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Innovative Thin Films and Coatings for Solar Cells
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Innovative Thin Films and Coatings for Solar Cells

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Engineering for Energy Harvesting, Conversion, and Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 3080

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Latha Marasamy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Química, Materiales-Energía, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro C.P. 76010, Querétaro, Mexico
Interests: chalcogenide perovskites; metal sulfides; metal oxides; metal–organic frameworks; carbon/graphene-based materials; metal nitrides and borides; solar cells; thin-films; SCAPS-1D simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Karthick Sekar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut des Matériaux, de Microélectronique et des Nanosciences de Provence, Aix-Marseille University (AMU), Marseille, France
Interests: perovskite materials; thin films; single and multijunction solar cells; ZnO nanowires; DFT; SCAPS-1D simulations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring the innovative use of thin films and coatings specifically designed for solar cell applications. The focus includes a variety of coatings applied to key components of solar cells, such as light absorbers and electron and hole transport layers. We invite contributions that utilize a diverse range of coating methods, both vacuum-based and non-vacuum-based, to enhance the performance and efficiency of solar cells across various technologies. We encourage submissions related to a wide array of solar cell types, including thin-film solar cells, lead and lead-free halide perovskite solar cells, organic solar cells, hybrid solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells. We urge authors to submit original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and insightful perspectives aimed at advancing the field of solar cell materials and their coatings to promote efficient energy conversion. Contributions should address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Proposing and developing novel energy materials that enhance solar cell performance.
  • The application and optimization of coating techniques for solar cell materials, using either vacuum or non-vacuum processes.
  • Investigating and analyzing the effects of different absorbers and transport layers on solar cell efficiency and overall performance.
  • Introducing innovative coating processes specifically designed for solar cell applications, detailing the methodologies and potential impacts.

We look forward to receiving submissions that push the boundaries of knowledge in solar cell coatings and contribute to the development of more effective solar energy solutions.

Dr. Latha Marasamy
Dr. Karthick Sekar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel energy materials
  • vacuum coatings
  • non-vacuum coatings
  • thin film solar cells
  • perovskite solar cells
  • organic solar cell
  • hybrid solar cells
  • dye-sensitized solar cells

