Enhanced electrical conductivity of transparent electrode using metal microfiber networks for gridless thin-film solar cells

Abstract

Improving the optical transmittance and electrical conductivity in transparent conductors (TC) has been a critical issue for decades due to their numerous applications. In this paper, we suggest an approach to produce extremely conductive TC material from electroplated Ni microfiber networks (NiMFs) in order to achieve highly efficient and aesthetically superior thin-film solar cells and modules. The high cross-sectional aspect ratio of NiMFs significantly enhanced their electrical conductivity and optical transmittance simultaneously. The TC structure employing NiMFs was a successful substitute for conventional patterned grids in Cu(In,Ga)Se