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Xiao X, Mao Y, Meng B, Ma G, Hušeková K, Egyenes F, Rosová A, Dobročka E, Eliáš P, Ťapajna M, Gucmann F, Yuan C. Phase-Dependent Phonon Heat Transport in Nanoscale Gallium Oxide Thin Films. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2309961. [PMID: 38098343 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202309961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Different phases of Ga2O3 have been regarded as superior platforms for making new-generation high-performance electronic devices. However, understanding of thermal transport in different phases of nanoscale Ga2O3 thin-films remains challenging, owing to the lack of phonon transport models and systematic experimental investigations. Here, thermal conductivity (TC) and thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of the( 1 ¯ 010 ) $( {\bar 1010} )$ α-,( 2 ¯ 01 ) $( {\bar 201} )\;$ β-, and (001) κ-Ga2O3 thin films on sapphire are investigated. At ≈80 nm, the measured TC of α (8.8 W m-1 K-1) is ≈1.8 times and ≈3.0 times larger than that of β and κ, respectively, consistent with model based on density functional theory (DFT), whereas the model reveals a similar TC for the bulk α- and β-Ga2O3. The observed phase- and size-dependence of TC is discussed thoroughly with phonon transport properties such as phonon mean free path and group velocity. The measured TBC at Ga2O3/sapphire interface is analyzed with diffuse mismatch model using DFT-derived full phonon dispersion relation. Phonon spectral distribution of density of states, transmission coefficients, and group velocity are studied to understand the phase-dependence of TBC. This study provides insight into the fundamental phonon transport mechanism in Ga2O3 thin films and paves the way for improved thermal management of high-power Ga2O3-based devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglin Xiao
- The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Yali Mao
- The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Biwei Meng
- The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Guoliang Ma
- The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
| | - Kristína Hušeková
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Fridrich Egyenes
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Alica Rosová
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Edmund Dobročka
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Peter Eliáš
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Milan Ťapajna
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Filip Gucmann
- Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava, 841 04, Slovakia
| | - Chao Yuan
- The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P. R. China
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2
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Li ZZ, Guo C, Lv W, Huang P, Zhang Y. Machine Learning-Enabled Optical Architecture Design of Perovskite Solar Cells. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:3835-3842. [PMID: 38557032 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Perovskite solar cells, emerging as a cutting-edge solar energy technology, have demonstrated a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of >26%, which is below the theoretical limit of 33%. This study, employing a combination of neural network models and high-throughput simulation calculations, taking the single-junction FAPbI3 cell as an illustrative example, indicates that a pyramid structure, in comparison of a planar one, can increase the highest Jsc to 27.4 mA/cm2 and the PCE to 28.4%. Both Jsc and PCE surpass the currently reported experimental results. The optimized periodicity and tilt angle of the pyramid structure align with the textured structure of crystalline silicon solar cells. These results underscore the substantial development potential of neural network inverse design based on high-throughput calculations in the field of optoelectronic devices and provide theoretical guidance for the design of monolithic perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zong-Zheng Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics & Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
- Research Institute of Frontier Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Chaorong Guo
- Research Institute of Frontier Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Wenlei Lv
- Research Institute of Frontier Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Peng Huang
- Research Institute of Frontier Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Yongyou Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics & Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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3
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Dimopoulos T, Wibowo RA, Edinger S, Wolf M, Fix T. Heterojunction Devices Fabricated from Sprayed n-Type Ga 2O 3, Combined with Sputtered p-Type NiO and Cu 2O. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 14:300. [PMID: 38334571 PMCID: PMC10856998 DOI: 10.3390/nano14030300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
This work reports on the properties of heterojunctions consisting of n-type Ga2O3 layers, deposited using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at high temperature from water-based solution, combined with p-type NiO and Cu2O counterparts, deposited by radio frequency and reactive, direct-current magnetron sputtering, respectively. After a comprehensive investigation of the properties of the single layers, the fabricated junctions on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass showed high rectification, with an open circuit voltage of 940 mV for Ga2O3/Cu2O and 220 mV for Ga2O3/NiO under simulated solar illumination. This demonstrates in praxis the favorable band alignment between the sprayed Ga2O3 and Cu2O, with small conduction band offset, and the large offsets anticipated for both energy bands in the case of Ga2O3/NiO. Large differences in the ideality factors between the two types of heterojunctions were observed, suggestive of distinctive properties of the heterointerface. Further, it is shown that the interface between the high-temperature-deposited Ga2O3 and the ITO contact does not impede electron transport, opening new possibilities for the design of solar cell and optoelectronic device architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodoros Dimopoulos
- Energy Conversion and Hydrogen Technologies, Center for Energy, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Giefinggasse 2, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (R.A.W.); (S.E.); (M.W.)
| | - Rachmat Adhi Wibowo
- Energy Conversion and Hydrogen Technologies, Center for Energy, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Giefinggasse 2, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (R.A.W.); (S.E.); (M.W.)
| | - Stefan Edinger
- Energy Conversion and Hydrogen Technologies, Center for Energy, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Giefinggasse 2, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (R.A.W.); (S.E.); (M.W.)
| | - Maximilian Wolf
- Energy Conversion and Hydrogen Technologies, Center for Energy, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Giefinggasse 2, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (R.A.W.); (S.E.); (M.W.)
| | - Thomas Fix
- ICube Laboratory, Université de Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 23 Rue Du Loess, BP 20 CR, F-67037 Cedex 2 Strasbourg, France;
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4
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Ding ST, Chen YC, Yu QJ, Zeng G, Shi CY, Shen L, Zhao XF, Lu HL. Characteristics of tunable aluminum-doped Ga 2O 3thin films and photodetectors. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:155703. [PMID: 38176077 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad1afc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Aluminum-doped Ga2O3(AGO) thin films were prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). The growth mechanism, surface morphology, chemical composition, and optical properties of AGO films were systematically investigated. The bandgap of AGO films can be theoretically set between 4.65 and 6.8 eV. Based on typical AGO films, metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (PDs) were created, and their photoelectric response was examined. The preliminary results show that PE-ALD grown AGO films have high quality and tunable bandgap, and AGO PDs possess superior characterizations to undoped films. The AGO realized using PE-ALD is expected to be an important route for the development of a new generation of gallium oxide-based photodetectors into the deep-ultraviolet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Tong Ding
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Chang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiu-Jun Yu
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Guang Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Cai-Yu Shi
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Shen
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue-Feng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Liang Lu
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Jiashan Fudan Institute, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
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5
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Zhao Y, Niu Z, Zhao J, Xue L, Fu X, Long J. Recent Advancements in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production. ELECTROCHEM ENERGY R 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s41918-022-00153-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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Cheng J, Wu L, Luo J. Improving the photovoltage of Cu 2O photocathodes with dual buffer layers. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7228. [PMID: 37945577 PMCID: PMC10636130 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42799-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising oxide material for photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC), and increasing its photovoltage is the key to creating efficient overall PEC water-splitting devices. Previous reports are mostly focused on optimizing the energy band alignment between Cu2O and the n-type buffer layer to improve the photovoltage of Cu2O photocathodes. However, the band alignment between the n-type buffer layer and the protective layer is often ignored. In this work, Cu2O photocathodes with a single buffer layer (Ga2O3) and dual buffer layers (Ga2O3/ZnGeOx) are fabricated, and their PEC performances are compared. Results show that after inserting the second buffer layer (ZnGeOx), the onset potential of the Cu2O photocathode increases by 0.16 V. Operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements and analysis of the energy-level diagrams of each layer show that an energy level gradient between Ga2O3 and TiO2 is created when ZnGeOx is introduced, which eliminates the potential barrier at the interface of Ga2O3/TiO2 and improves the photovoltage of the Cu2O photocathode. Our work provides an effective approach to improve the photovoltage of photoelectrodes for solar water splitting by introducing dual buffer layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinshui Cheng
- Institute of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials and Cells, Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photoelectronic Technology, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
| | - Linxiao Wu
- Institute of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials and Cells, Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photoelectronic Technology, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingshan Luo
- Institute of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials and Cells, Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photoelectronic Technology, Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center, Nankai University, 300350, Tianjin, China.
- Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Nankai University, 300071, Tianjin, China.
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7
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Wisz G, Sawicka-Chudy P, Sibiński M, Yavorskyi R, Łabuz M, Płoch D, Bester M. Formation and Characterization of Stable TiO 2/Cu xO-Based Solar Cells. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:5683. [PMID: 37629974 PMCID: PMC10456714 DOI: 10.3390/ma16165683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
According to increasing demand for energy, PV cells seem to be one of the best answers for human needs. Considering features such as availability, low production costs, high stability, etc., metal oxide semiconductors (MOS) are a focus of attention for many scientists. Amongst MOS, TiO2 and CuxO seem to be promising materials for obtaining an effective photoconversion effect. In this paper, specific investigation, aimed at the manufacturing of the complete photovoltaic structure based on this concept is described in detail. A set of samples manufactured by DC magnetron sputtering, with various process parameters, is characterized by morphology comparison, layer structure and material composition investigation, and finally by the obtained photovoltaic parameters. Based on SEM studies, it was established that the films are deposited uniformly and complete their formation; without clearly defined faces, the conglomerates of the film grow individually. These are areas with a uniform structure and orientation of atoms. The sizes of conglomerates are in a normal direction range from 20 to 530 nm and increase with film thickness. The film thickness was in the range from 318 to 1654 nm, respectively. The I-V study confirms the photovoltaic behavior of thin film solar cells. The open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) values of the photovoltaic devices ranged from 1.5 to 300 mV and from 0.45 to 7.26 µA/cm3, respectively, which corresponds to the maximum efficiency at the level of 0.01%. Specific analysis of the junction operation on the basis of characteristics flow, Rs, and Rsh values is delivered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Wisz
- Institute of Materials Engineering, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Pigonia 1, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland;
| | - Paulina Sawicka-Chudy
- Institute of Materials Engineering, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Pigonia 1, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland;
| | - Maciej Sibiński
- Department of Material and Environmental Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia;
- Department of Semiconductor and Optoelectronic Devices, Lodz University of Technology, Al. Politechniki 10, 93-590 Łódź, Poland
| | - Rostyslav Yavorskyi
- Department of Physics and Chemistry of Solid State, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpation National University, T. Shevchenko Str. 57, 76-018 Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine;
| | - Mirosław Łabuz
- Institute of Physics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Pigonia 1, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland; (M.Ł.); (M.B.)
| | - Dariusz Płoch
- Institute of Materials Engineering, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Pigonia 1, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland;
| | - Mariusz Bester
- Institute of Physics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Pigonia 1, 35-310 Rzeszow, Poland; (M.Ł.); (M.B.)
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8
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Niu W, Moehl T, Adams P, Zhang X, Lefèvre R, Cruz AM, Zeng P, Kunze K, Yang W, Tilley SD. Crystal orientation-dependent etching and trapping in thermally-oxidised Cu 2O photocathodes for water splitting. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2022; 15:2002-2010. [PMID: 35706422 PMCID: PMC9116084 DOI: 10.1039/d1ee03696c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia solution etching was carried out on thermally-oxidised cuprous oxide (TO-Cu2O) in photocathode devices for water splitting. The etched devices showed increased photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance compared to the unetched ones as well as improved reproducibility. -8.6 mA cm-2 and -7 mA cm-2 photocurrent density were achieved at 0 V and 0.5 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (VRHE), respectively, in the champion sample with an onset potential of 0.92 VRHE and a fill factor of 44%. An applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of 3.6% at 0.56 VRHE was obtained, which represents a new record for Cu2O-based photocathode systems. Capacitance-based profiling studies showed a strong pinning effect from interfacial traps in the as-grown device, and these traps were removed by ammonia solution etching. Moreover, the etching procedure gave rise to a diverse morphology of Cu2O crystals based on the different crystallographic orientations. The distribution of crystallographic orientations and the relationship between the crystal orientation and the morphology after etching were examined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The high-index crystal group showed a statistically higher PEC performance than the low-index group. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed metallic copper at the Cu2O/Ga2O3 interface, which we attribute as the dominant trap that limits the PEC performance. It is concluded that the metallic copper originates from the reduction of the CuO impurity layer on the as-grown Cu2O sample during the ALD process, while the reduction from Cu2O to Cu is not favourable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhe Niu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Thomas Moehl
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Pardis Adams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Xi Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Robin Lefèvre
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Aluizio M Cruz
- PERA Complexity (Processes for Evolutionary Complexity Research & Applications) B. V. Hoogoorddreef 15 1101 BA Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Peng Zeng
- Scientific Center for Optical and Electron Microscopy (ScopeM) ETH Zürich Otto-Stern-Weg 3 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Karsten Kunze
- Scientific Center for Optical and Electron Microscopy (ScopeM) ETH Zürich Otto-Stern-Weg 3 8093 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Wooseok Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Suwon Korea
| | - S David Tilley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
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9
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Kim S, Patel M, Nguyen TT, Kumar N, Bhatnagar P, Kim J. Highly Transparent Bidirectional Transparent Photovoltaics for On-Site Power Generators. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:706-716. [PMID: 34962758 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c18473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
If we can transparently produce energy, we may apply invisible power generators to residential architectures to supply energy without losing visibility. Transparent photovoltaic cells (TPVs) are a transparent solar technology that transmits visible light while absorbing the invisible short wavelengths, such as ultraviolet. Installing TPVs in buildings provides an on-site energy supply platform as a window-embedded power generator or color-matched solar cell installation on a building surface. The record-high power generation (10.82 mW) and photocurrent value (68.25 mA) were achieved from large-scale TPVs (25 cm2). The metal oxide heterojunction is the fundamental TPV structure. The high-performance TPVs were achieved by adopting a thin Si film between ZnO and NiO as a functional light-absorbing layer. Based on the large energy band gap of metal oxides, TPVs have a clear transmittance (43%) and good color coordinates, which ensure degrees of freedom to adopt TPV power generators in various colored structures or transparent power windows. The bidirectional feature of TPVs is ultimately desirable to maximize light utilization. TPVs can generate electric power from sunlight during the day and can also work from artificial light sources at night. In the near future, humans will acquire electric power without losing visibility with on-site energy supply platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangho Kim
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Malkeshkumar Patel
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Thanh Tai Nguyen
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Naveen Kumar
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Priyanka Bhatnagar
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Joondong Kim
- Photoelectric and Energy Device Application Lab (PEDAL), Multidisciplinary Core Institute for Future Energies (MCIFE), Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Incheon National University, 119 Academy Rd., Yeonsu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
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10
