Urchin-inspired zinc oxide as building blocks for nanostructured solar cells

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable, low-cost method to create 3D urchin-inspired ZnO nanowire architectures that enhance light absorption and achieve competitive efficiencies in thin-film solar cells.

Contribution

It presents a novel, controllable nanowire architecture inspired by urchins, fabricated via nanosphere lithography, atomic layer deposition, and electrodeposition, for improved solar cell performance.

Findings

Achieved up to 90% homogeneous absorption in 400-800 nm range.

Realized solar conversion efficiency of approximately 1.33%.

Demonstrated light diffusion control from 15% to 35%.

Abstract

High surface area nanowire based architectures have been identified as important components for future optoelectronic nanodevices, solar cells, wettability coatings, gas sensors, and biofuel cells. Here we report on a novel urchin-inspired nanowire architecture: its interwoven three-dimensional, high-surface-area nanowire arrangement can be precisely controlled by using a low-cost and scalable synthesis based on a combination of nanosphere lithography, low-temperature atomic layer deposition, and electrodeposition. The performance of single-layer arrays of urchin-inspired ZnO nanowire building blocks competes to that of planar nanowire carpets. We illustrate this capability by fabricating fully-inorganic extremely thin absorber solar cells using CdSe as absorber and CuSCN as hole-collector material. The light diffusion of the urchin-inspired nanowire arrays was varied from 15% to 35%. Homogenous absorption in the wavelength range of 400-800 nm of up to 90% was obtained. Solar conversion efficiencies of ~ 1.33% were achieved.