CdTe-CdS solar cells — Production in a new baseline and investigation of material properties

In this paper, we describe our new baseline for CSS-CdTe-CdS solar cells on 10 × 10 cm² substrates. The deposition of the p-n junction and all the following steps were performed at the Institut für Festkörperphysik (IFK) in Jena. Using the new baseline, we are already able to produce solar cells with similar properties as commercial ones. In the batch type process, all manufacturing steps can be investigated separately. We employ Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements to characterise the structure of the bulk materials and interfaces. It is demonstrated that by RBS the front contact becomes accessible for thinned CdTe films. At the back contact, RBS spectra show a tellurium accumulation which is due to etching. This tellurium rich layer is confirmed by XRD with Rietveld refinement. The intermixing at the CdS-CdTe interface caused by the activation step is quantified by a bandgap determination based on EQE measurements. From the bandgap energy of the CdTe_1 − xS_x compound, we calculated the sulphur fraction x at the interface. XRD measurements imply that the activation step induces a (111) texture in CdTe. With regard to an improved manufacturing process, our cells are compared to industrial cells produced by Antec Solar Energy.     

Reversible changes of the fill factor in the ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

The reversible persistent changes of the fill factor (FF) induced by the illumination and voltage bias along with changes in the electronic properties of the ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ photovoltaic devices have been studied. Admittance spectroscopy and capacitance–voltage characterization reveal a correlation between the FF and the space charge distribution within the absorber. Our experiments provide evidence that a major source of FF loss in efficient devices is caused by excess negative charge close to the interface. We explain the persistent changes in the net acceptor concentration in the interface region by the relaxation effects due to compensating donors—the same mechanism, which leads to metastable changes of the doping level in the bulk of the absorber.     

Correlation Between Structural and Optical Properties of Composite Polymer/Fullerene Films for Organic Solar Cells

We investigate thin poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl)/[6,6]‐phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) films, which are widely used as active layers in plastic solar cells. Their structural properties are studied by grazing‐incidence X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The size and the orientation of crystalline P3HT nanodomains within the films are determined. PCBM crystallites are not detected in thin films by XRD. Upon annealing, the P3HT crystallinity increases, leading to an increase in the optical absorption and spectral photocurrent in the low‐photon‐energy region. As a consequence, the efficiency of P3HT/PCBM solar cells is significantly increased. A direct relation between efficiency and P3HT crystallinity is demonstrated.     

Space-charge-limited currents for organic solar cells optimisation

Basic suppositions and microphysical origin of the occurrence of the space-charge-limited currents (SCLC) are presented in general and for the temperature-modulated space-charge-limited currents (TM-SCLC) in particular. The criteria are given for the spectroscopical method TM-SCLC to be used for localized electron states elucidation in organic semiconducting materials for organic solar cells optimization and modelling. The “visibility “of the localized states by SCLC method, i.e. the power of the SCLC method to distinguish the localized states, is tested by the modelling, varying the temperature, energy position of localized states and their concentration. Generally, it was determined that the SCLC measurements results are more reliable with the increased energy of the states, with their increased concentration and with decreased temperature. The correlation (or its absence) between the measured current and activation energy on applied voltage, expressed by the dependence of preexponential factor of conductivity on activation energy (Meyer–Neldel rule), gives the possibility to determine the energy range where the reconstruction of density of localized states function is reliable.     

Nisin expression production from Lactococcus lactis in milk whey medium

BACKGROUND: Nisin is a commercially available bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 and used as a natural agent in the biopreservation of food. In the current investigation, milk whey, a byproduct from dairy industries was used as a fermentation substrate for the production of nisin. Lactococcus lactis ATCC 11454 was developed in a rotary shaker (30 °C/36 h/100 rpm) using two different media with milk whey (i) without filtration, pH 6.8, adjusted with NaOH 2 mol L^?1 and without pH adjustment, both autoclaved at 121 °C for 30 min, and (ii) filtrated (1.20 µm and 0.22 µm membrane filter). These cultures were transferred five times using 5 mL aliquots of broth culture for every new volume of the respective media. RESULTS: The results showed that culture media composed of milk whey without filtration supplied L. lactis its adaptation needs better than filtrated milk whey. Nisin titers, in milk whey without filtration (pH adjusted), was 11120.13 mg L^?1 in the second transfer, and up to 1628‐fold higher than the filtrated milk whey, 6.83 mg.L^?1 obtained in the first^t transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Biological processing of milk byproducts (milk whey) can be considered a profitable alternative, generating high‐value bioproducts and contributing to decreasing river disposals by dairy industries. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Characterization of microspherical semi-transparent solar cells and modules

Microspherical solar cells and modules have been fabricated. The spherical nature of these semi-transparent devices allows the microspherical cells to harvest both directly incident and diffuse components of sunlight thereby improving the solar energy conversion efficiency. Indoor and outdoor characterizations of these three dimensional semi-transparent cells and modules are carried out using a Lambertian reflector in order to assess the maximum efficiency of the devices. In the absence of the reflector the cell efficiency is 13.5% under standard illumination (100 mW cm⁻², A.M. 1.5, 25 °C). However, this is significantly enhanced in the presence of the reflector. Microspherical modules with the reflector are directly compared to similar semi-transparent modules comprised of traditional planar devices, in outdoor tests at low light intensity (2.5–25 mW cm⁻²) to further demonstrate the benefits of the design particularly at low angle of incident radiation.     

Phase relations in the system ln-CulnS2

By DTA and x-ray diffraction the phase relations in the pseudobinary system In-CuInS₂ have been investigated. CuInS₂ hs a melting point of 1090° C and within this system there is a broad region of liquid immiscibility. A four phase invariant reaction exists at 633° C which is of the form: L₂ = L₁+ CuInS₂ + InS.     

锚索测力计有关应用问题的探讨

通过分析锚索测力计因受力状态不同而带来的系统误差,提出了测力计实测锚固力的修正方法及部分测力计传感器失效后延续锚固力测值的计算方法.     

Electron microscopic observations and DNA chain fragmentation studies on apoptosis in bone tumor cells induced by ~(153)Sm-EDTMP

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Photoelectronic and transport properties of polypyrrole doped with a dianionic dye

Polypyrrole (PPy) doped with dodecylsulfate (DS) and an organic dye (indigo carmine, IC) was electrochemically prepared and characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photoelectrochemical properties of PPy-DS and PPy-DS-IC in contact with an electrolytic solution containing a redox couple were studied using the theories for the semiconductor ∣ electrolyte interface. Results indicate that the system containing IC presents a higher photocurrent density under polychromatic illumination and faster response time when compared with PPy-DS. This fact was assigned to the formation of molecular-scale paths in PPy-DS-IC. The IC molecules lying perpendicularly between PPy chains, as confirmed by the X-ray analysis, could facilitate the mass transport at the interface and increase the ordering degree to provide better electronic charge transfer in the bulk. Although the photoelectrochemical devices presented here do not present all the properties of inorganic-based devices, we discuss some strategies to enhance the photoelectrochemical properties and response time of conducting polymers used in these type of systems.