Emerging Inorganic Materials in Thin-film Photovoltaics

There is currently significant interest in exploring and identifying new inorganic solar energy conversion systems based on Earth-abundant non-toxic materials for future sustainable energy applications and technologies.

Developments in emergent inorganic absorbers are closely tied to the ability of researchers to correlate and predict device performance from structural and optical properties. The understanding of material structure and bonding and their effect on performance are key to developing guiding principles for design and screening of inorganic photovoltaic materials. Progress toward such understanding is facilitated by state-of-the-art tools for structural and electronic characterisation of semiconductor materials and interfaces, as well as device design and performance analysis. Further insight is provided by computer modelling and simulations.

This volume brings together internationally leading scientists working in areas of material design and modelling, structural and electronic characterisation, and device design and performance analysis, to explore and exchange ideas on emerging inorganic thin-film photovoltaics based on Earth abundant non-toxic materials.

In this volume, the topics covered include:

Indium-free CIGS analogues
Novel chalcogenides, pnictides and defect-tolerant semiconductors
Material design: structure and bonding
Bulk and surface characterisation techniques of solar absorbers