Wide Bandgap Sb₂S₃ Solar Cells

Abstract

The wide bandgap Sb 2 S 3 is considered to be one of the most promising absorber layers in single-junction solar cells and a suitable top-cell candidate for multi-junction (tandem) solar cells. However, compared to mature thinfilm technologies, Sb 2 S 3 based thin-film solar cells are still lagging behind in the power conversion efficiency race, and the highest of just 7.5% has been achieved to date in a sensitized single-junction structure. Furthermore, to break single junction solar cell based Shockley-Queisser (S-Q) limits, tandem devices with wide bandgap top-cells and low bandgap bottom-cells hold a high potential for efficient light conversion. Though matured and desirable bottom-cell candidates like silicon (Si) are available, the corresponding mature wide bandgap top-cell candidates are still lacking. Hence, a literature review based on Sb 2 S 3 solar cells is urgently warranted. In this review, the progress and present status of Sb 2 S 3 solar cells are summarized. An emphasis is placed mainly on the improvement of absorber quality and device performance. Moreover, the low-performance causes and possible overcoming mechanisms are also explained. Last but not least, the potential and feasibility of Sb 2 S 3 in tandem devices are vividly discussed. In the end, several strategies and perspectives for future research are outlined.

Chemical insight into the hydrothermal deposition of Sb2(S,Se)3 towards delicate microstructure engineering

“…Antimony sulfoselenide (Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 ) solar cells are promising low-cost and eco-friendly alternatives to Si, 1 Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 , 2-7 CdTe 8-10 and organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] due to their quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure (i.e., (Sb 4 (S,Se) 6 ) n ribbons), simple chemical components, single phase and excellent stability properties. [18][19][20] Inspired by the preparation of solution-processed Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 , [21][22][23][24] Cu 2 -ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (ref. [25][26][27][28][29] and other metal sulfoselenide solar cells, [30][31][32] metal sulfoselenide precursor solution (MSPS) approaches have been adopted to prepare Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 solar cells.…”

“…, (Sb 4 (S,Se) 6 ) n ribbons), simple chemical components, single phase and excellent stability properties. 18–20 Inspired by the preparation of solution-processed Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 , 21–24 Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (ref. 25–29) and other metal sulfoselenide solar cells, 30–32 metal sulfoselenide precursor solution (MSPS) approaches have been adopted to prepare Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 solar cells.…”

Efficient All‐Inorganic Sb2S3 Solar Cells with Matched Energy Levels Using Sb2Se3 as Hole Transport Layers

“…Sb 2 S 3 has received increasing attention as one of the promising photovoltaic absorber materials due to its high absorption coefficient (1.8 Â 10 5 cm À1 in the visible region), low cost, and environment-friendly characteristics. [1][2][3] In particular, the bandgap of Sb 2 S 3 perfectly matches with the top cell of Si-based tandem devices, yielding a maximum theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 40%. [4,5] Thus, the study on high-efficiency Sb 2 S 3 solar cells is of great importance.…”

Comparative Study of TiO2 and CdS as the Electron Transport Layer for Sb2S3 Solar Cells

“…[4] In last decade, most of the reported Sb 2 S 3 solar cells adopted the superstrate structure configuration with the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.5%. [4,5] More recently, there is an increasing number of research on the superstrate hole transport layer (HTL)-free Sb 2 S 3 solar cells with PCE ranging from 3.0% to 5.4%. [4,6] By taking a closer look at the these cells, it is found CdS [6][7][8][9] and TiO 2 [10][11][12] are the most widely used electron transport layers (ETLs) in the superstrate configurations of the high efficient Sb 2 S 3 solar cells.…”