Illustration of a highly efficient solar cell.

Can This Tiny Coating Make Solar Panels Way More Efficient?

Reese Marlowe in Tech & Innovation September 2025 • 3 min read.

"Scientists are exploring how mesoporous materials can boost solar cell performance."

Solar energy is booming, but the quest for higher efficiency never stops. Traditional silicon solar cells, while dominant, have their limits. Researchers are constantly seeking ways to squeeze more power out of every ray of sunlight.

Now, a team of scientists is exploring the potential of mesoporous materials – tiny, porous structures – to enhance solar cell performance. Their work focuses on coatings made from mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and copper-modified TiO2, applied to silicon solar cells to improve light conversion efficiency.

This article dives into their findings, breaking down how these coatings work and what they could mean for the future of solar energy.

How Do Mesoporous Coatings Boost Solar Cell Efficiency?

Illustration of a highly efficient solar cell.

The core idea is that these coatings improve how well the solar cell captures and uses sunlight. The study involved applying different concentrations of mesoporous TiO2 (MT) and copper-modified mesoporous TiO2 (CMT) to single-crystalline silicon solar cells. Researchers then carefully measured how these coatings affected the cell's performance, comparing them to uncoated cells.

Here's a breakdown of what they observed:

MT Coatings: The conversion efficiency increased up to a certain point, peaking at 9.77% with a 1.0% concentration of the coating. Beyond that, efficiency decreased.
CMT Coatings: The best efficiency here was 8.85%, achieved at a lower concentration of 0.5%.
Surface Passivation: The key seems to be that CMT particles provide better surface passivation, meaning they reduce electron loss at the surface. Copper in CMT helps trap electrons.

In essence, these coatings act like tiny light-management systems, optimizing how light interacts with the solar cell to generate electricity more efficiently. This is further confirmed by recombination lifetime measurements, which show that CMT particles enhance surface passivation, leading to increased efficiency. Diffused reflectance and short-circuit current ratio studies also indicated CMT particles outperform MT particles.

The Future of Solar is Bright (and Porous)

This research highlights the potential of mesoporous materials to push the boundaries of solar cell technology. While more work is needed to optimize these coatings and understand their long-term stability, the results suggest a promising path towards more efficient and cost-effective solar energy. Imagine solar panels that generate significantly more power from the same amount of sunlight – that's the kind of future these tiny coatings could unlock.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1002/solr.201800214, Alternate LINK

Title: Improved Light Efficiency In Si Solar Cells By Coating Mesoporous Tio ₂ And Cu‐Modified Mesoporous Tio ₂

Subject: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Journal: Solar RRL

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Ajay K. Ravuvari, Sandeep Yechuri, Ch Chaitanya, Cherukupalli Rajesh

Published: 2018-10-25

Everything You Need To Know

How do coatings of mesoporous titanium dioxide boost the efficiency of silicon solar cells?

Mesoporous coatings, specifically mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and copper-modified TiO2 (CMT), enhance solar cell efficiency by improving how the cell captures and uses sunlight. These coatings act like light-management systems, optimizing light interaction with the solar cell to generate more electricity. CMT particles, in particular, provide better surface passivation, reducing electron loss at the surface due to the copper.

What were the key findings regarding the conversion efficiency when using mesoporous TiO2 and copper-modified TiO2 coatings?

In the study, single-crystalline silicon solar cells were coated with varying concentrations of mesoporous TiO2 (MT) and copper-modified mesoporous TiO2 (CMT). The conversion efficiency peaked at 9.77% with a 1.0% concentration of MT. CMT achieved the best efficiency of 8.85% at a lower concentration of 0.5%. These results were compared against uncoated cells to quantify the improvement. Recombination lifetime measurements confirmed that CMT particles enhance surface passivation, leading to increased efficiency.

Why does copper-modified TiO2 outperform regular mesoporous TiO2 in enhancing solar cell efficiency?

Copper-modified TiO2 (CMT) particles outperform mesoporous TiO2 (MT) particles because the copper in CMT helps trap electrons, improving surface passivation. Surface passivation reduces electron loss at the surface of the solar cell, leading to higher efficiency. Diffused reflectance and short-circuit current ratio studies have also indicated that CMT particles outperform MT particles in these aspects.

What are the potential future implications of using mesoporous coatings on solar panels?

The future implications involve potentially creating more efficient and cost-effective solar energy solutions. Solar panels could generate significantly more power from the same amount of sunlight, which would decrease the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). However, the long-term stability of these coatings needs to be understood better, and further optimization is required before widespread adoption.

What are mesoporous materials, and how do they contribute to improving solar cell performance?

Mesoporous materials are tiny, porous structures that, when used as coatings on solar cells, improve light capture and conversion efficiency. In this context, mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and copper-modified TiO2 (CMT) are used to enhance the performance of silicon solar cells. These materials optimize light interaction with the solar cell, leading to improved electricity generation. Without the pores, light would not be scattered in a manner that promotes absorbtion inside the active region.