Improved efficiency of electrodeposited p-CuO/n-Cu₂O heterojunction solar cell

Abstract

We report electrodeposition of n-type cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) films on p-type CuO films electrodeposited on Ti substrates for forming p-CuO/n-Cu 2 O heterostructures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the films had good structural quality, with substrates being well-covered by the films. The p-CuO/n-Cu 2 O heterojunctions exhibited good photovoltaic properties and diode characteristics. The surfaces of Cu 2 O films subject to ammonium sulfide treatment exhibited enhanced photocurrents. Under AM 1.5 illumniation, the obtained sulfur-treated and annealed Ti/p-CuO/n-Cu 2 O/Au solar cell structure yielded energy conversion efficiency of 0.64%, with V oc = 220 mV and J sc = 6.8 mA cm %2 .

Density functional theory study explaining the underperformance of copper oxides as photovoltaic absorbers

“…The main reason that copper oxides are still attracting the attention of the scientific community is owing to the theoretical PCE of Cu 2 O and CuO, which is estimated using the Shockley and Queisser (SQ) [7] predictor to be 20% and 30%, respectively [8]. Although, to the best of our knowledge, data for the PCE of Cu 4 O 3 do not exist, some authors have suggested that it could be a better absorbing material than the previously characterized copper materials [9].…”

Annealing effects of the untreated and sulfur-treated electrodeposited n-type and p-type cuprous oxide thin films

“…The passivation along with annealing was successfully used to improve the efficiency of Ti/p‐CuO/n‐Cu 2 O/Au solar cell. The cell yielded a power conversion efficiency of 0.64%, which to the best of our knowledge is the highest reported efficiency for a CuO‐based solar cell . Further studies with regard to structural and thermal stability of passivated and annealed Cu 2 O thin films will provide important information for improving the performance of such devices.…”

Effect of Zn Doping in CuO Octahedral Crystals towards Structural, Optical, and Gas Sensing Properties

“…It has been utilized in numerous applications including photocatalysis, supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, infrared photo detectors, biosensors, and gas sensors [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. It is an ideal absorber material for solar cells, as its optical absorption edge lies in the range between 1.2 eV and 1.9 eV [9,10]. It is an excellent sensing material.…”