Journal of Materials Chemistry A
·
2022
·Vol. 10
·期 42
·22791-22802
·
IF 14.511
Xing-Ye Chen,Muhammad Ishaq,Nafees Ahmad,Rong Tang,Zhuang-Hao Zheng,Ju-Guang Hu,Zheng-Hua Su,Ping Fan,Guang-Xing Liang,Shuo Chen
The existence of various detrimental defects inside the absorber layer is a major obstacle limiting the performance of kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells. Cationic substitution is a viable strategy for overcoming this challenge and has drawn tremendous research attention. In this work, a dual-cation substituted CZTSSe involving Ag and Ti to separately occupy partial Cu and Sn lattice sites is proposed. Under 6% Ag and 1% Ti dual-cation substitution, the champion CZTSSe device delivers a highly interesting efficiency of 12.73%, accompanied by an outstanding VOC of 530 mV. Further investigation demonstrates that Ag introduction can improve the density and crystallinity of CZTSSe thin films while decreasing the concentration of CuZn acceptor defects. Further Ti substitution can effectively eliminate fine grains and reduce the defect density of CuSn and [2CuZn + SnZn] defects, as well as the core level defects. This work explores the synergistic effect of Ag, Ti dual-cation substitution in CZTSSe solar cells for the first time, and the clarified device performance improvement mechanism opens up promising possibilities for the bright development of CZTSSe thin-film photovoltaic technology.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
半导体物理
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Nano Energy
·
2020
·
IF 16.602
Qing Yu,Jiangjian Shi,Linbao Guo,Biwen Duan,Yanhong Luo,Huijue Wu,Dongmei Li,Qingbo Meng
For Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells, eliminating multi-layer crystallization is a key issue of achieving high quality CZTSSe absorber layers and high cell performance. In this work, the formation mechanism of the multi-layer crystallization is revealed, that is, the reaction between CZTS and Mo may give the secondary phase, which subsequently acts as crystal nucleus to facilitate the CZTSSe crystal growth at back interface (Mo/CZTSSe), leading to multi-layer crystallization. By introducing MoO 3 isolating layer, this undesired reaction can be well prevented, and high quality single-layer crystals are obtained. This absorber film with fewer defects and secondary phases exhibits better semiconductor properties . Based on this regulated CZTSSe absorber layer, 11.68% (active area: 0.16092 cm 2 ) and 10.69% (mask area: 0.17586 cm 2 ) certified power-conversion-efficiency have been achieved with significant increase in the open-circuit voltage and fill factor.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
半导体物理
·
太阳能
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
SOLAR ENERGY
·
2023
·
IF 6.7
Yonggang Zhao,Congyan Xu,Na Yu,Zhineng Zhou,Yufei Chen,Xinghuan Hu,Ying Zhang,Shurong Wang
A mixed dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 2-methoxy ethanol (MOE) solvent system was developed to prepare high-quality kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S, Se) 4 (CZTSSe) film. The precursor films made pure DMSO system show a tube-like microstructure morphology, which can be changed by adding MOE to the solution. The increase of MOE in the precursor solution is a key in the crystalline characteristic of the absorber and connecting performance with thin film solar cells. As V MOE = V DMSO , the CZTSSe layer can achieve good contact with the back electrode and obtain large grains across layers. The addition of MOE solvent effectively improves the fill factor (FF). Specifically, both the fill factor and efficiency are increased from 49.67% and 6.43% to 64.83% and 10.99%, respectively, with the addition of 2 mL of MOE into precursor solution prepared by DMSO.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
能源技术
·
光伏研究
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nature Energy
·
2024
·
IF 49.7
Shi Jiangjian,Wang Jinlin,Meng Fanqi,Zhou Jiazheng,Xu Xiao,Yin Kang,Lou Licheng,Jiao Menghan,Zhang Bowen,Wu Huijue,Luo Yanhong,Li Dongmei,Meng Qingbo
Kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S, Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells are highly promising low-cost thin-film photovoltaics. However, the efficiency of these solar cells is challenged by severe charge losses and complex defects. Here we reveal through a data-driven correlation analysis that the dominant deep defect in CZTSSe exhibits a donor character. We further propose that incomplete cation exchange in the multi-step crystallization reactions of CZTSSe is the kinetic mechanism responsible for the defect formation. To facilitate the cation exchange, we introduce a multi-elemental alloying approach aimed at weakening the metal–chalcogen bond strength and the stability of intermediate phases. This strategy leads to a significant reduction in charge losses within the CZTSSe absorber and to a total-area cell efficiency of 14.6% (certified at 14.2%). Overall, these results not only present a significant advancement for kesterite solar cells but could also help identify and regulate defects in photovoltaic materials.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
