Work

Enhancement of porous PZnO thin film using acid vapor treatment for efficient solar cells

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In this work, a (porous zinc oxide) /silicon (PZnO/Si) heterojunction solar cell is prepared using a facile sol–gel/spin coating technique, followed by an acid vapor etching treatment implemented to passivate and texturize the ZnO layer. The treatment modified the surface morphology from nanowires to c-oriented nanostructures such as nanorods. As a result, the structural, optical, electrical, optoelectronic, and electrochemical properties are enhanced. In fact, the series resistance is reduced by 80% to reach 2 Ω cm 2 , whereas the conductivity increases by 87%. The optical reflectivity is decreased by 61%, and the band gap narrowed from 3.42 eV to 3.19 eV. Using the electrochemical study, we evaluated the chemical capacity to be 12.6 * 10 − 6 F, and the minority carrier lifetime reached 9.3 ms. The charge transfer resistance is reduced by 9 times, from 1393 to 173 Ω cm 2 , suggesting a faster charge transfer process due to the porous network, which improves the connection between interfaces. Thus, the power conversion efficiency was enhanced by 80% from 5% of 9.03%. The tests on the device show temperature resistance and stability.

Source: Materials Research Express

DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/ae2abf

Authors: S Thamri, M H Raouadi

Institutions: University of Carthage, Laboratoire de gestion et des transitions organisationnelles, Research and Technology Center of Energy

Language: English

Topic: Silicon and Solar Cell Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,000