Since hydroelectric crystals do not require the so-called pn junction for the photovoltaic effect, that is, there are no positive or negative doped layers, this can make the production of solar modules considerably easier. On the other hand, silicon needs this p-n junction.
Changing materials to make solar cells more efficient
However, pure barium titanate also has a certain drawback: it absorbs little sunlight, and therefore naturally produces a low luminous flux by comparison. That’s why the research group tried a bunch of different materials. The result: makes it possible to get more energy from the sun. “It is important that a ferroelectric material alternates with a semi-electric material. Although the latter does not have discrete charges, it can become ferroelectric under certain conditions, such as low temperatures or slight modifications in chemical composition,” Akash reports. Bhatnagar.
As part of their tests, it has now been shown that the photovoltaic effect can be particularly improved if the ferroelectric layer is combined not with just one, but with two different alternating quasi-photovoltaic layers. “We combined barium titanate between strontium and calcium titanate. To do this, the crystals are evaporated using a high-performance laser and deposited back onto the carriers. The materials produced in this way consist of 500 layers and are about 200 nanometers thick,” explains Yeseuk Yun, a student PhD at MLU and first author of the study.
The current flow in the solar cells increased by up to 1000 times
The researchers tested their physical composition with laser light. They were surprised by the result themselves. The current flow was up to 1,000 times stronger than measurements made with pure barium titanate. With the combination of the new materials, the scientists reduced the proportion of barium titanate as the main photovoltaic fraction by nearly a third. “It is clear that the interaction of the lattice layers leads to a significantly higher permittivity – that is, to the fact that electrons can flow away more easily due to the excitation of optical photons,” says Patanyar. And that’s not all: the researchers tested their new mixture of substances over a period of six months. The effect was very strong and remained almost constant throughout the entire period.
The research group was supported in their study by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), the German Research Foundation and with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Where is solar energy used the most?
Solar energy is considered one of the environmentally friendly materials because it does not produce air pollutants. No greenhouse gases are released. Seasonal, day-dependent and weather-related fluctuations in the amount of energy are unfavorable. Photovoltaic cells without direct sunlight are less effective. So the researchers made a real breakthrough.
Solar energy is used to generate electricity and heat the building. Solar energy can be used for heating and feeding into the power grid. On average, individual solar cells generate a voltage of 0.5V – 0.6V In order to increase this voltage, the cells in the solar module are connected in series.
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