Solvent‐Assisted Hydrothermal Deposition Approach for Highly‐Efficient Sb₂(S,Se)₃ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Abstract

Antimony chalcogenides (Sb2(SxSe1−x)3, 0 < x < 1) have recently gained popularity due to their excellent photoelectric properties. As a newcomer to thin‐film solar cells, the quality of the as‐prepared absorb layer remains the most difficult challenge, owing to its distinct crystal structure. Here, a solvent‐assisted hydrothermal deposition (SHD) technique is developed for direct deposition of high‐quality Sb2(S,Se)3 films; it is realized that the addition of ethanol can regulate the reaction kinetics by regulating the concentration of the Sb source during the deposition procedure. Impressively, under such conditions, the deposition rate of the target absorb layer slows dramatically, resulting in more suitable features, such as large grain size, smooth surface, and proper bandgap, which are beneficial for constructing high performance solar devices. More importantly, using this newly developed SHD strategy, the defect (SbS1) density of the prepared films decreases by more than one order of magnitude, which is believed to benefit carrier transport. As a result, Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells based on the SHD strategy significantly improve fill factor and short‐circuit current density, yielding a high efficiency of 10.75%. This research offers fresh insights into how to make Sb2(S,Se)3 films and solar cells of higher quality.

A Perspective of Antimony Chalcogenide Photovoltaics toward Commercialization

“…[23] In 2023, a novel solvent-assisted HT method was developed to directly deposit high-quality Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 films, which resulted in a record efficiency of 10.75% in Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 solar cell. [24] In the PCE race, Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 (10.75%) has already outperformed Sb 2 S 3 (8%) and Sb 2 Se 3 (10.57%). [66] Overall, the PCE of Sb 2 X 3 solar cells has steadily increased year after year to beyond 10%, demonstrating that Sb 2 X 3 solar cells are suitable for industrial applications.…”

“…[ 23 ] In 2023, a novel solvent‐assisted HT method was developed to directly deposit high‐quality Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 films, which resulted in a record efficiency of 10.75% in Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 solar cell. [ 24 ] In the PCE race, Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 (10.75%) has already outperformed Sb 2 S 3 (8%) and Sb 2 Se 3 (10.57%). [ 66 ]…”

“…[ 65 ] Since then, the efficiency of solution‐processing Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 , Sb 2 Se 3 , and Sb 2 S 3 solar cells were continuously broken. Now the champion efficiency for Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 , Sb 2 Se 3 , and Sb 2 S 3 are 10.75%, [ 24 ] 10.57%, [ 66 ] and 8%, [ 67 ] respectively. Although the solution‐processing Sb 2 X 3 solar cell has made great success with an efficiency of over 10%, the active areas of these champion devices are only 0.16 or 0.09 cm 2 .…”

“…[20,21] Researchers have made remarkable strides in the field of Sb 2 X 3 solar cells in recent years, achieving groundbreaking progress in PCE from 0.66% in 2009 [22] to 10.7% [23] in 2022, and finally to 10.75% in 2023. [24] At the current stage, Sb 2 X 3 solar cells are achieving the same PCE as CdTe and CIGS solar cells when they were initially considered for commercialization. [10] Therefore, it is worth considering the potential for commercialization of Sb 2 X 3 solar cells at present.…”

Theoretical studies on surface kinetics and growth properties of Sb2Se3 and Sb2S3

“…19 In 2023, Chen et al proposed a solvent-assisted hydrothermal deposition (SHD) method for producing high-quality Sb 2 (S,Se) 3 thin films, and achieved a high efficiency of nearly 10.75%, which is the highest among that of all antimony chalcogenide solar cells so far. 20…”