{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T18:14:48Z","timestamp":1778868888909,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778803200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100023674","name":"Deanship of Scientific Research, King Khalid University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RGP2\/175\/46"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP2\/175\/46"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100023674","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Texturing is a critical process for enhancing monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency by reducing surface reflectance and improving light absorption. This study investigates the effect of introducing potassium silicate (K\u2082SiO\u2083) as an additive during alkaline texturing while simultaneously reducing the concentration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA)\u2014a volatile organic solvent commonly employed to control anisotropic etching, ensuring uniform pyramid formation. The analysis examines surface morphology, particularly the pyramid structures formed on silicon wafers, and evaluates changes in photovoltaic performance with and without K\u2082SiO\u2083 addition. Wafers were weighed before and after texturing to quantify material removal. Weight loss measurements showed that texturing with 500\u2009mL IPA alone (without K\u2082SiO\u2083) resulted in excessive etching (1.057\u2009g, exceeding the optimal range of 0.6\u20131.0\u2009g), while addition of 5\u2009g K\u2082SiO\u2083 with reduced IPA (250\u2009mL) yielded controlled weight loss (0.942\u2009g) within the acceptable range. This demonstrates that potassium silicate regulates the etching process, preventing over-texturing and improving surface quality. Following plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), the thickness and refractive index of the deposited SiN\u2093 anti-reflection coating were measured using ellipsometry, yielding values of 87.1\u2009nm and 1.99 for wafers textured without K\u2082SiO\u2083 (500\u2009mL IPA), and 81.6\u2009nm and 1.93 for those processed with K\u2082SiO\u2083 (250\u2009mL IPA\u2009+\u20095\u2009g K\u2082SiO\u2083). Completed solar cells were characterized using current\u2013voltage (I\u2013V) measurements to determine electrical parameters and efficiency. All experiments were conducted at the Egyptian-Chinese Laboratory for Renewable Energy Applications. Pyramid homogeneity was further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Statistical analysis including ANOVA and Tukey HSD post-hoc testing was performed to validate the significance of observed efficiency improvements.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0348411","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T17:43:52Z","timestamp":1778867032000},"page":"e0348411","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Monocrystalline silicon solar cell efficiency dependence on potassium silicate additive in texturing process with a study on the effect of the active material"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Salwa","family":"Abdel Naser","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8598-9983","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ahmed A. 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