Due to the recent surge in silicon demand for solar modules, thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules have a potential to penetrate the market in significant numbers. As an alternate candidate, thin film technologies in PVs have the ability to achieve better performance. The competing thin-film PV technologies have the flexibility to adapt to any sort of curvature compared to rigid solar cells (SCs). Due to the peculiar characteristics of newer solar materials, stability issues, reflection losses, advancements in electrode materials and dopant materials with a photoactive layer are current challenges driving the industrial-academic voyage of development of solar materials for the betterment of Photo-conversion Efficiency (PCE). Based on the photoactive materials used over time, SC evolution was broadly classified into first, second and third generation SCs. In this review, the basic working mechanisms, various materials used, drawbacks and stability issues of different SCs are discussed extensively. Thin film SCs tend to absorb certain elastic deformations due to their flexible nature and to a certain extent. According to the NREL efficiency chart, multi-junctional SCs exhibit enhanced efficiency as compared to the other SCs. Among the third-generation SCs, the perovskite/Si tandem architecture shows a maximum efficiency of approximately 29%. Thin film flexible SCs find application in various sectors such as automobile, defense and/or energy storage devices

The current research focuses on sol-gel derived synthesis and RF sputter deposition of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) over polycrystalline Si solar cell. Various coating layers were obtained under different sputter deposition at regular intervals. The influence of MoS2 sputter coating on optical, thermal chemical structural properties was examined through various characterisation techniques. 30 minutes coated solar cell reported maximum light transmittance of 95 % in the visible spectrum and minimum electrical resistivity of 2 × 10-3ohm-cm. 30 minutes coated solar cell exhibited maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.19 % (open source) and 21.01 % (controlled source). Thermal imaging data reveal that the optimal coating layer experiences a minimum temperature of 33.9 °C and 49.9 °C. From experimental results, sputter deposited MoS2 Si solar cells experience minimum light reflectance and enhanced cell performance.

This research work focuses on augmenting the power conversion efficiency of the polycrystalline silicon solar cell with the aid of antireflection coating (ARC) of synthesized molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂). The sol-gel technique and electrospraying method were preferred for synthesizing and depositing MoS₂ as transparent thin films on the surface of the solar cells. The optical, electrical, structural, and thermal properties of the coated solar cells were analyzed for understanding the influence of the MoS₂ coating. Five different samples (A-II, A-III, A-IV, A-V, and A-VI) were coated with varying coating time. Among them, 120 min coated sample experienced a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.96% and 18.82% under direct sunlight and neodymium light with resistivity as low as . The investigation of optical properties of the coated solar cells revealed a maximum transmittance of 93.6% and minimum reflectance of 6.3%, achieved for A-IV sample in the visible UV spectrum. Sample A-IV showed prominent results in the temperature analysis with temperatures as low as 38.9°C in uncontrolled and 43.2°C in controlled source environments. The results from various analyses proved that MoS₂ was an appropriate material for an antireflection coating to enhance the performance of polycrystalline solar cell.

Solar cells are capable of converting light energy into electrical energy and can completely replace the utilization of fossil fuel energy resources. The current research work majorly concentrates on the development and coating of antireflection materials over the front contact of silicon solar cells. Ferrous disulphide was one of the wide band gap semiconductors employed as a catalytic electrode (in DSSCs), counter electrode (in QDSSs), and solar energy harvester. FeS₂ was synthesized through the hydrothermal method. The antireflective coating was performed over solar cells through the electrospraying technique. It was found that the antireflective material was distributed evenly over the coating substrate at 2ml/h for 30 (F1), 60 (F2), 90 (F3), and 120 (F4) min. The coated solar cells were examined under neodymium light illumination mimicking sunlight. The effect of electrosprayed FeS₂ films adhered over the front contact of solar cells was evaluated using various characterization techniques. The maximum efficiency attained by coated solar cells under indirect light was 19.6. With the aid of electrospraying, hydrothermally synthesized FeS₂ assists incoming photons with energy greater than the bandgap of a procured Si solar cell to take part in the photogeneration process. The maximum Isc and Voc of 38.08mA/cm² and 0.655V were achieved for the F3 solar cell under neodymium irradiation.