scholarly journals Solution Combustion Synthesis of Transparent Conducting Thin Films for Sustainable Photovoltaic Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sana Ullah ◽  
Rita Branquinho ◽  
Tiago Mateus ◽  
Rodrigo Martins ◽  
Elvira Fortunato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Solution Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Wide Band ◽  
Optical Transmittance ◽  
Solution Combustion ◽  
Solution Processed ◽  
Transparent Conducting

Sunlight is arguably the most promising continuous and cheap alternative sustainable energy source available at almost all living places of the human world. Photovoltaics (PV) is a process of direct conversion of sunlight into electricity and has become a technology of choice for sustainable production of cleaner and safer energy. The solar cell is the main component of any PV technology and transparent conducting oxides (TCO) comprising wide band gap semiconductors are an essential component of every PV technology. In this research, transparent conducting thin films were prepared by solution combustion synthesis of metal oxide nitrates wherein the use of indium is substituted or reduced. Individual 0.5 M indium, gallium and zinc oxide source solutions were mixed in ratios of 1:9 and 9:1 to obtain precursor solutions. Indium-rich IZO (A1), zinc-rich IZO (B1), gallium-rich GZO (C1) and zinc-rich GZO (D1) thin films were prepared through spin coating deposition. In the case of A1 and B1 thin films, electrical resistivity obtained was 3.4 × 10−3 Ω-cm and 7.9 × 10−3 Ω-cm, respectively. While C1 films remained insulating, D1 films showed an electrical resistivity of 1.3 × 10−2 Ω-cm. The optical transmittance remained more than 80% in visible for all films. Films with necessary transparent conducting properties were applied in an all solution-processed solar cell device and then characterized. The efficiency of 1.66%, 2.17%, and 0.77% was obtained for A1, B1, and D1 TCOs, respectively, while 6.88% was obtained using commercial fluorine doped SnO2: (FTO) TCO. The results are encouraging for the preparation of indium-free TCOs towards solution-processed thin-film photovoltaic devices. It is also observed that better filtration of precursor solutions and improving surface roughness would further reduce sheet resistance and improve solar cell efficiency.

Preparation and Photoluminescence of Nano-Sized Green Phosphors by Solution Combustion Synthesis

2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 1015-1018
Author(s):  
Z. Chen ◽  
Li Qiang Zhang ◽  
Miao Miao Wang ◽  
Zhi Ying Zhao ◽  
De Hui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Solution Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Green Emission ◽  
Wide Band ◽  
Luminescent Properties ◽  
Solution Combustion ◽  
Fluorescent Lamps ◽  
Good Crystallinity ◽  
Plasma Display

By adopting a facile solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method, pure well-crystallized (Ba,Sr)MgAl10O17:Mn green phosphors were successfully prepared. The crystallinity, particle size, morphology, and luminescent properties were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM and spectrofluorometer respectively. The results indicated that the obtained phosphors have spherical morphology, good crystallinity, and strong green emission. The emission spectra of obtained nanophosphor on 147nm excitation consist of a wide band with the peak at 518nm, which corresponds to the transition from the 3d5(4T1g) excited state to the 3d5(6A1g) ground state of Mn2+. The synthesized phosphors can be efficiently excited at VUV light and have potential application in Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), 3D displays and mercury-free fluorescent lamps

scholarly journals Thermal Analysis of Metal-Organic Precursors for Functional Cu:ΝiOx Hole Transporting Layer in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells: Role of Solution Combustion Chemistry in Cu:ΝiOx Thin Films Processing

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3074
Author(s):  
Apostolos Ioakeimidis ◽  
Ioannis T. Papadas ◽  
Eirini D. Koutsouroubi ◽  
Gerasimos S. Armatas ◽  
Stelios A. Choulis
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Analysis ◽  
Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Annealing Temperature ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Solution Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Solution Combustion ◽  
Annealing Temperatures

Low temperature solution combustion synthesis emerges as a facile method for the synthesis of functional metal oxides thin films for electronic applications. We study the solution combustion synthesis process of Cu:NiOx using different molar ratios (w/o, 0.1 and 1.5) of fuel acetylacetone (Acac) to oxidizer (Cu, Ni Nitrates) as a function of thermal annealing temperatures 150, 200, and 300 °C. The solution combustion synthesis process, in both thin films and bulk Cu:NiOx, is investigated. Thermal analysis studies using TGA and DTA reveal that the Cu:NiOx thin films show a more gradual mass loss while the bulk Cu:NiOx exhibits a distinct combustion process. The thin films can crystallize to Cu:NiOx at an annealing temperature of 300 °C, irrespective of the Acac/Oxidizer ratio, whereas lower annealing temperatures (150 and 200 °C) produce amorphous materials. A detail characterization study of solution combustion synthesized Cu:NiOx, including XPS, UV-Vis, AFM, and Contact angle measurements, is presented. Finally, 50 nm Cu:NiOx thin films are introduced as HTLs within the inverted perovskite solar cell device architecture. The Cu:NiOx HTL annealed at 150 and 200 °C provided PVSCs with limited functionality, whereas efficient triple-cation Cs0.04(MA0.17FA0.83)0.96 Pb(I0.83Br0.17)3-based PVSCs achieved for Cu:NiOx HTLs for annealing temperature of 300 °C.

Printed Zinc Tin Oxide Diodes: From Combustion Synthesis to Large-Scale Manufacturing

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Carlos ◽  
Rita Branquinho ◽  
Elina Jansson ◽  
Jaakko H Leppaniemi ◽  
José Menezes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Tin Oxide ◽  
Flexible Electronics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Solution Combustion Synthesis ◽  
Solution Combustion ◽  
Zinc Tin Oxide

Abstract Printed metal oxide devices have been widely desired in flexible electronic applications to allow direct integration on foils and to reduce electronic waste and associated costs. Especially, semiconductor devices made from non-critical raw materials, such as Zn, Sn (and not, for example, In), have gained much interest. Despite considerable progress in the field, the upscale requirements from lab to fab scale to produce these materials and devices remain a challenge. In this work, we report the importance of solution combustion synthesis (SCS) when compared with sol-gel in the production of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin films using a solvent (1-methoxypropanol) that has lower environmental impact than the widely used and toxic 2-methoxyethanol. To assure the compatibility with low-cost flexible substrates in high-throughput printing techniques, a low annealing temperature of 140 ºC was achieved for these thin films by combining SCS and infrared (IR) annealing in a short processing time. These conditions allowed the transition from spin-coating (lab scale) to flexographic printing (fab scale) at a printing speed of 10 m/min in a roll-to-roll (R2R) pilot line. The ZTO (1:1 Zn:Sn-ratio) diodes show a rectification ratio of 103, a low operation voltage (≤ 3 V), promising reproducibility and low variability. The results provide the basis for further optimization (device size, encapsulation) to meet the requirements of diodes in flexible electronics applications such as passive-matrix addressing, energy harvesting and rectification.

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