Optimization of Solar Energy Conversion Efficiency through Nanostructured Photovoltaic Materials

Paulus G. D. Lasmono S.

doi:10.55927/fjst.v4i11.307

Authors

Paulus G. D. Lasmono S. Universitas Cenderawasih

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/fjst.v4i11.307

Keywords:

Optimization, Solar Energy, Conversion Efficiency, Nanostructured, Photovoltaic Materials

Abstract

The efficiency of solar energy conversion is one of the main challenges in the development of renewable energy technology, especially due to the limitations of conventional photovoltaic materials that have not been able to maximize light absorption and electrical charge transfer optimally. This study aims to optimize the efficiency of solar energy conversion through nanostructure engineering in photovoltaic materials, by analyzing the relationship between the morphological characteristics of nanostructures, photon absorption rates, and energy conversion performance. An experimental quantitative approach was used with the sol–gel synthesis method to produce thin layers of nanostructures based on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and perovskite, which were then tested using UV-Vis spectrophotometry and current–voltage characterization to determine efficiency parameters. Data were analyzed using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) based opto-electronic model to evaluate the effects of particle size and orientation on absorbed light intensity and electron transfer. The results showed that the configuration of TiO₂ nanorods measuring 80–100 nm was able to increase conversion efficiency by up to 23.4%, higher than conventional flat structures by 17.8%, with a significant increase in short-circuit current density. These findings confirm that nanostructure engineering plays an important role in improving photon–electron interactions and minimizing energy loss, thus making a theoretical contribution to the development of a new generation of photovoltaic materials and offering practical implications for improving the performance of low-cost, environmentally friendly solar cells.

References

Ahmed, R., Khan, T., & Malik, S. (2023). Advances in silicon-based photovoltaic materials: Challenges and prospects for high-efficiency solar cells. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 257, 112397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2023.112397

Alam, M. F., Rahman, S., & Liu, Y. (2023). Influence of morphological uniformity on interfacial charge transfer in perovskite solar cells. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 34(5), 3478–3492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-10329-1

Bello, A., Kumar, S., & Tran, N. (2022). Optimizing nanostructured TiO₂ layers for improved light absorption and charge mobility. Applied Surface Science, 587, 152815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.152815

Chakraborty, R., Singh, D., & Panda, A. (2023). Humidity and temperature stability in hybrid perovskite solar cells: A review of encapsulation strategies. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 31(4), 489–504. https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.3628

Chen, Y., Zhang, J., & Li, Q. (2023). Plasmonic enhancement of light absorption in vertically aligned TiO₂ nanorod-based perovskite solar cells. Nano Energy, 108, 108151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.108151

Chowdhury, P., Islam, M., & Das, R. (2022). Performance comparison of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar cells under low illumination. Renewable Energy, 187, 944–954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.02.126

Das, R., & Iqbal, M. (2024). Modeling internal quantum efficiency enhancement in nanostructured photovoltaic systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 191, 114202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114202

Dawson, K., Patel, R., & Lim, D. (2024). Charge transport improvement in TiO₂ nanorod-based hybrid perovskite solar cells. Materials Today Energy, 37, 101270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtener.2024.101270

Gao, Y., Wang, L., & Lin, P. (2022). FDTD analysis of optical field enhancement in nanostructured TiO₂ for solar energy harvesting. Optical Materials Express, 12(11), 4382–4395. https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.475834

Ghosh, A., Li, M., & Ren, H. (2023). Photon trapping via nanoscale surface texturing for improved solar absorption. Solar RRL, 7(3), 2200915. https://doi.org/10.1002/solr.202200915

Green, M. A. (2021). Third generation photovoltaics: Advanced solar energy conversion. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74173-2

Hernandez, J. C., Kim, S., & Ooi, C. (2020). Nanostructure engineering for light trapping in photovoltaic devices: A review. Nano Today, 35, 100962. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nantod.2020.100962

International Energy Agency. (2023). World energy outlook 2023: Transitioning to clean power. OECD/IEA. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2023

International Energy Agency. (2024). Tracking clean energy progress 2024. OECD/IEA. https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-clean-energy-progress-2024

Kimura, T., Sato, N., & Kobayashi, T. (2023). Advances in perovskite nanocomposite materials for next-generation photovoltaic devices. Advanced Functional Materials, 33(19), 2300481. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202300481

