The Physics of Solar Energy Conversion

Research on advanced energy conversion devices such as solar cells has intensified in the last two decades. A broad landscape of candidate materials and devices were discovered and systematically studied for effective solar energy conversion and utilization. New concepts have emerged forming a rather powerful picture embracing the mechanisms and limitation to efficiencies of different types of devices. The Physics of Solar Energy Conversion introduces the main physico-chemical principles that govern the operation of energy devices for energy conversion and storage, with a detailed view of the principles of solar energy conversion using advanced materials.Key Features include:Highlights recent rapid advances with the discovery of perovskite solar cells and their development.Analyzes the properties of organic solar cells, lithium ion batteries, light emitting diodes and the semiconductor materials for hydrogen production by water splitting.Embraces concepts from nanostructured and highly disordered materials to lead halide perovskite solar cells Takes a broad perspective and comprehensively addresses the fundamentals so that the reader can apply these and assess future developments and technologies in the field.Introduces basic techniques and methods for understanding the materials and interfaces that compose operative energy devices such as solar cells and solar fuel converters.

269 b/w images, 213 color images and 11 tables.

Introduction to Energy Devices. Electrostatic and Thermodynamic Potentials of Electrons in Materials. Voltage, Capacitors, and Batteries.Work Functions and Injection Barriers. Thermal Distribution of Electrons, Holes, and Ions in Solids. Interfacial Kinetics and Hopping Transitions. The Chemical Capacitance. The Density of States in Disordered Inorganic and Organic Conductors. Planar and Nanostructured Semiconductor Junctions. Carrier injection and drift transport. Diffusion transport. Drift-diffusion transport. Transport in disordered media. Thin film transistors. Space charge limited transport. Impedance and capacitance spectroscopies.Blackbody radiation and light. Light absorption, carrier recombination and luminescence. Optical transitions in organic and inorganic semiconductors. Fundamental model of a solar cell. Recombination current in the semiconductor diode. Radiative equilibrium in a semiconductor. Reciprocity relations and the photovoltage. Basic operation of solar cells. Solar cell structures. Solar energy conversion concepts.