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Chen YC, Dong PH, Hsu YK. Defective Indium Tin Oxide Forms an Ohmic Back Contact to an n-Type Cu 2O Photoanode to Accelerate Charge-Transfer Kinetics for Enhanced Low-Bias Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:38375-38383. [PMID: 34357762 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c10679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In significant contrast to the tremendous research efforts mostly geared to addressing the severe hole accumulation at the back contact of a p-type Cu2O photocathode with a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, sluggish electron transfer from an n-type Cu2O photoanode to a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) substrate has been largely overlooked. To tackle this issue that has been reported to largely limit the photoelectrochemical performance of n-type Cu2O photoanodes at a low bias, the present contribution puts forward a strategy to introduce oxygen vacancies into the ITO substrate via an unprecedented yet facile electrochemical approach. Such defect engineering turns out to decrease the work function of the ITO substrate, which in turn approaches the conduction band extremum of n-Cu2O to highly efficiently extract the photoexcited electrons therein. Moreover, the dendritic growth of n-Cu2O is, in the meantime, interfered by the oxygen vacancy manifested as pinholes distributed over the ITO substrate, which is thereby crystallized into several small grains with augmented surface roughness that is in favor of the injection of the photoexcited hole into the electrolyte. Such facile interfacial charge-transfer kinetics leads to a significant cathodic shift amounting to 200 mV of the onset potential to 0 VAg/AgCl, whereat the n-Cu2O photoanode deposited on the defective ITO substrate delivers the maximum photocurrent density reaching 2 mA cm-2 and, more significantly, its applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) reaches 1.1%, which is among the highest performance reported to date for a variety of state-of-the-art metal oxide-based photoanodes in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Chu Chen
- China-UK Low Carbon College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 3, Yinlian Road, Lingang, Shanghai 201306, People's Republic of China
| | - Pin-Han Dong
- Department of Opto-Electronic Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, No. 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Road, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Kuei Hsu
- Department of Opto-Electronic Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, No. 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Road, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan
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11
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Rafie Borujeny E, Sendetskyi O, Fleischauer MD, Cadien KC. Low Thermal Budget Heteroepitaxial Gallium Oxide Thin Films Enabled by Atomic Layer Deposition. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:44225-44237. [PMID: 32865966 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c08477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This work explores the applicability of atomic layer deposition (ALD) in producing highly oriented crystalline gallium oxide films on foreign substrates at low thermal budgets. The effects of substrate, deposition temperature, and annealing process on formation of crystalline gallium oxide are discussed. The Ga2O3 films exhibited a strong preferred orientation on the c-plane sapphire substrate. The onset of formation of crystalline gallium oxide is determined, at which only two sets of planes, i.e., α-Ga2O3 (006) and β-Ga2O3 (4̅02), are present parallel to the surface. More specifically, this work reports, for the first time, that epitaxial gallium oxide films on sapphire start to form at deposition temperatures ≥ 190 °C by using an optimized plasma-enhanced ALD process such that α-Ga2O3 (006)∥α-Al2O3 (006) and β-Ga2O3 (2̅01)∥α-Al2O3 (006). Both α-Ga2O3 (006) and β-Ga2O3 (2̅01) planes are polar planes (i.e., consisting of only one type of atom, either Ga or O) and, therefore, favorable to form by ALD at such low deposition temperatures. Ellipsometry and van der Pauw measurements confirmed that the crystalline films have optical and electrical properties close to bulk gallium oxide. The film grown at 277 °C was determined to have superior properties among as-deposited films. Using TEM to locate α-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3 domains in the as-deposited crystalline films, we proposed a short annealing scheme to limit the development of α-Ga2O3 domains in the film and produce pure β-Ga2O3 films via an energy-efficient process. A pure β-Ga2O3 phase on sapphire with β-Ga2O3 (2̅01)∥α-Al2O3 (006) was successfully achieved by using the proposed process at the low annealing temperature of 550 °C preceded by the low deposition temperature of 190 °C. The results of this work enable epitaxial growth of gallium oxide thin films, with superior material properties offered by ALD, not only with potential applications as a high-performance material in reducing global energy consumption but also with an energy-efficient fabrication process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Rafie Borujeny
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 12th Floor - Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (ICE), 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1H9
| | - Oles Sendetskyi
- National Research Council-Nanotechnology Research Centre, 11421 Saskatchewan Dr., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2M9
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - Michael D Fleischauer
- National Research Council-Nanotechnology Research Centre, 11421 Saskatchewan Dr., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2M9
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - Kenneth C Cadien
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 12th Floor - Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (ICE), 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1H9
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12
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Lu S, Chen C, Tang J. Possible top cells for next-generation Si-based tandem solar cells. FRONTIERS OF OPTOELECTRONICS 2020; 13:246-255. [PMID: 36641575 PMCID: PMC9743844 DOI: 10.1007/s12200-020-1050-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Si-based solar cells, which have the advantages of high efficiency, low manufacturing costs, and outstanding stability, are dominant in the photovoltaic market. Currently, state-of-the-art Si-based solar cells are approaching the practical limit of efficiency. Constructing Si-based tandem solar cells is one available pathway to break the theoretical efficiency limit of single-junction silicon solar cells. Various top cells have been explored recently in the construction of Si-based tandem devices. Nevertheless, many challenges still stand in the way of extensive commercial application of Si-based tandem solar cells. Herein, we summarize the recent progress of representative Si-based tandem solar cells with different top cells, such as III-V solar cells, wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells, cadmium telluride (CdTe)-related solar cells, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS)-related solar cells, and amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells, and we analyze the main bottlenecks for their next steps of development. Subsequently, we suggest several potential candidate top cells for Si-based tandem devices, such as Sb2S3, Se, CdSe, and Cu2O. These materials have great potential for the development of high-performance and low-cost Si-based tandem solar cells in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaicheng Lu
- Sargent Joint Research Center, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Chao Chen
- Sargent Joint Research Center, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Jiang Tang
- Sargent Joint Research Center, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan, 430074, China
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13
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Grad L, Novotny Z, Hengsberger M, Osterwalder J. Influence of surface defect density on the ultrafast hot carrier relaxation and transport in [Formula: see text] photoelectrodes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10686. [PMID: 32606451 PMCID: PMC7327060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67589-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cuprous oxide ([Formula: see text]) is a promising material for photoelectrochemical energy conversion due to its small direct band gap, high absorbance, and its Earth-abundant constituents. High conversion efficiencies require transport of photoexcited charges to the interface without energy loss. We studied the electron dynamics in [Formula: see text](111) by time-resolved two-photon photoemission for different surface defect densities in order to elucidate the influence on charge carrier transport. On the pristine bulk terminated surface, the principal conduction bands could be resolved, and ultrafast, elastic transport of electrons to the surface was observed. On a reconstructed surface the carrier transport is strongly suppressed and defect states dominate the spectra. Evidence for surface oxygen vacancies acting as efficient carrier traps is provided, what is important for further engineering of [Formula: see text] based photoelectrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Grad
- Department of Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zbynek Novotny
- Department of Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Hengsberger
- Department of Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Osterwalder
- Department of Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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14
