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Monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency dependence on potassium silicate additive in texturing process with a study on the effect of the active material.

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Τίτλος: Monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency dependence on potassium silicate additive in texturing process with a study on the effect of the active material.
Συγγραφείς: Abdel Naser S; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.; The joint National Egyptian-Chinese Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sohag, Egypt., Diab AAZ; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.; Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nahda University in Beni Suef, Beni Suef, Egypt., Al Dawsari S; School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.; Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia., Ismeil MA; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia., Zahran M; The joint National Egyptian-Chinese Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sohag, Egypt.; Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Cairo, Egypt.
Πηγή: PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 May 15; Vol. 21 (5), pp. e0348411. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 15 (Print Publication: 2026).
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Silicon*/chemistry , Silicates*/chemistry , Potassium Compounds*/chemistry , Solar Energy* , Electric Power Supplies*, 2-Propanol/chemistry ; Surface Properties
Περίληψη: Texturing is a critical process for enhancing monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency by reducing surface reflectance and improving light absorption. This study investigates the effect of introducing potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) as an additive during alkaline texturing while simultaneously reducing the concentration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-a volatile organic solvent commonly employed to control anisotropic etching, ensuring uniform pyramid formation. The analysis examines surface morphology, particularly the pyramid structures formed on silicon wafers, and evaluates changes in photovoltaic performance with and without K₂SiO₃ addition. Wafers were weighed before and after texturing to quantify material removal. Weight loss measurements showed that texturing with 500 mL IPA alone (without K₂SiO₃) resulted in excessive etching (1.057 g, exceeding the optimal range of 0.6-1.0 g), while addition of 5 g K₂SiO₃ with reduced IPA (250 mL) yielded controlled weight loss (0.942 g) within the acceptable range. This demonstrates that potassium silicate regulates the etching process, preventing over-texturing and improving surface quality. Following plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), the thickness and refractive index of the deposited SiNₓ anti-reflection coating were measured using ellipsometry, yielding values of 87.1 nm and 1.99 for wafers textured without K₂SiO₃ (500 mL IPA), and 81.6 nm and 1.93 for those processed with K₂SiO₃ (250 mL IPA + 5 g K₂SiO₃). Completed solar cells were characterized using current-voltage (I-V) measurements to determine electrical parameters and efficiency. All experiments were conducted at the Egyptian-Chinese Laboratory for Renewable Energy Applications. Pyramid homogeneity was further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical analysis including ANOVA and Tukey HSD post-hoc testing was performed to validate the significance of observed efficiency improvements.
(Copyright: © 2026 Abdel Naser et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Substance Nomenclature: Z4152N8IUI (Silicon)
0 (Silicates)
0 (Potassium Compounds)
ND2M416302 (2-Propanol)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260515 Date Completed: 20260717 Latest Revision: 20260717
Update Code: 20260717
PubMed Central ID: PMC13178923
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0348411
PMID: 42139300
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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  Data: Monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency dependence on potassium silicate additive in texturing process with a study on the effect of the active material.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Abdel+Naser+S%22">Abdel Naser S</searchLink>; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.; The joint National Egyptian-Chinese Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sohag, Egypt.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Diab+AAZ%22">Diab AAZ</searchLink>; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia University, Minia, Egypt.; Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nahda University in Beni Suef, Beni Suef, Egypt.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Al+Dawsari+S%22">Al Dawsari S</searchLink>; School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.; Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Ismeil+MA%22">Ismeil MA</searchLink>; Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Zahran+M%22">Zahran M</searchLink>; The joint National Egyptian-Chinese Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sohag, Egypt.; Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Cairo, Egypt.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22101285081%22">PloS one</searchLink> [PLoS One] 2026 May 15; Vol. 21 (5), pp. e0348411. <i>Date of Electronic Publication: </i>2026 May 15 (<i>Print Publication: </i>2026).
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  Data: Texturing is a critical process for enhancing monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency by reducing surface reflectance and improving light absorption. This study investigates the effect of introducing potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) as an additive during alkaline texturing while simultaneously reducing the concentration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-a volatile organic solvent commonly employed to control anisotropic etching, ensuring uniform pyramid formation. The analysis examines surface morphology, particularly the pyramid structures formed on silicon wafers, and evaluates changes in photovoltaic performance with and without K₂SiO₃ addition. Wafers were weighed before and after texturing to quantify material removal. Weight loss measurements showed that texturing with 500 mL IPA alone (without K₂SiO₃) resulted in excessive etching (1.057 g, exceeding the optimal range of 0.6-1.0 g), while addition of 5 g K₂SiO₃ with reduced IPA (250 mL) yielded controlled weight loss (0.942 g) within the acceptable range. This demonstrates that potassium silicate regulates the etching process, preventing over-texturing and improving surface quality. Following plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), the thickness and refractive index of the deposited SiNₓ anti-reflection coating were measured using ellipsometry, yielding values of 87.1 nm and 1.99 for wafers textured without K₂SiO₃ (500 mL IPA), and 81.6 nm and 1.93 for those processed with K₂SiO₃ (250 mL IPA + 5 g K₂SiO₃). Completed solar cells were characterized using current-voltage (I-V) measurements to determine electrical parameters and efficiency. All experiments were conducted at the Egyptian-Chinese Laboratory for Renewable Energy Applications. Pyramid homogeneity was further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical analysis including ANOVA and Tukey HSD post-hoc testing was performed to validate the significance of observed efficiency improvements.<br /> (Copyright: © 2026 Abdel Naser et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
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  Data: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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  Data: Z4152N8IUI (Silicon)<br />0 (Silicates)<br />0 (Potassium Compounds)<br />ND2M416302 (2-Propanol)
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        Text: English
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Surface Properties
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