Nanostructured porous sol‐gel materials for applications in solar cells engineering

Two nanostructured Sol-Gel composite materials for application in solar cells engineering were created and studied: the TiO 2 /SiO 2 films for antireflecting coatings of cells, and PMMA/SiO 2 insulating layers on metal substrate for efficient heat extraction from a cell. Structural and optical investigation of the first composite proved that its parameters are adequate to serve the purpose; when doped with the dye absorbing UV light and emitting in the visible, it could also increase quantum yield of a cell. The second composite is designed for use in a hybrid PV/Thermal system, where it could optimize the heat exchange between a cell and solar plane collector, which also leads to an increase of efficiency of the system.