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Chen L, Zheng G, Yao G, Zhang P, Dai S, Jiang Y, Li H, Yu B, Ni H, Wei S. Lead-Free Perovskite Narrow-Bandgap Oxide Semiconductors of Rare-Earth Manganates. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:8766-8776. [PMID: 32337438 PMCID: PMC7178806 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Tremendous success has been achieved in photovoltaic (PV) applications, but PV-generated electricity still cannot compete with traditional power in terms of price. Chemically stable and nontoxic all-oxide solar cells made from earth-abundant resources fulfill the requirements for low-cost manufacturing under ambient conditions and thus are promising as the next-generation approach to solar cells. However, the main obstacles to developing all-oxide solar cells are the spectral absorbers. Besides photovoltaics, novel chemically stable, nontoxic, and earth-abundant narrow-bandgap semiconductors are desired for photochemical applications in photodetectors, photoelectrodes, or photocatalysts. Herein, were report novel lead-free perovskite narrow-bandgap rare-earth semiconductors, YMnO3, HoMnO3, ErMnO3, and YbMnO3, which were identified by screening a family of perovskite rare-earth manganates, RMnO3 (R = Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Yb). The sharp edge observed in their absorption spectra indicates the existence of band gaps, further confirmed with laser Raman fluorescence spectra. Good periodic on-off photoelectronic response was observed in 8 of the 12 members (i.e., R = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, and Yb). Among them, YbMnO3 is approved as an n-type semiconductor with a direct band gap near 1.35 eV, whose theoretical Shockley-Queisser efficiency is approximately 33.7% for single-p-n-junction solar cells. This work sheds light on exploring stable oxide semiconductors with a narrow band gap for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
- Engineering
Research Center of High Performance Copper Alloy Materials and Processing,
Ministry of Education, Hefei University
of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Guifang Zheng
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Gang Yao
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Pingjuan Zhang
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
- College
of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu 233030, China
| | - Shangkai Dai
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Yang Jiang
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Heqin Li
- School
of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei
University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
| | - Binbin Yu
- SUSTech
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Haiyong Ni
- Guangdong
Province Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Development and Application,
Guangdong Research Institute of Rare Metals, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510651, China
| | - Shizhong Wei
- National
Joint Engineering Research Center for Abrasion Control and Molding
of Metal Materials, Henan University of
Science and Technology, Luoyang 471003, China
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15
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Song A, Bogdanoff P, Esau A, Ahmet IY, Levine I, Dittrich T, Unold T, van de Krol R, Berglund SP. Assessment of a W:BiVO 4-CuBi 2O 4Tandem Photoelectrochemical Cell for Overall Solar Water Splitting. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:13959-13970. [PMID: 32096970 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c00696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We assess a tandem photoelectrochemical cell consisting of a W:BiVO4 photoanode top absorber and a CuBi2O4 photocathode bottom absorber for overall solar water splitting. We show that the W:BiVO4 photoanode oxidizes water and produces oxygen at potentials ≥0.7 V vs RHE when CoPi is added as a cocatalyst. However, the CuBi2O4 photocathode does not produce a detectable amount of hydrogen from water reduction even when Pt or RuOx is added as a cocatalyst because the photocurrent primarily goes toward photocorrosion of CuBi2O4 rather than proton reduction. Protecting the CuBi2O4 photocathode with a CdS/TiO2 heterojunction and adding RuOx as a cocatalyst prevents photocorrosion and allows for photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen at potentials ≤0.3 V vs RHE. A tandem photoelectrochemical cell composed of a W:BiVO4/CoPi photoanode and a CuBi2O4/CdS/TiO2/RuOx photocathode produces hydrogen which can be detected under illumination at an applied bias of ≥0.4 V. Since the valence band of BiVO4 and conduction band of CuBi2O4 are adequately positioned to oxidize water and reduce protons, we hypothesize that the applied bias is required to overcome the relatively low photovoltages of the photoelectrodes, that is, the relatively low quasi-Fermi level splitting within BiVO4 and CuBi2O4. This work is the first experimental demonstration of hydrogen production from a BiVO4-CuBi2O4-based tandem cell and it provides important insights into the significance of photovoltage in tandem devices for overall water splitting, especially for cells containing CuBi2O4 photocathodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angang Song
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Bogdanoff
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Esau
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ibbi Y Ahmet
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Igal Levine
- Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Dittrich
- Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Unold
- Department of Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roel van de Krol
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sean P Berglund
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
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16
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Pawar PS, Cho JY, Neerugatti KE, Sinha S, Rana TR, Ahn S, Heo J. Solution-Processed Zn xCd 1-xS Buffer Layers for Vapor Transport-Deposited SnS Thin-Film Solar Cells: Achieving High Open-Circuit Voltage. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:7001-7009. [PMID: 31746184 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b14329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As an alternative buffer material to CdS, ZnxCd1-xS buffer layers for vapor transport-deposited SnS thin-film solar cells (TFSCs) were fabricated using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Varying the Zn-to-Cd ratio resulted in a series of ZnxCd1-xS thin films with controllable band gaps in the range of 2.40-3.65 eV. The influence of the Zn-to-Cd ratio on the cell performance was investigated in detail. The Zn0.34Cd0.66S buffer layer was found to be the optimal composition for SnS TFSCs, and a record open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.405 V was achieved with an efficiency of 3.72%, whereas the SILAR-CdS buffer layer rendered a Voc of 0.324 V. The improvement in Voc when using the Zn0.34Cd0.66S buffer layer was corroborated by the spike-type conduction band offset of 0.35 eV with the SnS absorber, as revealed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. In addition, minimized interfacial recombination at the SnS/Zn0.34Cd0.66S heterojunction was confirmed by the temperature-dependent Voc analysis under illuminated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pravin S Pawar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 61186 , Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Yu Cho
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 61186 , Republic of Korea
| | - KrishnaRao Eswar Neerugatti
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 61186 , Republic of Korea
| | - Soumyadeep Sinha
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 61186 , Republic of Korea
| | - Tanka Raj Rana
- Photovoltaics Laboratory , Korea Institute of Energy Research , 152 Gajeong-ro , Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34129 , Republic of Korea
| | - SeJin Ahn
- Photovoltaics Laboratory , Korea Institute of Energy Research , 152 Gajeong-ro , Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34129 , Republic of Korea
- Department of Renewable Energy Engineering , Korea University of Science and Technology (UST) , 217 Gajeong-ro , Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113 , Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeyeong Heo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center , Chonnam National University , Gwangju 61186 , Republic of Korea
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17
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An S, Joshi B, Yarin AL, Swihart MT, Yoon SS. Supersonic Cold Spraying for Energy and Environmental Applications: One-Step Scalable Coating Technology for Advanced Micro- and Nanotextured Materials. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e1905028. [PMID: 31747097 PMCID: PMC6980375 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201905028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Supersonic cold spraying is an emerging technique for rapid deposition of films of materials including micrometer-size and sub-micrometer metal particles, nanoscale ceramic particles, clays, polymers, hybrid materials composed of polymers and particulates, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and metal-organic frameworks. In this method, particles are accelerated to a high velocity and then impact a substrate at near ambient temperature, where dissipation of their kinetic energy produces strong adhesion. Here, recent progress in fundamentals and applications of cold spraying is reviewed. High-velocity impact with the substrate results in significant deformation, which not only produces adhesion, but can change the particles' internal structure. Cold-sprayed coatings can also exhibit micro- and nanotextured morphologies not achievable by other means. Suspending micro- or nanoparticles in a liquid and cold-spraying the suspension produces fine atomization and even deposition of materials that could not otherwise be processed. The scalability and low cost of this method and its compatibility with roll-to-roll processing make it promising for many applications, including ultrathin flexible materials, solar cells, touch-screen panels, nanotextured surfaces for enhanced heat transfer, thermal and electrical insulation films, transparent conductive films, materials for energy storage (e.g., Li-ion battery electrodes), heaters, sensors, photoelectrodes for water splitting, water purification membranes, and self-cleaning films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seongpil An
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607-7022, USA
| | - Bhavana Joshi
- Department of Physics, NES Science College, Snehnagar, Nanded, 431605, Maharashtra, India
| | - Alexander L Yarin
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607-7022, USA
| | - Mark T Swihart
