This thesis ‘’An Investigation of Tin Chalcogenide Precursors and Thin Film Materials for Applications in Energy Harvesting Devices’’ encompasses a range of research areas. The report can be divided into two categories: The first is the design of novel heavy tin chalcogenide complexes and compounds that demonstrate the recent advances in main group chemistry and act as potential precursor candidates for CVD processes. The second category follows on from the previous, and focuses on materials deposited and their successive development, characterisation and optimisation for device applications. Subsequently, an array of metal chalcogenide thin films have been deposited and characterised within this project. By designing of a number of the tin chalcogenide precursors and precursor solutions it has been possible to selectively deposit thin films of Sn, α-SnS and cubic-SnS polymorphs, SnS2, SnSe, and SnTe via a low-cost deposition route known as aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AA-CVD). It is proposed that the processes developed in this PhD can be adapted to deposit a wider spectrum of metal chalcogenide materials using cost effective techniques. Even though there is a wide scope of the possible applications for the aforementioned materials, the study has only been extended towards the characterisation of the optoelectronic properties of phase pure α-SnS and cubic-SnS samples, and SnS2 thin films deposited onto FTO, Mo and graphene substrates. The optimum deposition parameters for the application of these materials has been defined. In collaboration with a research group at the Institut de Recerca de Energia de Catalunya (iREC), Barcelona, Spain, an extended study of the photovoltaic properties of the α-SnS and Cubic-SnS samples is also presented, from which a series of SnS based thin film photovoltaic devices have been fabricated and characterised. This study present some of the few reports explicitly comparing the PV properties of the two α-SnS and Cubic-SnS polymorphs.

Microgeneration technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), have recently been cited as a potential solution to energy policy challenges such as climate change and security of supply. International evidence suggests that the benefit of a PV installation will depend on both the amount of electricity generated and the technology’s influence on energy consumption behaviour. This study seeks to quantify and explain this ‘double-dividend’ effect by examining photovoltaics in the UK domestic sector. Questionnaire and interview data were collected from owner-occupier PV households, revealing that the installation of PV increased awareness of electricity generation and consumption in the home. Guided by monitoring devices, an overall electricity saving (~8%) and load-shifting behaviours were observed. Although the installation of PV followed a series of other energy-saving measures, respondents showed an ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible behaviour and further reduction of the carbon footprint of household energy consumption. PV household electricity data and interviews with industry and government found that electricity tariffs, metering and other institutional constraints were important determinants of a household’s behavioural response. As these parts of the domestic PV system are largely still evolving, it is recommended that households and industry work together to develop systems that support sustainable electricity use, for both the early adopting households studied here and future adopters.

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This thesis describes the issue of PN junction of photovoltaic cells, photovoltaic effect physics, basic materials used in photovoltaic and their properties, important for the area of photovoltaic. It deals with the problems of magnetism focused on electromagnetic fields. Experimental facility for measuring the influence of magnetic field on the solar cells through the Helmholtz coils was constructed. This work also dealing with the influence of magnetic radiation on photovoltaic cells and the influence of electromagnetic waves on the volt-ampere characteristics of the photovoltaic cell.