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 933 KB  
Article
A Study on the Mechanical Properties of Perovskite Films Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation
by Xuejin Yang, Kemin Zhou, Rui Li, Junsheng Yang, Fangyan Zheng and Shaoyun Song
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020212 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 657
Abstract
The bottleneck of service stability of perovskite solar cells is rooted in the mechanical failure of its active layer materials at the micro scale. In order to deeply understand this process, the nano-indentation mechanical response of all-inorganic perovskite CsPbBr3 under pre-stress was [...] Read more.
The bottleneck of service stability of perovskite solar cells is rooted in the mechanical failure of its active layer materials at the micro scale. In order to deeply understand this process, the nano-indentation mechanical response of all-inorganic perovskite CsPbBr3 under pre-stress was studied by molecular dynamics simulation at the atomic scale. The core of this research work is to systematically reveal the quantitative influence of prestress, an inevitable initial stress state in the preparation and service of practical devices, on the near-surface mechanical behavior of materials. Firstly, the stress–strain response of the CsPbBr3 model at 300 K, 350 K, and 400 K was verified. The temperature dependence of its mechanical properties and the consistency with the experimental values confirmed the reliability of the force field and simulation method. In addition, by applying a series of uniaxial pre-strains, we analyzed the influence of prestress on the evolution of the force-depth curve and indentation strain during nano-indentation. The results show that the introduction of pre-strain will induce the material to have a significant “softening effect” and systematically reduce its ability to resist the intrusion of the indenter. More importantly, this study quantitatively reveals the asymmetric influence of prestress direction: tensile prestress leads to more serious softening than compressive prestress with the same amplitude, indicating that materials are more prone to plastic deformation under tensile preload. This work clarifies the key regulation function of prestress on the mechanical properties of perovskite thin films and provides a crucial theoretical basis for constructing accurate cross-scale mechanical models and designing perovskite photoelectric devices with high reliability and fatigue resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Thin Films and Coatings for Solar Cells)
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15 pages, 1641 KB  
Article
P-Type Emitter Thin-Film Fabrication by a Dry–Wet–Dry Mixed Oxidation in TOPCon Solar Cells
by Yan Guo, Xingrong Zhu, Cheng Xie, Jiabing Huang and Jicheng Zhou
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020157 - 25 Jan 2026
Viewed by 999
Abstract
To address the high-temperature and high-cost challenges of the conventional dry oxidation process in boron diffusion for n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cells, this study proposes a dry–wet–dry mixed oxidation drive-in process for fabricating p-type emitters in TOPCon solar cells. Through systematic [...] Read more.
To address the high-temperature and high-cost challenges of the conventional dry oxidation process in boron diffusion for n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cells, this study proposes a dry–wet–dry mixed oxidation drive-in process for fabricating p-type emitters in TOPCon solar cells. Through systematic investigation of oxidation temperature, O2/H2O flow ratio, and oxidation time effects on emitter performance, it is found that mixed oxidation at 1000 °C achieves comparable sheet resistance and doping profiles to dry oxidation at 1050 °C. For our newly developed mixed oxidation process, in which the oxidation temperature is 1000 °C, oxidation time is 80 min with O2/H2O flow ratio of 20:1, the same photoelectric conversion efficiency has been achieved. Comparing the data, the mixed oxidation process forms a dry/wet/dry three-layer SiO2 structure, reducing the oxidation temperature by 50 °C while achieving an average efficiency of 26.02%, comparable to high-temperature dry oxidation. This process not only reduces the thermal budget of quartz tubes and extends equipment service life but also provides a feasible solution for the low-temperature manufacturing of high-efficiency TOPCon solar cells, showing significant industrial application prospects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Thin Films and Coatings for Solar Cells)
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16 pages, 3894 KB  
Article
Electrospun ZnO Nanofibers as Functional Interlayer in CdS/PbS-Based n–p Thin Film Solar Cells
by Rodrigo Hernández-Hernández, Liliana Licea-Jiménez, Francisco de Moure-Flores, José Santos-Cruz, Aime Gutiérrez-Peralta and Claudia Elena Pérez-García
Coatings 2025, 15(12), 1371; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15121371 - 24 Nov 2025
Viewed by 835
Abstract
We introduce a fully solution-processed interlayer strategy for n–p CdS/PbS thin film solar cells that combines a sol–gel ZnO compact coating with an electrospun ZnO nanofiber network. The synthesis and characterization of ZnO, CdS, and PbS thin films, complemented by electrospun ZnO nanofibers, [...] Read more.
We introduce a fully solution-processed interlayer strategy for n–p CdS/PbS thin film solar cells that combines a sol–gel ZnO compact coating with an electrospun ZnO nanofiber network. The synthesis and characterization of ZnO, CdS, and PbS thin films, complemented by electrospun ZnO nanofibers, are aimed at low-cost photovoltaic applications. Sol–gel ZnO films exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a bandgap (Eg) of approximately 3.28 eV, functioning effectively as electron transport and hole-blocking layers. CdS films prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) showed mixed cubic and hexagonal phases with an Eg of about 2.44 eV. PbS films deposited at low temperature displayed a cubic galena structure with a bandgap of approximately 0.40 eV. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed uniform ZnO and CdS surface coatings and a conformal 1D ZnO network with nanofibers measuring about 50 nm in diameter (ranging from 49.9 to 53.4 nm), which enhances interfacial contact coverage. PbS films exhibited dense grains ranging from 50 to 150 nm, and EDS confirmed the expected stoichiometries. Electrical characterization indicated low carrier densities and high resistivities consistent with low-temperature processing, while mobilities remained within reported ranges. The incorporation of ZnO layers and nanofibers significantly improved device performance, particularly at the CdS/PbS heterojunction. The device achieved a Voc of 0.26 V, an Jsc of 3.242 mA/cm2, and an efficiency of 0.187%. These improvements are attributed to enhanced electron transport selectivity and reduced interfacial recombination provided by the percolated 1D ZnO network, along with effective hole blocking by the compact film and increased surface area. Fill-factor limitations are linked to series resistance losses, suggesting potential improvements through fiber densification, sintering, and control of the compact layer thickness. This work is a proof-of-concept of a fully solution-processed and low-temperature CdS/PbS architecture. Efficiencies remain modest due to low carrier concentrations typical of low-temperature CBD films and the deliberate omission of high-temperature annealing/ligand exchange. Overall, this non-vacuum, low-temperature coating method establishes electrospun ZnO as a tunable functional interlayer for CdS/PbS devices and offers a practical pathway to elevate power output in scalable productions. These findings highlight the potential of nanostructured intermediate layers to optimize charge separation and transport in low-cost PbS/CdS/ZnO solar cell architectures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Thin Films and Coatings for Solar Cells)
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