Kumar, R., & Patel, D. (2021). Quantum confinement effects in nanostructured semiconductor solar cells. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 21(7), 3449–3460. https://doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2021.19041

Li, J., & Torres, M. (2021). Optical losses in photovoltaic nanostructures: Numerical modeling and experimental validation. Solar Energy, 221, 223–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2021.04.017

Li, X., & Zhou, W. (2022). Plasmonic nanoparticle-assisted enhancement in perovskite solar cells. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 5(9), 12804–12812. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.2c01872

Liu, H., Sun, K., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Charge carrier mobility and recombination in perovskite solar cells: A review. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 8(25), 12312–12326. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA02109E

Lopez, F., Wang, J., & Garcia, P. (2022). Plasmonic enhancement in metal–perovskite hybrid solar cells. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 246, 111883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2022.111883

Mehta, S., Gupta, A., & Rao, N. (2023). Simulation of photon–electron dynamics in nanostructured photovoltaic materials using DFT and FDTD approaches. Computational Materials Science, 224, 112174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2023.112174

Morales, E., & Ortiz, F. (2021). Recombination and reflection losses in crystalline silicon solar cells: A review. Solar Energy, 224, 1143–1158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2021.05.056

Nakamura, K., & Shi, T. (2021). DFT-based electronic structure analysis of hybrid perovskite materials for solar energy applications. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125(42), 23255–23266. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c05623

Nakamura, Y., Tanaka, H., & Ito, T. (2022). Controlled synthesis of TiO₂ nanorods via sol–gel and hydrothermal methods for photovoltaic applications. Ceramics International, 48(5), 6821–6832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.11.104

Nguyen, T., & Park, S. (2024). Hybrid perovskite–TiO₂ nanostructures for enhanced light absorption and stability in solar cells. Nano Energy, 114, 109887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2024.109887

Nguyen, V., Rahim, R., & Thomas, A. (2023). Experimental design optimization for photovoltaic nanomaterials. Journal of Renewable Energy Research, 13(2), 456–468. https://doi.org/10.20508/jrer.v13i2.3120

Ouyang, Z., Li, Y., & Chen, D. (2021). Low-cost fabrication of TiO₂ nanostructured layers using sol–gel for energy conversion applications. Thin Solid Films, 737, 138922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2021.138922

Park, H., Lee, J., & Kim, S. (2022). Quantum confinement tuning in nanostructured semiconductors for photovoltaic enhancement. Advanced Optical Materials, 10(15), 2200301. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202200301

Patel, N., Deshmukh, S., & Ryu, D. (2022). Electron transport optimization through aligned TiO₂ nanostructures. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 74, 456–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2022.07.021

Rahimi, F., Ghaffari, M., & Shukla, A. (2021). Review of TiO₂-based nanostructures for photoelectronic applications. Applied Physics Reviews, 8(3), 031307. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0055891

Rahman, H., Devi, S., & Cho, K. (2023). Characterization of TiO₂–perovskite thin films using UV–Vis and I–V analysis. Materials Chemistry and Physics, 307, 127964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2023.127964

Rashid, A., Omar, A., & Noor, M. (2024). Experimental evaluation of TiO₂ nanorod morphology and photovoltaic performance. Journal of Photonic Energy, 14(1), 014502. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.14.014502

Rizwan, M., Sadiq, T., & Farooq, M. (2023). Simulation-assisted design of nanostructured photovoltaic systems using FDTD. Renewable Energy, 212, 786–798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.06.031

Verma, P., Das, K., & Lin, J. (2022). Nanostructure engineering for broadband light absorption in solar cells. Journal of Applied Physics, 131(12), 121102. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0078934

Wang, Y., Zhang, D., & Luo, Q. (2021). Modeling optical absorption in TiO₂ nanostructures using COMSOL Multiphysics. Optics Express, 29(22), 36244–36257. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.440715

Wu, L., Chen, R., & Fang, X. (2024). Field uniformity and photon management in TiO₂–perovskite nanostructures: A computational study. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 268, 112312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2024.112312

Zhang, Y., & Liu, F. (2023). Enhancing light absorption using vertically aligned TiO₂ nanorods for solar cells. Solar Energy, 257, 112450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.112450

Zhou, M., & Kim, J. (2022). Photon–electron dynamics in nanostructured TiO₂ for improved photovoltaic performance. Journal of Applied Physics, 131(24), 245701. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0098143