Transparent layers of conductive materials by inkjet printing for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (8773)

[EN] The aim of these studies is to produce transparent layers of conductive material on a transparent substrate by inkjet printing for applications on photovoltaic cells. This work is focused on the process of obtaining a succession of overlapping and interconnected drops of water-based carbon nanotubes ink on a glass substrate by the method of inkjet printing. The Coffee Stain Effect (CSE) will also be investigated to improve the electrical conductivity of the printed layers. Fig.1.1 presents a similar array of deposited droplets. In this work, several experiments have been performed by varying different printer parameters to produce a layer of overlapping droplets. Printing parameters include the distance between the substrate and the nozzle plane, the temperature of the substrate during printing and the separation between drops. Fluid properties were also studied as the percentage of carbon nanotubes plays an important role for better conductivity results. Therefore, studies were conducted with different percentages of carbon nanotubes to find which conditions produced a maximum concentration of particles at the periphery of the dry drop and minimum of particles in the center. In addition, the printed layer was exposed to different treatments such as heating in a furnace, exposure to photographic flashes and in a water vapor atmosphere to find which process reduces the electric resistance. After these batteries of tests, the conditions and the treatment that produces the better conductivity was found.