An isogeometric approach of static, free vibration and buckling analyses of multilayered solar cell structures

Abstract

In recent years, the utilization of renewable energy sources has emerged as a prevalent trend, both globally among countries as well as within engineering applications. Solar energy has attracted significant interest from the research community, primarily for its exceptional ability to produce electric energy in an eco-friendly and sustainable way. The current work is dedicated to introducing a powerful and effective numerical framework for analyzing the fundamental mechanical behavior of multilayered solar cell structures, namely static, vibration, and buckling problems. The key formulations are developed from a five-variable generalized higher-order shear deformation model in conjunction with NURBS-based isogeometric analysis (IGA). We, in this research, examine two typical kinds of flexible solar cell structures: Organic Solar Cells (OSCs) and Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs), belonging to the latest generation and offering various excellent advantages in terms of efficiency and production costs. For the first time, we conduct comprehensive parametric investigations to evaluate how various input parameters affect the static deflections, natural frequencies as well as critical buckling parameters of two multilayered solar cell models under different conditions. The novel findings presented in this article can be referred to as valuable reference results for future analyses of static, buckling and vibration problems. Furthermore, the insights obtained will be pivotal for guiding future analyses, designs, and fabrications of multilayered solar cell structures.