Metal Oxide Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The scope of this Special Issue, "Metal Oxide Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications", is focused on a range of crystalline to amorphous thin metal oxide films, nanoparticles, nanotubes, or nanostructures for photovoltaic applications. These can be fabricated on rigid or flexible substrates. In addition, these materials are functional, and they can be developed and optimized depending on their desired electrical or optical properties. 

Nowadays, the enhancement of a solar cell’s lifetime and the cost of producing energy materials like metal oxide is very challenging. However, the versatility and functionality of metal oxide thin films have provided room for the possibility to preserve or to enhance the lifetime of such devices. The possibility of producing an all metal-oxide solar cell is still an interestingly hot topic to most researchers, but to do so is very challenging.

Oxide semiconductors have been applied in photovoltaic technologies for many years. The possibility of fabricating simple, low-cost, and easily scalable devices apparently holds a unique place in the next generation of solar cells. Their outstanding ability to preserve or improve device characteristics, even as a noncrystalline (amorphous) material, allows for their application in flexible and semitransparent photovoltaic devices and printed electronics.

The bandgap of many common oxides are wider than that of silicon (1.12 eV), and this is the reason why doping of many cases is needed and lot of effort has been put into increasing the conductivity at room temperature of some of these oxides. The place of metal oxide coatings in solar cell structure is an essential part of these devices. The function of these coatings can be as a buffer, barrier, n-type conductive transparent layer, p-type conductive transparent (not transparent) layer, ormain light harvesting material.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• All-oxide solar cells;
• Thin metal oxide films, layers, nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanostructures, and stacks;
• Barrier or buffer metal oxide coatings;
• n-type transparent electrodes/electron transport materials;
• p-type transparent electrodes/holes transport materials;
• Light harvesting metal oxide coatings.

Dr. Atanas Katerski
Guest Editor

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