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and RENEW Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260-4200, USA
| | - Sam S Yoon
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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18
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Bae H, Charnas A, Sun X, Noh J, Si M, Chung W, Qiu G, Lyu X, Alghamdi S, Wang H, Zemlyanov D, Ye PD. Solar-Blind UV Photodetector Based on Atomic Layer-Deposited Cu 2O and Nanomembrane β-Ga 2O 3 pn Oxide Heterojunction. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:20756-20761. [PMID: 31858062 PMCID: PMC6906937 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we present a solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector realized using atomic layer-deposited p-type cuprous oxide (Cu2O) underneath a mechanically exfoliated n-type β-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) nanomembrane. The atomic layer deposition process of the Cu2O film applies bis(N,N'-di-secbutylacetamidinato)dicopper(I) [Cu(5Bu-Me-amd)]2 as a novel Cu precursor and water vapor as an oxidant. The exfoliated β-Ga2O3 nanomembrane was transferred to the top of the Cu2O layer surface to realize a unique oxide pn heterojunction, which is not easy to realize by conventional oxide epitaxy techniques. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the fabricated pn heterojunction diode show the typical rectifying behavior. The fabricated Cu2O/β-Ga2O3 photodetector achieves sensitive detection of current at the picoampere scale in the reverse mode. This work provides a new approach to integrate all oxide heterojunctions using membrane transfer and bonding techniques, which goes beyond the limitation of conventional heteroepitaxy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagyoul Bae
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Adam Charnas
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Xing Sun
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Jinhyun Noh
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Mengwei Si
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Wonil Chung
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Gang Qiu
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Xiao Lyu
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Sami Alghamdi
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Haiyan Wang
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Dmitry Zemlyanov
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Peide D. Ye
- School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials
Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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19
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Pan L, Vlachopoulos N, Hagfeldt A. Directly Photoexcited Oxides for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. CHEMSUSCHEM 2019; 12:4337-4352. [PMID: 31478349 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201900849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Artificial photosynthesis promises to become a sustainable way to harvest solar energy and store it in chemical fuels by means of photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. Although it is intriguing to shift the fossil-fuel-based economy to a renewable carbon-neutral one, which will alleviate environmental problems, there is still a long way to go before it rivals traditional energy sources. Existing solar water-splitting devices can be sorted into three categories: photovoltaic-powered electrolysis, PEC water splitting, and photocatalysis (PC). PEC and PC systems hold the potential to further reduce the cost of devices due to their simple structures in which photoabsorbers and catalysts are closely integrated. PC is expected to be the least expensive approach; however, additional costs and concerns are brought about by the subsequent explosive gas separation. At the heart of all devices, semiconductor photoabsorbers should be efficient, robust, and cheap to satisfy the strict requirements on the market. Therefore, this Review intends to give readers an overview on PEC water splitting, with an emphasis on oxide material-based devices, which hold the potential to support global-scale production in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linfeng Pan
- Laboratory of Photomolecular Science, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nick Vlachopoulos
- Laboratory of Photomolecular Science, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anders Hagfeldt
- Laboratory of Photomolecular Science, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
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20
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Shinde S, Yadav H, Ghodake G, Kadam A, Kumbhar V, Yang J, Hwang K, Jagadale A, Kumar S, Kim D. Using chemical bath deposition to create nanosheet-like CuO electrodes for supercapacitor applications. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 181:1004-1011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.05.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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21
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Wei T, Zhu YN, An X, Liu LM, Cao X, Liu H, Qu J. Defect Modulation of Z-Scheme TiO2/Cu2O Photocatalysts for Durable Water Splitting. ACS Catal 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.9b01786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tingcha Wei
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ya-Nan Zhu
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaoqiang An
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Li-Min Liu
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
- School of Physics, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xingzhong Cao
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huijuan Liu
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiuhui Qu
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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22
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Yang W, Moon J. Recent Advances in Earth-Abundant Photocathodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. CHEMSUSCHEM 2019; 12:1889-1899. [PMID: 30102017 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201801554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen through photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is an attractive way to store renewable energy. Despite the intriguing concept of solar hydrogen production, efficient PEC devices based on earth-abundant semiconductors should be realized to compete economically with conventional steam reforming processes. Herein, recent milestones in photocathode development for PEC water splitting, particularly in earth-abundant semiconductors, in terms of new techniques for enhancing performance, as well as theoretical aspects, are highlighted. In addition, recent research into newly emerging low-cost p-type semiconductors in the PEC field, such as Cu2 BaSn(S,Se)4 and Sb2 Se3 , are scrutinized and the advantages and disadvantages of each material assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wooseok Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jooho Moon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
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Borgwardt M, Omelchenko ST, Favaro M, Plate P, Höhn C, Abou-Ras D, Schwarzburg K, van de Krol R, Atwater HA, Lewis NS, Eichberger R, Friedrich D. Femtosecond time-resolved two-photon photoemission studies of ultrafast carrier relaxation in Cu 2O photoelectrodes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2106. [PMID: 31068589 PMCID: PMC6506537 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10143-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising material for solar-driven water splitting to produce hydrogen. However, the relatively small accessible photovoltage limits the development of efficient Cu2O based photocathodes. Here, femtosecond time-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy has been used to probe the electronic structure and dynamics of photoexcited charge carriers at the Cu2O surface as well as the interface between Cu2O and a platinum (Pt) adlayer. By referencing ultrafast energy-resolved surface sensitive spectroscopy to bulk data we identify the full bulk to surface transport dynamics for excited electrons rapidly localized within an intrinsic deep continuous defect band ranging from the whole crystal volume to the surface. No evidence of bulk electrons reaching the surface at the conduction band level is found resulting into a substantial loss of their energy through ultrafast trapping. Our results uncover main factors limiting the energy conversion processes in Cu2O and provide guidance for future material development. While cuprous oxide is a promising solar-to-fuel conversion material, photoelectrochemical devices substantially underperform. Here, the authors use femtosecond time-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy to correlate photoexcited electron energetics and dynamics with performance losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Borgwardt
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan T Omelchenko
- Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Marco Favaro
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Plate
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Höhn
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Abou-Ras
- Department Nanoscale Structures and Microscopic Analysis, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Schwarzburg
- Department Nanoscale Structures and Microscopic Analysis, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roel van de Krol
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harry A Atwater
- Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Nathan S Lewis
- The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Rainer Eichberger
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Dennis Friedrich
- Institute for Solar Fuels, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany.