可再生能源
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2024
·
IF 18.5
Yu Mao,Tao Wang,Yue Jian,Yuanyuan Huang,Yanmei Deng,Ening Gu,Xianzhong Lin,Guowei Yang
Inkjet printing is a promising and scalable drop-on-demand deposition technique for cost-effective mass production of thin film solar cells. However, the efficiency of inkjet-printed Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells based on dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) precursor ink is inferior to state-of-the-art spin-coated devices. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the efficiencies of inkjet-printed CZTSSe solar cells. In this work, inkjet printing technique is used to deposit flat and continuous CZTSSe thin films in ambient air using a novel 2-methoxyethanol-based ink that shows long-term stability in the air and better wettability compared to the conventional used DMSO-based ink. In addition, the effects of printing resolution on the structure, morphology, electrical and photovoltaic properties of CZTSSe light harvesting layer are investigated. Eventually, a remarkable device efficiency of 12.86% is achieved, surpassing the reported record efficiency for CZTSSe solar cells based on inkjet printing by ≈40%. Notably, this inkjet printing method allows for the significant reduction of preparation cost of CZTSSe thin films by improving the raw material utilization, thus paving a more viable pathway toward the sustainable development of CZTSSe solar cells.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
太阳能
·
纳米技术
·
化学工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Materials Chemistry A
·
2023
·Vol. 11
·期 17
·9646-9653
·
IF 11.9
Kang Yin,Licheng Lou,Jinlin Wang,Xiao Xu,Jiazheng Zhou,Jiangjian Shi,Dongmei Li,Huijue Wu,Yanhong Luo,Qingbo Meng
In kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells, the insufficient CdS/CZTSSe heterojunction built-in electric field due to the low carrier concentration is an important factor limiting the photoelectric conversion performance. Herein, we introduce an extrinsic La3+ incorporation to realize a synergetic carrier doping of this heterojunction. By forming shallow LaCd and LaSn substitution defects, electron and hole concentration in CdS and kesterite has been obviously increased, which effectively improves the electric property and interface charge transfer of the heterojunction. The resulting reduction in the minority carrier loss has finally realized a high cell efficiency of 13.9% at room temperature. Moreover, the carrier doping allows the heterojunction to work in a much wider temperature region and the cell obtains an impressively high efficiency of 22% at 130 K.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
可再生能源
·
太阳能电池
·
半导体物理
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ENERGY & FUELS
·
2024
·
IF 5.2
Haixuan Gao,Chuanhe Ma,Jinhui Zhang,Jinchun Jiang,Ye Chen,Lin Sun,Hailong Wang
In the prior art of CZTSSe solar cells, the traditional cadmium salt (Cd-salt) CdSO4 is widely considered as a common raw material for preparing CdS buffer layers. However, in this study, we systematically demonstrated the phase structure and transmission spectra improvement effect of the other three types of Cd-salts, Cd(NO3)2, CdCl2, and CdAc2, on the CZTSSe/CdS heterojunction (HJT) compared to CdSO4. CZTSSe/CdS HJT prepared by Cd(NO3)2 showed the strongest CdS phonon characteristic peaks at 295.9 and 597.6 cm–1, indicating a pure crystal phase. The transmittance of CdS films prepared by Cd(NO3)2 is 20–35% higher than the other three Cd-salts in the light range of 350–1000 nm, which effectively improved the band gap of the films (2.41 eV) and depressed the photon absorption and scattering. Accordingly, CZTSSe solar cells based on the aforementioned Cd-salts showed that Cd(NO3)2 possessed the best ability to improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE), about 5.7% more than the traditional CdSO4 salt. After Sn2+ replaced by Sn4+ in the precursor solution, the PCE of CZTSSe solar cells using Cd(NO3)2 exceeded 10% (Total area = 0.21 cm2, PCE = 10.23%, VOC = 0.485 V, JSC = 31.4 mA/cm2, FF = 67.1%, without MgF2 antireflective layer).
