High efficiency Schottky junction solar cells by co-doping of graphene with gold nanoparticles and nitric acid

Abstract

We have reported an effective method to enhance the efficiency of graphene-on-Si (Gr/Si) Schottky junction solar cells by co-doping of graphene with Au nanoparticles (NPs) and HNO3. Both Au NPs decoration and HNO3 treatment lead to p-type doping of graphene, and their combination is confirmed to be a more effective approach for achieving the higher work function and enhanced electrical conductivity of graphene. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency of Gr/Si solar cells is increased by 2.6 times, with a maximum value of 10.20%. This work suggests that the co-doping might be a promising way to realize high performance Gr/Si solar cells.