applications including combined PV-thermal collectors and efficient algae production, and suggest paths for future development in this field.

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