| Title |
Upcycling Silicon Photovoltaic Waste into Thermoelectrics |
| ID_Doc |
20231 |
| Authors |
Cao, J; Sim, Y; Tan, XY; Zheng, J; Chien, SW; Jia, N; Chen, KW; Tay, YB; Dong, JF; Yang, L; Ng, HK; Liu, HF; Tan, CKI; Xie, GF; Zhu, Q; Li, ZB; Zhang, G; Hu, L; Zheng, Y; Xu, JW; Yan, QY; Loh, XJ; Mathews, N; Wu, J; Suwardi, A |
| Title |
Upcycling Silicon Photovoltaic Waste into Thermoelectrics |
| Year |
2022 |
| Published |
Advanced Materials, 34, 19 |
| DOI |
10.1002/adma.202110518 |
| Abstract |
Two decades after the rapid expansion of photovoltaics, the number of solar panels reaching end-of-life is increasing. While precious metals such as silver and copper are usually recycled, silicon, which makes up the bulk of a solar cells, goes to landfills. This is due to the defect- and impurity-sensitive nature in most silicon-based technologies, rendering it uneconomical to purify waste silicon. Thermoelectrics represents a rare class of material in which defects and impurities can be engineered to enhance the performance. This is because of the majority-carrier nature, making it defect- and impurity-tolerant. Here, the upcycling of silicon from photovoltaic (PV) waste into thermoelectrics is enabled. This is done by doping 1% Ge and 4% P, which results in a figure of merit (zT) of 0.45 at 873 K, the highest among silicon-based thermoelectrics. The work represents an important piece of the puzzle in realizing a circular economy for photovoltaics and electronic waste. |
| Author Keywords |
circular economy; energy harvesting; E-waste; photovoltaics; recycling; silicon; sustainability; thermoelectrics; upcycling |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:000773767900001 |
| WoS Category |
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Chemistry, Physical; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied; Physics, Condensed Matter |
| Research Area |
Chemistry; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Materials Science; Physics |
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