In Situ Growth of [hk1]‐Oriented Sb₂S₃ for Solution‐Processed Planar Heterojunction Solar Cell with 6.4% Efficiency

Abstract

Binary compound antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) with its nontoxic and earth‐abundant constituents, is a promising light‐harvesting material for stable and high efficiency thin film photovoltaics. The intrinsic quasi‐1D (Q1D) crystal structure of Sb2S3 is known to transfer photogenerated carriers rapidly along the [hk1] orientation. However, producing Sb2S3 devices with precise control of [hk1] orientation is challenging and unfavorable crystal orientations of Sb2S3 result in severe interface and bulk recombination losses. Herein, in situ vertical growth of Sb2S3 on top of ultrathin TiO2/CdS as the electron transport layer (ETL) by a solution method is demonstrated. The planar heterojunction solar cell using [hk1]‐oriented Sb2S3 achieves a power conversion efficiency of 6.4%, performing at almost 20% higher than devices based on a [hk0]‐oriented absorber. This work opens up new prospects for pursuing high‐performance Sb2S3 thin film solar cells by tailoring the crystal orientation.

Boosting VOC of antimony chalcogenide solar cells: A review on interfaces and defects

“…There are various reports regarding the organic HTMs selection in Sb 2 X 3 solar cells. Many organic HTLs, for example, spiro-OMeTAD, [8,32,47,98,[113][114][115][116] P3HT, [11,[117][118][119][120][121][122] PCDTBT, [10,123,124] CZ-TA, [29] etc., have been widely applied in Sb 2 X 3 solar cells to promote the effective collection and transport of holes. Spiro-OMeTAD is one of the well-known and successful HTMs which has been widely applied in perovskite solar cells and dye-sensitized solar cells.…”

ZnS Ultrathin Interfacial Layers for Optimizing Carrier Management in Sb2S3-based Photovoltaics

“…3 , 10 , 11 Insight into the dynamics of charge carriers in these systems has been provided by impedance spectroscopy and ultrafast optical methods, which allow one to cover time scales ranging from femtoseconds to seconds. 6 , 11 − 14 Ultrafast self-trapping of excitons in antimony chalcogenides, and in particular of Sb 2 S 3 , has been ascribed to the partly one-dimensional nature of the crystal and would set an intrinsic limitation for this family of materials. 6 , 15 , 16 A completely distinct effect, however, has been pointed out as the dominant limitation, namely the recombination of photogenerated carriers at interface traps.…”

“… 6 , 11 − 14 Ultrafast self-trapping of excitons in antimony chalcogenides, and in particular of Sb 2 S 3 , has been ascribed to the partly one-dimensional nature of the crystal and would set an intrinsic limitation for this family of materials. 6 , 15 , 16 A completely distinct effect, however, has been pointed out as the dominant limitation, namely the recombination of photogenerated carriers at interface traps. 8 , 17 , 18 In particular, the interface of Sb 2 S 3 with TiO 2 presents positively charged vacancies whith trap states below the conduction band.…”

Sequential Coevaporation and Deposition of Antimony Selenosulfide Thin Film for Efficient Solar Cells

“…The polar surface makes the surface energy of the (002) facet three times higher than that of the (100) facet; thus, the reaction will first occur at the (002) surface. [ 16 ] Interestingly, a blurry amorphous area was detected between the (002) facet of CdS and Sb 2 Se 3 in S3 and S2 (Figure S3, Supporting Information). We suppose that it was caused by the post treatment with CdCl 2 and annealing at 400 °C for 10 min under air, in which Cd 2+ and O 2– ions were bonded on the high‐energy (002) facet to form an amorphous layer, which passivated the (002) facet.…”