Graphenized carbon nanofiber: a novel light-trapping and conductive material to achieve an efficiency breakthrough in silicon solar cells.

An innovative 1D material--graphenized carbon nanofiber--is designed and synthesized. The nanofiber exhibits superior light-scattering properties, ultralow absorption loss, and high electrical conductivity, and enables a wide range of applications. Simply integrating the nanofibers with the state-of-the-art silicon solar cells leads to a leaping efficiency boost of 3.8%, almost five times higher than the current world record.