A refined Chebyshev modified strain gradient analysis of microscale solar cells

This paper presents a novel refined size-dependent mechanical model for bending and free vibration analyses of micro-scale solar cell structures. To overcome the limitations of classical continuum mechanics, a modified strain gradient theory (MSGT) incorporating three length scale parameters is utilized. A new Chebyshev-based refined shear deformation theory is introduced to accurately capture transverse shear deformation without shear correction factors, while satisfying traction-free boundary conditions. To effectively fulfill the higher-order continuity required by the MSGT, isogeometric approach (IGA) using non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) is implemented. A series of numerical examples are presented to investigate effects of the material length scale parameters, geometric characteristics and boundary conditions on the mechanical responses of the micro-scale solar cells. Obtained results demonstrate a pronounced size-dependent stiffening effect as the material length scales increase, leading to reduce and increase transverse deflections and natural frequencies, respectively. Furthermore, the material length scale parameters strongly influence the mechanical responses, highlighting the coupled roles of microstructure and structural configuration.