Optimization and doping of reduced graphene oxide-silicon solar cells

Here, we report on the optimization and chemical doping of reduced graphene oxide-silicon (rGO-Si) solar cells. Graphene oxide films were produced using a scalable vacuum filtration method and reduced via thermal annealing. The rGO films were used to make Schottky junction solar cells. The effect of rGO film thickness on solar cell performance was investigated, with short-circuit current densities and open-circuit voltages both tunable through the control of film thickness. Chemical doping of the rGO-Si solar cells, with varying annealed temperatures and thicknesses, was found to increase the cell power conversion efficiency by up to 220%, highlighting the importance of controlling the Fermi level of the rGO. These results indicate that there remains much potential for rGO-Si solar cells to compete with more traditional graphene-Si solar cells made with graphene produced using other methods. Refereed/Peer-reviewed