Transparent conductive aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were investigated as potential recombination layers for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, comparing the results of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and magnetron sputtering (MS) on vertically aligned silicon nanowire (SiNW) scaffolds. Conformality and thickness control were examined by cross-sectional SEM/TEM and profilometry, revealing fully conformal ALD coatings with tunable thicknesses (40–120 nm) versus tip-capped, semi-uniform MS films (100–120 nm). Optical transmission measurements on glass substrates showed that both 120 nm ALD and MS layers exhibit interference maxima near 450–500 nm and 72–89% transmission across 800–1200 nm; the thinnest ALD films reached up to 86% near-IR transparency. Four-point probe analysis demonstrated that ALD reduces surface resistance from 1150 Ω/□ at 40 nm to 245 Ω/□ at 120 nm, while MS layers achieved 317 Ω/□ at 120 nm. These results delineate the balance between conformality, transparency, and conductivity, providing design guidelines for AZO recombination interfaces in next-generation tandem photovoltaics.

In this paper, comparative studies of selected properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coatings deposited using electron beam evaporation (EBE) and ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) are presented. Post-process annealing at 800 °C was also conducted to examine its impact on the properties of the prepared coatings. After annealing at 800 °C, a transition from amorphous to the anatase phase occurred for all coatings. In particular, an increase in ion beam current led to a reduction in crystallite size by approximately 30% compared to coatings prepared by conventional EBE process. The average anatase crystallite size for annealed films was in the range of 30.8 to 43.5 nm. A detailed SEM analysis of surface morphology and cross sections revealed that the TiO₂ films prepared by IBAD had smaller, rounded grains and were denser compared to those deposited by EBE. Optical properties showed high transparency of 77–83% in the visible wavelength range for all as-prepared thin films. However, annealing caused a decrease of the transparency level by 32% for films deposited by EBE, while for films from the IBAD process the decrease was less than 10%. The use of an ion gun increased the hardness of the TiO₂ films from 2.4 to 3.5 GPa (I_ibg = 4 A). Although a similar relationship was observed for coatings after annealing, hardness values were lower than for as-deposited coatings. The most notable differences were observed in the abrasion tests, where the IBAD process significantly enhanced the abrasion resistance of the coatings. This research highlights the potential of IBAD to prepare dense, adhesive, and durable TiO₂ coatings with improved optical and mechanical properties, suitable for applications requiring enhanced wear resistance.

This paper presents a study of gel electrolyte properties that may be applied in electrochromic devices. This research aimed to develop a stable and conductive gel electrolyte capable of dynamically changing light transmission in response to an applied voltage. The tested gels were prepared based on hydroxyethylcellulose, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, sorbitol, glycerol, and conductive salt LiClO4. During the research, the physicochemical properties of the gels were analysed, including mass change, density, ionic conductivity, and resistance. The optical quality of the gels was evaluated based on light transmission measurements. The conducted tests allowed for the selection of an optically homogeneous, transparent soft gel, free from air bubbles and contaminants. The highest ionic conductivity value obtained was 32.7 mS/cm2. The transparency changes observed in the constructed electrochromic device, depending on the type of gel, were from 55% to 90%.