Actions for Scientists Identify New Family of Iron-Based Absorber Materials for Solar Cells (Fact Sheet), NREL Highlights, Science [electronic resource].

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Scientists Identify New Family of Iron-Based Absorber Materials for Solar Cells (Fact Sheet), NREL Highlights, Science [electronic resource].

Published
Washington, D.C. : United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2011.
Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Physical Description
1 pg : digital, PDF file
Additional Creators
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.), United States. Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and United States. Department of Energy. Office of Scientific and Technical Information
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Summary
Use of Earth-abundant materials in solar absorber films is critical for expanding the reach of photovoltaic (PV) technologies. The use of Earth-abundant and inexpensive Fe in PV was proposed more than 25 years ago in the form of FeS₂ pyrite - fool's gold. Unfortunately, the material has been plagued by performance problems that to this day are both persistent and not well understood. Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oregon State University, working collaboratively in the Center for Inverse Design, an Energy Frontier Research Center, have uncovered several new insights into the problems of FeS₂. They have used these advances to propose and implement design rules that can be used to identify new Fe-containing materials that can circumvent the limitations of FeS₂ pyrite. The team has identified that it is the unavoidable metallic secondary phases and surface defects coexisting near the FeS₂ thin-film surfaces and grain boundaries that limit its open-circuit voltage, rather than the S vacancies in the bulk, which has long been commonly assumed. The materials Fe₂SiS₄ and Fe₂GeS₄ hold considerable promise as PV absorbers. The ternary Si compound is especially attractive, as it contains three of the more abundant low-cost elements available today. The band gap (E{sub g} = 1.5 eV) from both theory and experiment is higher than those of c-Si and FeS₂, offering better absorption of the solar spectrum and potentially higher solar cell efficiencies. More importantly, these materials do not have metallic secondary phase problems as seen in FeS₂. High calculated formation energies of donor-type defects are consistent with p-type carriers in thin films and are prospects for high open-circuit voltages in cells.
Report Numbers
E 1.99:nrel/fs-5900-52003
nrel/fs-5900-52003
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Note
Published through SciTech Connect.
10/01/2011.
"nrel/fs-5900-52003"
Not Available.
Funding Information
AC36-08GO28308
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