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Chen R, Pang S, An H, Dittrich T, Fan F, Li C. Giant Defect-Induced Effects on Nanoscale Charge Separation in Semiconductor Photocatalysts. NANO LETTERS 2019; 19:426-432. [PMID: 30585727 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Defects can markedly impact the performance of semiconductor-based photocatalysts, where the spatial separation of photogenerated charges is required for converting solar energy into fuels. However, understanding exactly how defects affect photogenerated charge separation at nanometer scale remains quite challenging. Here, using time- and space-resolved surface photovoltage approaches, we demonstrate that the distribution of surface photogenerated charges and the direction of photogenerated charge separation are determined by the defects distributed within a 100 nm surface region of a photocatalytic Cu2O particle. This is enabled by the defect-induced charge separation process, arising from the trapping of electrons at the near-surface defect states and the accumulation of holes at the surface states. More importantly, the driving force for defect-induced charge separation is greater than 4.2 kV/cm and can be used to drive photocatalytic reactions. These findings highlight the importance of near-surface defect engineering in promoting photogenerated charge separation and manipulating surface photogenerated charges; further, they open up a powerful avenue for improving photocatalytic charge separation and solar energy conversion efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruotian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials ( iChEM) , Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457 , Dalian 116023 , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Shan Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials ( iChEM) , Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457 , Dalian 116023 , China
| | - Hongyu An
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials ( iChEM) , Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457 , Dalian 116023 , China
| | - Thomas Dittrich
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH , Institut für Silizium-Photovoltaik , Kekuléstr. 5 , 12489 Berlin , Germany
| | - Fengtao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials ( iChEM) , Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457 , Dalian 116023 , China
| | - Can Li
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials ( iChEM) , Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457 , Dalian 116023 , China
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Yang W, Prabhakar RR, Tan J, Tilley SD, Moon J. Strategies for enhancing the photocurrent, photovoltage, and stability of photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Chem Soc Rev 2019; 48:4979-5015. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cs00997j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we survey recent strategies for photoelectrode optimization and advanced characterization methods towards efficient water splitting cells via feedback from these characterization methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wooseok Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Yonsei University
- 03722 Seoul
- Republic of Korea
| | | | - Jeiwan Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Yonsei University
- 03722 Seoul
- Republic of Korea
| | - S. David Tilley
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Zurich
- 8057 Zurich
- Switzerland
| | - Jooho Moon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Yonsei University
- 03722 Seoul
- Republic of Korea
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27
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Cots A, Bonete P, Gómez R. Improving the Stability and Efficiency of CuO Photocathodes for Solar Hydrogen Production through Modification with Iron. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:26348-26356. [PMID: 30016591 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b09892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cupric oxide (CuO) is considered as a promising photocathode material for photo(electro)chemical water splitting because of its suitable band gap, low cost related to copper earth abundancy, and straightforward fabrication. The main challenge for the development of practical CuO-based photocathodes for solar hydrogen evolution is to enhance its stability against photocorrosion. In this work, stable and efficient CuO photocathodes have been developed by using a simple and cost-effective methodology. CuO films, composed of nanowires and prepared by chemical oxidation of electrodeposited Cu, develop relatively high photocurrents in 1 M NaOH. However, this photocurrent appears to be partly associated with photocorrosion of CuO. It is significant though that, even unprotected, a faradaic efficiency for hydrogen evolution of ∼45% is attained. The incorporation of iron through an impregnation method, followed by a high-temperature thermal treatment for promoting the external phase transition of the nanowires from CuO to ternary copper iron oxide, was found to provide an improved stability at the expense of photocurrent, which decreases to about one-third of its initial value. In contrast, a faradaic efficiency for hydrogen evolution of ∼100% is achieved even in the absence of co-catalysts, which is ascribable to the favorable band positions of CuO and the iron copper ternary oxide in the core-shell structure of the nanowires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainhoa Cots
- Departament de Química Física i Institut Universitari d'Electroquímica , Universitat d'Alacant , Apartat 99 , E-03080 Alacant , Spain
| | - Pedro Bonete
- Departament de Química Física i Institut Universitari d'Electroquímica , Universitat d'Alacant , Apartat 99 , E-03080 Alacant , Spain
| | - Roberto Gómez
- Departament de Química Física i Institut Universitari d'Electroquímica , Universitat d'Alacant , Apartat 99 , E-03080 Alacant , Spain
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28
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Cui W, Niu W, Wick-Joliat R, Moehl T, Tilley SD. Operando deconvolution of photovoltaic and electrocatalytic performance in ALD TiO 2 protected water splitting photocathodes. Chem Sci 2018; 9:6062-6067. [PMID: 30079219 PMCID: PMC6052736 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc01453a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we demonstrate that buried junction photocathodes featuring an ALD TiO2 protective overlayer can be readily characterized using a variation of the dual working electrode (DWE) technique, where the second working electrode (WE2) is spatially isolated from the hydrogen-evolving active area. The measurement of the surface potential during operation enables the operando deconvolution of the photovoltaic and electrocatalytic performance of these photocathodes, by reconstructing J-ΔV curves (reminiscent of photovoltaic J-V curves) from the 3-electrode water splitting data. Our method provides a clearer understanding of the photocathode degradation mechanism during stability tests, including loss of the catalyst from the surface, which is only possible in our isolated WE2 configuration. A pn+Si/TiO2 photocathode was first investigated as a well behaved model system, and then the technique was applied to an emerging material system based on Cu2O/Ga2O3, where we uncovered an intrinsic instability of the Cu2O/Ga2O3 junction (loss of photovoltage) during long term stability measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cui
- Department of Chemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190 , CH-8057 Zurich , Switzerland .
| | - Wenzhe Niu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190 , CH-8057 Zurich , Switzerland .
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials , School of Materials Science and Engineering , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , Zhejiang , China
| | - René Wick-Joliat
- Department of Chemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190 , CH-8057 Zurich , Switzerland .
| | - Thomas Moehl
- Department of Chemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190 , CH-8057 Zurich , Switzerland .
| | - S David Tilley
- Department of Chemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190 , CH-8057 Zurich , Switzerland .
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31
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Bergum K, Riise HN, Gorantla S, Lindberg PF, Jensen IJT, Gunnæs AE, Galeckas A, Diplas S, Svensson BG, Monakhov E. Improving carrier transport in Cu 2O thin films by rapid thermal annealing. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2018; 30:075702. [PMID: 29363624 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aaa5f4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising material for large scale photovoltaic applications. The efficiencies of thin film structures are, however, currently lower than those for structures based on Cu2O sheets, possibly due to their poorer transport properties. This study shows that post-deposition rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of Cu2O films is an effective approach for improving carrier transport in films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. The as-deposited Cu2O films were poly-crystalline, p-type, with weak near band edge (NBE) emission in photoluminescence spectra, a grain size of ~100 nm and a hole mobility of 2-18 cm2 V-1 s-1. Subsequent RTA (3 min) at a pressure of 50 Pa and temperatures of 600-1000 °C enhanced the NBE by 2-3 orders of magnitude, evidencing improved crystalline quality and reduction of non-radiative carrier recombination. Both grain size and hole mobility were increased considerably upon RTA, reaching values above 1 µm and up to 58 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively, for films annealed at 900-1000 °C. These films also exhibited a resistivity of ~50-200 Ω cm, a hole concentration of ~1015 cm-3 at room temperature, and a transmittance above 80%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Bergum
- Department of Physics, Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
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32
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O'Donoghue R, Rechmann J, Aghaee M, Rogalla D, Becker HW, Creatore M, Wieck AD, Devi A. Low temperature growth of gallium oxide thin films via plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition. Dalton Trans 2017; 46:16551-16561. [PMID: 29160880 DOI: 10.1039/c7dt03427j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Herein we describe an efficient low temperature (60-160 °C) plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process for gallium oxide (Ga2O3) thin films using hexakis(dimethylamido)digallium [Ga(NMe2)3]2 with oxygen (O2) plasma on Si(100). The use of O2 plasma was found to have a significant improvement on the growth rate and deposition temperature when compared to former Ga2O3 processes. The process yielded the second highest growth rates (1.5 Å per cycle) in terms of Ga2O3 ALD and the lowest temperature to date for the ALD growth of Ga2O3 and typical ALD characteristics were determined. From in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) studies and ex situ ellipsometry measurements, it was deduced that the process is initially substrate-inhibited. Complementary analytical techniques were employed to investigate the crystallinity (grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction), composition (Rutherford backscattering analysis/nuclear reaction analysis/X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), morphology (X-ray reflectivity/atomic force microscopy) which revealed the formation of amorphous, homogeneous and nearly stoichiometric Ga2O3 thin films of high purity (carbon and nitrogen <2 at.%) under optimised process conditions. Tauc plots obtained via UV-Vis spectroscopy yielded a band gap of 4.9 eV and the transmittance values were more than 80%. Upon annealing at 1000 °C, the transformation to oxygen rich polycrystalline β-gallium oxide took place, which also resulted in the densification and roughening of the layer, accompanied by a slight reduction in the band gap. This work outlines a fast and efficient method for the low temperature ALD growth of Ga2O3 thin films and provides the means to deposit Ga2O3 upon thermally sensitive polymers like polyethylene terephthalate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard O'Donoghue
- Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany.
