Fig. 4: Expected variations of the characteristics of plasmonic solar cells, under illumination.
From: Simple experimental procedures to distinguish photothermal from hot-carrier processes in plasmonics
a Theoretical change of solar cell I−V characteristics expected if plasmonic nanoparticle excitation is actually improving the efficiency. b Effect of a temperature increase on solar cell characteristics (pn or Schottky junction), also associated with an increase in the short-circuit current ISC but with a decrease in the filling factor and thus of the efficiency. These plots highlight that to claim a positive effect of plasmonic nanoparticles on solar cell efficiency, the full I−V curve should be measured rather than only ISC
