6–10 Jul 2026
University of the Western Cape
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
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ELECTRICAL and STABILITY IN InP-BASED SOLAR CELLS VIA Ag NANOWIRE/PMMA and VO₂

7 Jul 2026, 17:20
1h 20m
Great Hall (University of the Western Cape)

Great Hall

University of the Western Cape

Poster Presentation Track F - Applied Physics Poster Session 1

Speaker

Mr Caleb Hlebela (Tshwane University of Technology)

Description

This work presents investigation of the structural, electrical, and stability characteristics of two spin coating fabricated InP-based thin-film solar cell architectures: the baseline Ag/InP/TiO₂/ITO/Glass configuration and a modified multilayer design incorporating Ag nanowires embedded in PMMA, a semiconducting VO₂ optical modulation layer, TiO₂, and ITO. Electrical performance under standard AM1.5G illumination confirms these optical gains, with the modified device achieving a short-circuit current of 0.32 mA, open-circuit voltage of 12.0 V, fill factor of 0.75, and a tripled power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12%, compared to 4% for the reference cell. Stability testing over 1000 h revealed a retention of 93% of initial PCE for the modified device, significantly outperforming the original cell’s 72%, attributable to VO₂-induced interface stabilization and PMMA passivation. The findings demonstrate that the synergistic integration of nanowire-based transparent electrodes, polymeric index-matching layers, and functional oxide interlayers can simultaneously enhance light harvesting, carrier transport, and operational durability. This approach offers a promising pathway for high-performance, long-lived InP-based photovoltaics suitable for advanced optoelectronic applications.

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Authors

Prof. BW Mwakikunga (CSIR) Mr Caleb Hlebela (Tshwane University of Technology) Prof. JKO Asante (Tshwane University of Technology) M Madhuku (NRF-iThemba LABS (Gauteng)) Dr O Oluwaleye (NRF-iThemba LABS (Gauteng))

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