| | - Julian Rechmann
- Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Morteza Aghaee
- Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Dirk Wieck
- Chair of Applied Solid State Physics, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Anjana Devi
- Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany.
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Niu W, Zhu L, Wang Y, Lou Z, Ye Z. Interfacial study of Cu2O/Ga2O3/AZO/TiO2 photocathode for water splitting fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. Catal Sci Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cy00040e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Increases in photovoltage and photocurrent were obtained in a photocathode with the structure of Cu2O/Ga2O3/AZO/TiO2 fabricated by pulsed laser deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhe Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Liping Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Yichen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Zirui Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Zhizhen Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
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Liu Y, Ma L, Zhang D, Han G, Chang Y. A simple route to prepare a Cu2O–CuO–GN nanohybrid for high-performance electrode materials. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra26535a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The prepared Cu2O–CuO–GN nanohybrid shows a higher specific capacitance than that of pure GN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyun Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Jinzhong University
- Jinzhong 030619
- PR China
| | - Ling Ma
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Jinzhong University
- Jinzhong 030619
- PR China
| | - Dong Zhang
- School of Material Science and Engineering
- Tongji University
- Shanghai 200092
- PR China
| | - Gaoyi Han
- Institute of Molecular Science
- Innovation Center of Chemistry and Molecular Science
- Shanxi University
- Taiyuan 030006
- PR China
| | - Yunzhen Chang
- Institute of Molecular Science
- Innovation Center of Chemistry and Molecular Science
- Shanxi University
- Taiyuan 030006
- PR China
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Kang D, Lee D, Choi KS. Electrochemical Synthesis of Highly Oriented, Transparent, and Pinhole-Free ZnO and Al-Doped ZnO Films and Their Use in Heterojunction Solar Cells. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2016; 32:10459-10466. [PMID: 27696865 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b01902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical synthesis conditions using nonaqueous solutions were developed to prepare highly transparent (T > 90%) and crystalline ZnO and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films for use in solar energy conversion devices. A focused effort was made to produce pinhole-free films in a reproducible manner by identifying a key condition to prevent the formation of cracks during deposition. The polycrystalline domains in the resulting films had a uniform orientation (i.e., the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate), which enhanced the electron transport properties of the films. Furthermore, electrochemical Al doping of ZnO using nonaqueous media, which was demonstrated for the first time in this study, effectively increased the carrier density and raised the Fermi level of ZnO. These films were coupled with an electrodeposited p-type Cu2O to construct p-n heterojunction solar cells to demonstrate the utilization of these films for solar energy conversion. The resulting n-ZnO/p-Cu2O and n-AZO/p-Cu2O cells showed excellent performance compared with previously reported n-ZnO/p-Cu2O cells prepared by electrodeposition. In particular, replacing ZnO with AZO resulted in simultaneous enhancements in short circuit current and open circuit potential, and the n-AZO/p-Cu2O cell achieved an average power conversion efficiency (η) of 0.92 ± 0.09%. The electrodeposition condition reported here will offer a practical and versatile way to produce ZnO or AZO films, which play key roles in various solar energy conversion devices, with qualities comparable to those prepared by vacuum-based techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghyeon Kang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Dongho Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Kyoung-Shin Choi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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37
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Zhang KHL, Xi K, Blamire MG, Egdell RG. P-type transparent conducting oxides. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2016; 28:383002. [PMID: 27459942 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/38/383002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Transparent conducting oxides constitute a unique class of materials combining properties of electrical conductivity and optical transparency in a single material. They are needed for a wide range of applications including solar cells, flat panel displays, touch screens, light emitting diodes and transparent electronics. Most of the commercially available TCOs are n-type, such as Sn doped In2O3, Al doped ZnO, and F doped SnO2. However, the development of efficient p-type TCOs remains an outstanding challenge. This challenge is thought to be due to the localized nature of the O 2p derived valence band which leads to difficulty in introducing shallow acceptors and large hole effective masses. In 1997 Hosono and co-workers (1997 Nature 389 939) proposed the concept of 'chemical modulation of the valence band' to mitigate this problem using hybridization of O 2p orbitals with close-shell Cu 3d (10) orbitals. This work has sparked tremendous interest in designing p-TCO materials together with deep understanding the underlying materials physics. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive review on traditional and recently emergent p-TCOs, including Cu(+)-based delafossites, layered oxychalcogenides, nd (6) spinel oxides, Cr(3+)-based oxides (3d (3)) and post-transition metal oxides with lone pair state (ns (2)). We will focus our discussions on the basic materials physics of these materials in terms of electronic structures, doping and defect properties for p-type conductivity and optical properties. Device applications based on p-TCOs for transparent p-n junctions will also be briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin H L Zhang
- Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK
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38
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Ievskaya Y, Hoye RLZ, Sadhanala A, Musselman KP, MacManus-Driscoll JL. Improved Heterojunction Quality in Cu2O-based Solar Cells Through the Optimization of Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposited Zn1-xMgxO. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27500923 PMCID: PMC5091704 DOI: 10.3791/53501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) was used to deposit n-type ZnO and Zn1-xMgxO thin films onto p-type thermally oxidized Cu2O substrates outside vacuum at low temperature. The performance of photovoltaic devices featuring atmospherically fabricated ZnO/Cu2O heterojunction was dependent on the conditions of AP-SALD film deposition, namely, the substrate temperature and deposition time, as well as on the Cu2O substrate exposure to oxidizing agents prior to and during the ZnO deposition. Superficial Cu2O to CuO oxidation was identified as a limiting factor to heterojunction quality due to recombination at the ZnO/Cu2O interface. Optimization of AP-SALD conditions as well as keeping Cu2O away from air and moisture in order to minimize Cu2O surface oxidation led to improved device performance. A three-fold increase in the open-circuit voltage (up to 0.65 V) and a two-fold increase in the short-circuit current density produced solar cells with a record 2.2% power conversion efficiency (PCE). This PCE is the highest reported for a Zn1-xMgxO/Cu2O heterojunction formed outside vacuum, which highlights atmospheric pressure spatial ALD as a promising technique for inexpensive and scalable fabrication of Cu2O-based photovoltaics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Ievskaya
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge;
| | - Robert L Z Hoye
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
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Lee JG, Kim DY, Lee JH, Kim MW, An S, Jo HS, Nervi C, Al-Deyab SS, Swihart MT, Yoon SS. Scalable Binder-Free Supersonic Cold Spraying of Nanotextured Cupric Oxide (CuO) Films as Efficient Photocathodes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:15406-15414. [PMID: 27232695 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b03968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate production of nanotextured p-type cupric oxide (CuO) films via a low-cost scalable supersonic cold spray method in open air conditions. Simply sweeping the spray nozzle across a substrate produced a large-scale CuO film. When used as hydrogen evolution photocathodes, these films produced photocurrent densities (PCD) of up to 3.1 mA/cm(2) under AM1.5 illumination, without the use of a cocatalyst or any additional heterojunction layers. Cu2O particles were supersonically sprayed onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) coated soda lime glass (SLG) substrate, without any solvent or binder. Annealing in air converted the Cu2O films to CuO, with a corresponding decrease in the bandgap and increase in the fraction of the solar spectrum absorbed. Annealing at 600 °C maximized the PCD. Increasing the supersonic gas velocity from ∼450 to ∼700 m/s produced denser films with greater surface roughness, in turn producing higher PCD. The nanoscale texture of the films, which resembles the skin of a dinosaur, enhanced their performance, leading to one of the highest PCD values in the literature. We characterized the films by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the origins of their outstanding performance. This supersonic cold spraying deposition has the potential to be used on a commercial scale for low cost mass production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Gun Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Do-Yeon Kim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Hyuk Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Woo Kim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongpil An
