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Summary: This study looks at investigating the influence of high surface area TiO2 and MgO‐doped TiO2 aerogel nanomaterials to improve the photovoltaic performance of monocrystalline silicon (mono‐Si) solar cells. TiO2 and MgO‐doped TiO2 anatase nanoaerogels were synthesized via a single‐step colloidal homogeneous precipitation sol‐gel method in a compact high‐pressure hydrogen reactor. TiO2‐based nanoparticles were encapsulated in ethylene vinyl acetate resins, and the obtained composite solutions were screen printed on the textured surface of the cells. The specific surface area, microstructural, composition, and optical properties of the nanoaerogels were characterized by Brunaur‐Emmett‐Teller, X‐ray powder diffractometer, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, field emission transmission electron microscope, field emission scanning electron microscope, and ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry. We observed that the MgO‐doped TiO2 (2% mol) nanoaerogel exhibited a much superior specific surface area (231 m2/g) compared with the undoped TiO2 (154 m2/g). Experimental results showed that the calculated relative power conversion efficiency increased by 4.6% for the MgO‐doped TiO2 coating and 3.4% for the undoped TiO2 under a simulated one‐sun illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterostructure thin films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/strontium titanate (STO)/YSZ with various thicknesses were deposited on MgO single crystal substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The structural and electrical properties of the YSZ/STO/YSZ heterostructure were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrical conductivity measurements. The in-plane conductivities of the thin films were measured and compared with that of the bulk sample. The highest conductivities were reported for those samples with the thinnest YSZ (220) layers. The observed enhancement in the lateral ionic conductivity was probably caused by the combination of the misfit dislocation density and elastic strain in the interfaces. The enhanced ionic mobility was discussed in terms of the disorder introduced in the oxygen sublattice through the epitaxial strain at the interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]