Solution-processed vanadium oxides as a hole-transport layer for Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells

Aghighi, Amin; Guo, Liping; Vijayaraghavan, S. N.; Li, Dian; Duan, Xiaomeng; Menon, Harigovind; Wall, Jacob; Gupta, Subhadra; Cheng, Mark Ming‐Cheng; Zheng, Yufeng; Li, Lin; Yan, Feng

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2021.11.009

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…And the Li‐doped Sb 2 S 3 solar cell displays a lower EQE response in this wavelength, implying that high temperature in molten salt process may also induce the elements diffusion between CdS and Sb 2 S 3 . [ 45 ] This assumption is confirmed by a similar EQE profile for the device treated at the hot plate under the same conditions with MST (Figure S19, Supporting Information), indicating that the photogenerated electrons loss in this wavelength range for MST‐based device is not caused by Li doping. What is encouraging is that the photocurrent generation in the wavelength range of 500–760 nm is significantly enhanced by doping Li in Sb 2 S 3 thin films, which is mainly benefit from a favorable band alignment and [hk1] orientation as discussed above.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 57%

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Mao

Hu²,

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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Antimony sulfide (Sb 2 S 3 ) is emerging as a promising light harvesting material owing to its brilliant photoelectric property. However, the performance of Sb 2 S 3 -based solar cells is partly limited by serious back contact interface recombination and hole transportation resistance. High-efficiency Sb 2 S 3 devices typically use Spiro-OMeTAD and/or Au as back contact materials, but their stability and cost are a concern. In this sense, a surface modification scheme by lithium-doping is first introduced for Sb 2 S 3 via a facile molten salt method. The ions in the molten state have high mobility and activity, enabling doping reactions to complete within a short time. The lithium-doped Sb 2 S 3 thin film has a smooth and well-bonded surface, preferred (hk1) orientations, and an upshifted valence band maximum (VBM), which favors the hole extraction. Finally, a device using carbon as an electrode, which is more than a dozen times cheaper than gold, raises the short-circuit current density (J SC ) from 12.35 to 14.40 mA cm −2 , and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 4.47% to 6.16%. This is among the highest PCE reported for full-inorganic Sb 2 S 3 solar cells, which demonstrates a facile interface modification technique via molten alkali salt to improve the performance of Sb 2 S 3 solar cells.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 57%

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Mao

Hu²,

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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“…Another stable inorganic HTL that has also been applied as HTL in planar Sb 2 Se 3 is vanadium oxide (VO x ) (figure 14(g)), which is a p-type semiconductor consisting of non-toxic elements. Recently, the beneficial effects of VO x HTL on improving PV performance in Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells have been confirmed both by experimental and device simulation [70]. With VO x as an HTL, a built-in voltage is significantly enlarged and thus V oc is also improved.…”

Section: Inorganic Htlsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Interface engineering of antimony selenide solar cells: a review on the optimization of energy band alignments

Wang

Shin

2022

J. Phys. Energy

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Earth-abundant and environmentally benign antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has emerged as a promising light-harvesting absorber for thin-film photovoltaic devices due to its high absorption coefficient, nearly ideal bandgap for photovoltaic applications, excellent long-term stability, and intrinsically benign boundaries if properly aligned on the substrate. The record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2Se3 solar cells has currently reached 9.2%, however, it is far lower than the champion efficiencies of other chalcogenide thin-film solar cells such as CdTe (22.1%) and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (23.35%). The inferior device performance of Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells mainly results from a large open-circuit voltage deficit, which is strongly related to the interface recombination loss. Accordingly, constructing proper band alignments between Sb2Se3 and neighboring charge extraction layers through interface engineering to reduce carrier recombination losses is one of the key strategies to achieving high-efficiency Sb2Se3 solar cells. In this review, the fundamental properties of Sb2Se3 thin films, and the recent progress made in Sb2Se3 solar cells are outlined, with a special emphasis on the optimization of energy band alignments through the applications of electron-transporting layers and hole-transporting layers. Furthermore, the potential research directions to overcome the bottlenecks of Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cell performance are also presented.

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“…Inorganic HTMs have the advantages of high intrinsic stability and hole conductivity, in comparison to organic counterparts. Inorganic HTLs such as NiO, Cu 2 O, CuO, CuS, CuI, MnS, CuCrO 2 , CuGaO 2 , MoO 3 (as an interlayer), CuSCN, VO x , and WO x are inexpensive, abundant, and nontoxic and exhibit suitable band alignment for hole extraction. Due to the high hole mobility, good transparency, and stability, CuSCN has been considered as a potential HTL in Sb 2 X 3 solar cells .…”

Section: Key Device Limitations and Possible Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present Status and Future Perspective of Antimony Chalcogenide (Sb₂X₃) Photovoltaics

Barthwal

Kumar

Pathak

2022

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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Their unique quasi one-dimensional (Q1D) crystal structure and rapid power conversion efficiency (PCE) evolution evoke tremendous scientific and technological interest in antimony chalcogenide (Sb2X3, X = S, Se, or S x Se1–x ) photovoltaics (PVs). Solution processability, strong photon harvesting, readily tunable optoelectronic properties, exceptional physicochemical stability, nontoxicity, and earth-abundance are their key features, endorsing Sb2X3 as next-generation PVs. Benign, self-healing grain boundaries and defect-tolerance add to their merits, empowering Sb2X3 films to act like pseudo-single crystals. These semiconductors are born for flexible PVs, as their Q1D crystal structures aid ultrahigh flexibility and bending tolerance. Sb2X3 solar cells are efficient in recycling indoor and ambient light; thus, they are promising as indoor PVs (IPVs). Sb2X3 PVs exhibit potential to simultaneously solve the stability and toxicity issues faced by lead halide perovskite PVs and the cost issues faced by mainstream silicon PVs. Presently, a record certified PCE of 10.7% has been demonstrated by Sb2X3 solar cells; thus, they are emerging as a promising low-cost alternative to the commercially available PV technologies. This review presents a unique perspective of the fundamentals, recent breakthroughs, challenges, and futuristic developments in this field, offering a fundamental guideline for the rational engineering, design, and fabrication of high-PCE Sb2X3 solar cells. This review highlights Sb2X3 based, large area, tandem, and flexible solar cells and explores the commercial viability of this technology from generic power production to niche markets.

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Solution-processed vanadium oxides as a hole-transport layer for Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells

Cited by 21 publications

References 35 publications

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Interface engineering of antimony selenide solar cells: a review on the optimization of energy band alignments

Present Status and Future Perspective of Antimony Chalcogenide (Sb₂X₃) Photovoltaics

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Solution-processed vanadium oxides as a hole-transport layer for Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells

Cited by 21 publications

References 35 publications

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Molten Salts Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Efficient and Low‐Cost Full‐Inorganic Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

Interface engineering of antimony selenide solar cells: a review on the optimization of energy band alignments

Present Status and Future Perspective of Antimony Chalcogenide (Sb2X3) Photovoltaics

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Present Status and Future Perspective of Antimony Chalcogenide (Sb₂X₃) Photovoltaics