Solar materials

Solar materials are materials for converting sunlight into usable electrical energy or heat in photovoltaic or solar thermal systems. To do this, they must effectively absorb the incident light and have a high conductivity in order to transport the absorbed energy. Due to their outdoor environment, they require high resistance to environmental conditions such as humidity and UV radiation. Solar materials are designed as thin film stacks, combining the properties of semiconductors, metals and dielectrics for specific applications. Their performance can be further optimized through plasma surface treatments to enhance durability and absorption characteristics. Spin coating processes and magnetron sputtering are mainly used for their fabrication.