Nb2O5-based solar fabrics

Abstract

Photo active fibers containing dye anchored Nb2O5 nanorods, hole conduction and electron conduction materials were synthesized by the electrospinning technique. A 1.92 cm2 piece of fabric, composed of randomly aligned nanorods, was tested as a photovoltaic device under standard illumination conditions. The solar fabric exhibited an open circuit voltage (Voc) of ∼0.67 V, a short current density (JSC) of 4.77×10-4 mA/cm2, a fill factor (FF) of ∼15%, and an overall photovoltaic conversion efficiency (η) of 4.5×10 -7%. This article presents for the first time the application of Nb2O5 in solar fabric. © 2010 Materials Research Society.