Solution Processed Bismuth Ferrite Thin Films for All-Oxide Solar Photovoltaics

Abstract

The present work delivers the first assessment of BiFeO 3 (BFO) thin films as an absorber for sustainable all-oxide photovoltaic devices. Films are deposited from a metal−organic precursor complex solution followed by annealing in air at 673 K for 2 h. Xray diffraction, complemented by quantitative analysis, indicated formation of pure BFO with rhombohedral structure (R 3 C). Atomic force microscopy suggests deposition of compact and smooth films with spherical particles of sizes ∼150 nm. A direct band gap of 2.2 eV is ascertained from UV−vis−NIR spectroscopy. Mechanistic aspects of the BFO formation are discussed based on thermograveminetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy of the precursor complex. A proof-of-concept BFO/ ZnO heterojunction based solar cell fabricated by solution processing delivered a photoconversion efficiency of 3.98% with open-circuit voltage (V oc ), short-circuit current density, and fill factor of 642 mV, 12.47 mA/cm 2 , and 50.4%, respectively. The device exhibits a maximum external quantum efficiency of nearly 70%. These parameters are among the highest values reported for all oxide PV. Analysis of the V oc , series resistance, and conversion efficiency as a function of temperature revealed valuable information about recombination processes.

Strategies for the deposition of LaFeO3 photocathodes: improving the photocurrent with a polymer template

“…S2 †). A band gap of 1.9-2.1 eV was found, assuming direct optical transitions, which is within previously published values 20,21 and encompasses the visiblelight region of the solar spectrum. LFO thin-lm electrodes were then fabricated by dispersing these powders in a solution of ethyl cellulose, terpineol, and ethanol.…”

“…20 BFO has shown some interesting properties as a solar absorber in solar cells, with a photoconversion efficiency close to 4% in a BFO/ZnO heterojunction photovoltaic device. 21 Bare BFO studied as a photocathode produced a photocurrent of À4 mA cm À2 at 0 V NHE with simulated sunlight, which was increased on the addition of Ag to À70 mA cm À2 . 22 Xu et al obtained higher photocurrents of up to À60 mA cm À2 with bare BFO using a 150 mW cm À2 visible lamp.…”

Rapid Thermal Treatment of Reactive Sputtering Grown Nanocrystalline Co3 O4 for Enhanced All-Oxide Photovoltaics

“…Moreover, the metal oxide materials can be tuned easily by doping . All‐oxide photovoltaics devices employing CuO, Cu 2 O, Fe 2 O 3 , Co 3 O 4 , and BiFeO 3 in a heterojunction configuration have been examined, with Cu 2 O/Ga 2 O 3 and BiFeO 3 /ZnO heterojunction showing the maximum conversion efficiency of ≈3.9% . In particular, the spinel Co 3 O 4 structure is very interesting because of its dual band gap of 1.5 and 2.2 eV, p‐type carriers, and excellent chemical stability, which satisfy the requirements of efficient and reliable single junction solar cells .…”

“…[1][2][3][4] All-oxide photovoltaics devices employing CuO, Cu 2 O, Fe 2 O 3 , Co 3 O 4 , and BiFeO 3 in a heterojunction configuration have been examined, with Cu 2 O/Ga 2 O 3 and BiFeO 3 / ZnO heterojunction showing the maximum conversion efficiency of %3.9%. [2,[5][6][7][8] In particular, the spinel Co 3 O 4 structure is very interesting because of its dual band gap of 1.5 and 2.2 eV, p-type carriers, and excellent chemical stability, which satisfy the requirements of efficient and reliable single junction solar cells. [9][10][11][12][13][14] The spinel structure of Co 3 O 4 is composed of two cation coordinates, a fourfold tetrahedral site (Co, 2 þ ) and a sixfold octahedral site (Co, 3 þ ) giving an overall formula of CoCo 2 O 4 .…”

Enhanced and ultrafast dye contaminated wastewater remediation using molybdenum doped bismuth ferrite nanoparticles

“…Bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanoparticles are considered a versatile material with lots of excellent and interesting applications in photovoltaic, solar cell, gas sensing, excellently visible light photocatalysis [9][10][11][12]. Since BFO has a moderate band gap (2.2 eV) with a high thermal and chemical stability it can be a potential candidate for photocatalytic dye-degradation using visible light.…”