Sustainable Electrodes for Solar Cells

 

Sustainable Electrodes for Solar Cells

To generate solar energy, a solar cell must have an electrode that is transparent. Currently there are two materials which meet this requirement: indium tin oxide (ITO), which is the preferred one, and fluorine tin oxide (FTO), which is less effective. However, indium is rare and has to be extracted from zinc and lead ores, of which it is a minor component; production is less than 500 tons a year.

ITO and FTO are not without their drawbacks. They lack transparency with respect to the infrared region of the spectrum, and this restricts their ability to gather a wider range of solar energy. They are unstable in the presence of acids and bases, and their metal ions are prone to diffusing into the polymer layers thereby reducing efficiency. Unless they are  structurally perfect they suffer from current leakage

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