Antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) has great potential as a light-harvesting device in terms of its stability, nontoxicity, and photoelectric properties. Sb 2 Se 3 has a one-dimensional (1D) crystal structure consisting of covalently bonded (Sb 4 Se 6 ) n ribbons stacking together through van der Waals forces similar to the 1D structure of Sb 2 S 3 . This 1D anisotropic structure results in favorable electrical and optical properties for photovoltaics. Many Sb 2 Se 3 -based photovoltaic device studies have been focused on the oriental growth of a bulk Sb 2 Se 3 layer. On the contrary, a nanorod array is more preferable for carrier directional transport due to the 1D crystal structure than a bulk thin film compared with a bulk layer. However, few studies have undertaken strategies for the preparation of 1D Sb 2 Se 3 nanorod arrays. In this context, a facile method for the preparation of Sb 2 Se 3 nanorod arrays on a substrate is urgently needed. In this work, we present a solvothermal method that can grow Sb 2 Se 3 nanorods on antimony sulfide (Sb 2 S 3 ) nanorod arrays enlightened by the advantages of the combination of Sb 2 S 3 and Sb 2 Se 3 such as a light-absorbing layer composed of a Sb 2 S 3 nanorod array/Sb 2 Se 3 nanorod array heterojunction for solar cells. An external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 370 nm of 75% was attained with an optimized device structure of glass-fluorine-doped tin oxide/ZnO/ZnO−ZnS/Sb 2 S 3 nanorod array/Sb 2 Se 3 nanorod array/poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)/MoO x /Ag. This was 2.5 times higher than that of a device using planar Sb 2 S 3 /planar Sb 2 Se 3 as a light-absorbing layer. Improvement of the open-circuit voltage from 0.38 V with a planar device to 0.57 V with a nanorod array heterojunction was also confirmed, and a maximum power conversion efficiency of 1.50% was attained with an optimized nanorod array device. This research provides a facile method for the preparation of Sb 2 Se 3 nanorod arrays and a method of combining two layers of inherited Sb 2 Se 3 nanorods on Sb 2 S 3 nanorod arrays compared with the bulk layers of a planar heterojunction, which provides comprehensive information for further optimization of antimony chalcogenide-based photovoltaics.
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