Final Technical Report CONDUCTIVE COATINGS FOR SOLAR CELLS USING CARBON NANOTUBES

Glatkowski, Paul J ; Peltola, Jorma ; Weeks, Christopher ; Trottier, Mike ; Britz, David

Eikos Inc, Franklin, MA

关键词: Dip Coating;    77 Nanoscience And Nanotechnology;    Raw Materials;    14 Solar Energy;    Solar Cells;   

DOI  :  10.2172/934618
RP-ID  :  DOE/GO/85035
RP-ID  :  FG36-05GO85035
RP-ID  :  934618

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a grant for Eikos Inc. to investigate the feasibility of developing and utilizing Transparent Conducting Coatings (TCCs) based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) for solar cell applications. Conventional solar cells today employ metal oxide based TCCs with both Electrical Resistivity (R) and Optical Transparency (T), commonly referred to as optoelectronic (RT) performance significantly higher than with those possible with CNT based TCCs available today. Transparent metal oxide based coatings are also inherently brittle requiring high temperature in vacuum processing and are thus expensive to manufacture. One such material is indium tin oxide (ITO). Global demand for indium has recently increased rapidly while supply has diminished causing substantial spikes in raw material cost and availability. In contrast, the raw material, carbon, needed for CNT fabrication is abundantly available. Transparent Conducting Coatings based on CNTs can overcome not only cost and availability constraints while also offering the ability to be applied by existing, low cost process technologies under ambient conditions. Processes thus can readily be designed both for rigid and flexible PV technology platforms based on mature spray or dip coatings for silicon based solar cells and continuous roll to roll coating processes for polymer solar applications.