Graphene (GR) has been recognized as one of the most important advanced materials in the fields of energy, environment, information, etc. Especially, the photovoltaic devices require various GR-based materials with superior performance. How to fabricate high-quality GR films or powders efficiently and assemble them into devices are crucial to promote GR practical application. Here we demonstrate several simple and intelligent methods, such as smart substrate assisted chemical vapor deposition, new bottom-up technique and hydrogen flame synthesis, to fabricate multi-dimensional GR materials. These GR are demonstrated to possess some advantages in the photovoltaic applications. For example, our boron-doped GRis able to improve the hole-collection ability and photovoltaic efficiency of CdTe solar cells, and, with a higher work function, it is a suitable metallic Ohmic back contact material which until now has been lacking for CdTe solar cells. Our GR films vertically grown on the dielectric substrates have outstanding electrical transport properties and are used as new low cost electrode materials for thin film photovoltaic devices, which photovoltaic efficiency quite close to the performance of FTO electrode devices. Our three dimensional GR networks prepared on Ni foams by ambient pressure chemical vapour deposition possess excellent electrical transport properties, superior to the reported GR and carbon nanotube films, and significantly improve the photovoltaic efficiency as back electrodes of CdTe solar cells.

Graphene fabrication and photovoltaic applications

244th National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.