development of smart nanocomposites to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic systems in agricultural environments

Increasing energy demand and environmental challenges caused by fossil fuel consumption have made the development of renewable energy sources a necessity. in this regard, photovoltaic systems, as a leading technology in converting solar energy into electricity, play a pivotal role. however, the efficiency of these systems, especially in agricultural environments, is affected by environmental factors such as dust accumulation, temperature fluctuations, and shading. this research aimed to develop smart nanocomposite coatings based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mwcnts) to improve the performance of photovoltaic systems in such environments. the synthesized nanocomposite with different percentages of mwcnts (0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) was coated on polycrystalline silicon solar cells and investigated by various methods including sem, ft-ir, uv-vis, and current-voltage (i-v) curve analysis. the results showed that the sample containing 0.5 wt% mwcnts had the best performance with a power conversion efficiency (pce) of 4.57%, short-circuit current density (jsc) of 10.20 ma cm2, and the lowest series resistance (rs) and charge transfer resistance (rct1). this improvement was due to the increase in electrical conductivity, improved charge transfer, and favorable dispersion of nanotubes. however, increasing the percentage of mwcnts to 1% resulted in a decrease in performance due to nanotube aggregation and decreased dispersion. this study indicates that the developed nanocomposite coatings have great potential to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of photovoltaic systems in agricultural environments.