Silicon Solar Cell Engineering and Photovoltaic Recycling

Silicon Solar Cell Engineering and Photovoltaic Recycling

This community focuses on the fabrication, optimization, and end-of-life management of silicon-based photovoltaic devices. The work centers on improving the efficiency and durability of solar cells while developing methods to recover materials from decommissioned panels.

The research is dominated by the development of crystalline silicon heterojunction cells, with a strong emphasis on surface passivation, tunnel oxide layers, and contact engineering to reduce recombination losses. A significant portion of the literature addresses the creation of porous silicon structures and black silicon surfaces to enhance light absorption. Beyond device physics, a substantial strand of work examines the degradation mechanisms of photovoltaic modules and the chemical processes required for recycling silicon wafers and extracting silver from end-of-life panels. Methods include laser ablation, chemical etching, and the integration of thin-film layers to improve cell performance.

The largest share of the community's output is found in silicon research, representing 16.5% of all silicon-related papers tracked, which corresponds to 5,218 papers within this group. Germanium research accounts for 6.6% of its respective field, comprising 1,812 papers here.

The community comprises 11,907 papers, with the highest publication volume in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Applied Physics Letters, and the Journal of Applied Physics.

Recent work continues to focus on high-efficiency silicon heterojunction cells with hybrid back contacts and the development of green recycling methods for photovoltaic modules, including the extraction of silver and the management of silicon waste streams.

Papers behind this description

• Silicon heterojunction solar cells with up to 26.81% efficiency achieved by electrically optimized nanocrystalline-silicon hole contact layers — Nature Energy, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41560-023-01255-2
• Flexible silicon solar cells with high power-to-weight ratios — Nature, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06948-y
• A comprehensive review on the recycling technology of silicon based photovoltaic solar panels: Challenges and future outlook — Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141661
• Status and perspectives of crystalline silicon photovoltaics in research and industry — Nature Reviews Materials, 2022 — doi:10.1038/s41578-022-00423-2
• Review of degradation and failure phenomena in photovoltaic modules — Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2022 — doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.112160
• Silicon heterojunction back-contact solar cells by laser patterning — Nature, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08110-8
• Flexible solar cells based on foldable silicon wafers with blunted edges — Nature, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05921-z
• Automated Defect Detection in Solar Cell Images Using Deep Learning Algorithms — IEEE Access, 2025 — doi:10.1109/access.2024.3525183
• Progress in crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells — Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2024 — doi:10.1039/d4ta06224h
• 27.09%-efficiency silicon heterojunction back contact solar cell and going beyond — Nature Communications, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41467-024-53275-5
• Overview of life cycle assessment of recycling end-of-life photovoltaic panels: A case study of crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels — Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140320
• Recycling of silicon solar panels through a salt-etching approach — Nature Sustainability, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s41893-024-01360-4
• Silicon solar cells with hybrid back contacts — Nature, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09681-w
• Advancing circular economy of silicon Photovoltaics: Current status and challenges of PV module reuse — Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113816
• The effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticle concentration on the performance of polycrystalline silicon solar cells — Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Engineering and Architecture, 2025 — doi:10.1007/s43995-025-00207-z
• Synthesis of Au@CdO nanoparticles using laser ablation deposited on porous silicon for photodetector applications — Optics & Laser Technology, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.114072
• 27%-efficiency silicon heterojunction cell with 98.6% cell-to-module ratio driving new momentum towards the 29.4% limit — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-64465-0
• Recycling of waste crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules: Efficient decapsulation and silver extraction using environmental-friendly reagents and deep eutectic solvents — Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2025.113882