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
可再生能源
·
半导体物理
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Materials Chemistry A
·
2024
·Vol. 12
·期 17
·10260-10268
·
IF 10.7
Yingfen Li,Xingye Chen,Runxi Wang,Nian Zhou,Fang Huang,Jun Zhao,Zhenghua Su,Shuo Chen,Guangxing Liang
In this study, Sb2S3 was introduced into the two-step selenization process to promote bottom grain growth and reduce the surface roughness of the Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 light-absorber layer. The introduction of Sb doping in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 can passivate bulk and interface defects and a small conduction band offset (CBO) can be found, which facilitate the improvement of heterojunction carrier transport properties. Similarly, simulations illustrated that Sb doping improved device efficiency by controlling bulk and interface defects and band alignment. This optimized method facilitated the penetration of Sb, resulting in a high-quality CZTSSe absorber layer. Ultimately, the research culminated in a significant enhancement, yielding a solar cell with an impressive efficiency of 13.11%. These findings offer new possibilities for kesterite solar cells and advance the potential of CZTSSe materials in thin film photovoltaic applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
半导体物理
·
薄膜太阳能电池
·
无机功能材料
·
固态电子学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Small Methods
·
2024
·
IF 10.7
Yue Jian,Litao Han,Xiangrui Kong,Tianliang Xie,Dongxing Kou,Wenhui Zhou,Zhengji Zhou,Shengjie Yuan,Yuena Meng,Yafang Qi,Guangxing Liang,Xianghua Zhang,Zhi Zheng,Sixin Wu
High-crystalline-quality absorbers with fewer defects are crucial for further improvement of open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) and efficiency of Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. However, the preparation of high-quality CZTSSe absorbers remains challenging due to the uncontrollability of the selenization reaction and the complexity of the required selenization environment for film growth. Herein, a novel segmented control strategy for the selenization environment, specifically targeting the evaporation area of Se, to regulate the selenization reactions and improve the absorber quality is proposed. The large evaporation area of Se in the initial stage of the selenization provides a great evaporation and diffusion flux for Se, which facilitates rapid phase transition reactions and enables the attainment of a single-layer thin film. The reduced evaporation area of Se in the later stage creates a soft-selenization environment for grain growth, effectively suppressing the loss of Sn and promoting element homogenization. Consequently, the mitigation of Sn-related deep-level defects on the surface and in the bulk induced by element imbalance is simultaneously achieved. This leads to a significant improvement in nonradiative recombination suppression and carrier collection enhancement, thereby enhancing the V OC . As a result, the CZTSSe device delivers an impressive efficiency of 13.77% with a low V OC deficit.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
太阳能
·
光伏技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS Applied Energy Materials
·
2024
·
IF 5.4
Boyang Han,Yongfeng Li,Rensheng Wang,Wenjie Zhu,Zhenyan He,Huanhuan Sun,Xiuqing Meng,Shihua Huang,Yanping Song,Jiayong Zhang,Bin Yao
Suppressing the CuZn antisite defects and band tailing states is paramount for Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. To this end, cation doping has been widely adopted and investigated. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is a scarcity of reports specifically addressing the doping of group IIIA elements to date. Herein, we present a viable strategy, incorporating the Al element, to achieve superior absorber quality and device performance. The addition of Al-doping not only improves the selenization degree but also enhances surface smoothness and induces a more Cu-deficient CZTSSe surface, thereby elevating both the quality of the absorber and heterojunction interface. Furthermore, we observe that the CuZn defect can be effectively mitigated through the substitution of Al dopants at the Zn site, consequently resulting in a reduction of band tailing states. Consequently, it significantly improves the efficiency from 6.24 to 9.25% with a low open-circuit voltage deficit of ∼0.291 V relative to the doping-free case, one of the highest values for the type of IIIA element doping cells. Our results demonstrate that Al incorporation is also a feasible pathway to suppress the antisite defects and band tailing states in solution-processed CZTSSe, thereby facilitating the realization of efficient kesterite solar cells.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
可再生能源
·
太阳能电池技术
·
半导体物理
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Energy Chemistry
·
2021
·
IF 9.676
Yueqing Deng,Zhengji Zhou,Xin Zhang,Lei Cao,Wenhui Zhou,Dongxing Kou,Yafang Qi,Shengjie Yuan,Zhi Zheng,Sixin Wu
The development of kesterite photovoltaic solar cells has been hindered by large open-circuit voltage ( V oc ) deficit. Recently, Sn Zn deep point defect and associative defect cluster have been recognized as the main culprit for the V oc losses. Therefore, manipulating the deep-level donor of Sn Zn antisite defects is crucial for breaking through the bottleneck of present Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) photovoltaic technology. In this study, the Sn Zn deep traps in CZTSSe absorber layer are suppressed by incorporation of Ge. The energy levels and concentration of Sn Zn defects measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) decrease significantly. In addition, the grain growth of CZTSSe films is also promoted due to Ge implantation, yielding the high quality absorber layer. Consequently, the efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells increases from 9.15% to 11.48%, largely attributed to the 41 mV V oc increment.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
光伏技术
·
太阳能
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Journal of Energy Chemistry
·
2024
·
IF 14
Shicheng Deng,Songfan Wang,Yuanyuan Wang,Qian Xiao,Yuena Meng,Dongxing Kou,Wenhui Zhou,Zhengji Zhou,Zhi Zheng,Sixin Wu
Kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells suffer from severe carrier recombination, limiting the photovoltaic performance. Unfavorable energy band alignment at the p-n junction and defective front interface are two main causes. Herein, oxygen incorporation in CZTSSe via absorber air-annealing was developed as a strategy to optimize its surface photoelectric property and reduce the defects. With optimized oxygen incorporation conditions, the carrier separation and collection behavior at the front interface of the device is improved. In particular, it is found that oxygen incorporated absorber exhibits increased band bending, larger depletion region width, and suppressed absorber defects. These indicate the dynamic factors for carrier separation become stronger. Meanwhile, the increased potential difference between grain boundaries and intra grains combined with the decreased concentration of interface deep level defect in the absorber provide a better path for carrier transport. As a consequence, the champion efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells has been improved from 9.74% to 12.04% with significantly improved open-circuit voltage after optimized air-annealing condition. This work provides a new insight for interface engineering to improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency of CZTSSe devices.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
太阳能
·
半导体物理
·
光伏技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）