OPTIMIZATION OF Cu2O PHOTOACTIVE LAYER FOR SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATION ON ALL OXIDE SOLAR CELL FOR SELF-POWERED SMART WINDOWS

Abstract

Smart windows are innovative window systems that are essential for sustainable building design because they can dynamically modify their transparency and boost energy efficiency by optimizing natural light, lowering the need for artificial lighting, and minimizing the strain on heating and cooling systems. An individual smart window requires very little electrical power to operate; but, if many of these windows are incorporated into a building, the power requirement may increase dramatically, resulting in higher costs for building maintenance. In order to incorporate All-Oxides Solar Cells (AOSCs) on smart windows for self-sustainability, we therefore intend to explore the prospect of investigating AOSCs as a renewable and continuous source of electricity during this research project. The foundation of AOSCs is semiconducting, economically viable solution-processable metal oxides. In contrast to perovskite solar cells, which need an inert atmosphere to prepare the photoactive layer, the production of these solar cells can be done in ambient settings. Silicon-based solar cells, on the other hand, are costly and opaque. Since AOSCs are transparent and stable against environmental factors, they may be the best choice to incorporate into smart windows for their self-sustainability. Our goal in this work is to optimize the Cu2O thin film for Cu2O/TiO2 planar heterojunction AOSC by using it as a photoactive p-type semiconductor. Under normal device testing protocols, the optimized Cu2O will be integrated into the ultimate photovoltaic device and tested against achieved power output. Based on the obtained power output, the experimental demonstration will be proposed to power a unit area of a given smart window.