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Seok Jo
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
| | - Carlo Nervi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino , Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy , and Consorzio Interuniversitario Reattivitá Chimica e Catalisi, Bari
| | - Salem S Al-Deyab
- Petrochemical Research Chair, Department of Chemistry, King Saud University , Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mark T Swihart
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York , Buffalo, New York 14260-4200, United States
| | - Sam S Yoon
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
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40
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Luo Z, Cetegen SA, Miao R, Jiang T, Chen SY, Jafari T, Zhang Y, Suib SL. Structure–property relationships of copper modified mesoporous TiO2 materials on alkyne homocoupling reactions. J Catal 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2016.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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41
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Luo J, Steier L, Son MK, Schreier M, Mayer MT, Grätzel M. Cu2O Nanowire Photocathodes for Efficient and Durable Solar Water Splitting. NANO LETTERS 2016; 16:1848-57. [PMID: 26866762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b04929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Due to its abundance, scalability, and nontoxicity, Cu2O has attracted extensive attention toward solar energy conversion, and it is the best performing metal oxide material. Until now, the high efficiency devices are all planar in structure, and their photocurrent densities still fall well below the theoretical value of 14.5 mA cm(-2) due to the incompatible light absorption and charge carrier diffusion lengths. Nanowire structures have been considered as a rational and promising approach to solve this issue, but due to various challenges, performance improvements through the use of nanowires have rarely been achieved. In this work, we develop a new synthetic method to grow Cu2O nanowire arrays on conductive fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates with well-controlled phase and excellent electronic and photonic properties. Also, we introduce an innovative blocking layer strategy to enable high performance. Further, through material engineering by combining a conformal nanoscale p-n junction, durable protective overlayer, and uniform catalyst decoration, we have successfully fabricated Cu2O nanowire array photocathodes for hydrogen generation from solar water splitting delivering unprecedentedly high photocurrent densities of 10 mA cm(-2) and stable operation beyond 50 h, establishing a new benchmark for metal oxide based photoelectrodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingshan Luo
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ludmilla Steier
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Min-Kyu Son
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Schreier
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthew T Mayer
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael Grätzel
- Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Masudy-Panah S, Siavash Moakhar R, Chua CS, Tan HR, Wong TI, Chi D, Dalapati GK. Nanocrystal Engineering of Sputter-Grown CuO Photocathode for Visible-Light-Driven Electrochemical Water Splitting. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:1206-13. [PMID: 26694248 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b09613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Cupric oxide (CuO) thin film was sputtered onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate and incorporated into a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell as a photocathode. Through in situ nanocrystal engineering, sputtered CuO film shows an improvement in its stability and photocurrent generation capability. For the same CuO film thickness (150 nm), films deposited at a sputtering power of 300 W exhibit a photocurrent of ∼0.92 mAcm(-2) (0 V vs RHE), which is significantly higher than those deposited at 30 W (∼0.58 mAcm(-2)). By increasing the film thickness to 500 nm, the photocurrent is further enhanced to 2.5 mAcm(-2), which represents a photocurrent conversion efficiency of 3.1%. Systematic characterization using Raman, XRD, and HR-TEM reveals that the high sputtering power results in an improvement in CuO film crystallinity, which enhances its charge transport property and, hence, its photocurrent generation capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeid Masudy-Panah
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Roozbeh Siavash Moakhar
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Chin Sheng Chua
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Hui Ru Tan
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Ten It Wong
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Dongzhi Chi
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
| | - Goutam Kumar Dalapati
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) , 2 Fusionopolis Way; Innovis, #08-03, Singapore 138634
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Zhang L, Sun H, Xie L, Lu J, Zhang L, Wu S, Gao X, Lu X, Li J, Liu JM. Inorganic Solar Cells Based on Electrospun ZnO Nanofibrous Networks and Electrodeposited Cu2O. NANOSCALE RESEARCH LETTERS 2015; 10:465. [PMID: 26625889 PMCID: PMC4666848 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-015-1169-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The nanostructured ZnO/copper oxide (Cu2O) photovoltaic devices based on electrospun ZnO nanofibrous network and electrodeposited Cu2O layer have been fabricated. The effects of the pH value of electrodeposition solution and the Cu2O layer thickness on the photovoltaic performances have been investigated. It is revealed that the pH value influences the morphology and structure of the Cu2O layer and thus the device performances. The Cu2O layer with an appropriate thickness benefits to charge transfer and light absorption. The device prepared at the optimal conditions shows the lowest recombination rate and exhibits a power conversion efficiency of ~0.77 %.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luming Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Huaquan Sun
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Lai Xie
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jinnan Lu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Luyong Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Sujuan Wu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Xingsen Gao
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xubing Lu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jinhua Li
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Jun-Ming Liu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
- Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
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44
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Yantara N, Pham TTT, Boix PP, Mathews N. Modulating light propagation in ZnO–Cu2O-inverse opal solar cells for enhanced photocurrents. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:21694-701. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cp02041g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The advantages of employing an interconnected periodic ZnO morphology, i.e. an inverse opal structure, in electrodeposited ZnO/Cu2O devices are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Yantara
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Nanyang Technological University
- Singapore 639798
| | - Thi Thu Trang Pham
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Nanyang Technological University
- Singapore 639798
| | - Pablo P. Boix
- Energy Research Institute@NTU (ERI@N)
- Research TechnoPlaza
- Singapore 637553
| | - Nripan Mathews
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Nanyang Technological University
- Singapore 639798
- Energy Research Institute@NTU (ERI@N)
- Research TechnoPlaza
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Hoye RZ, Heffernan S, Ievskaya Y, Sadhanala A, Flewitt A, Friend RH, MacManus-Driscoll JL, Musselman KP. Engineering Schottky contacts in open-air fabricated heterojunction solar cells to enable high performance and ohmic charge transport. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:22192-22198. [PMID: 25418326 PMCID: PMC4333600 DOI: 10.1021/am5058663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The efficiencies of open-air processed Cu2O/Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O heterojunction solar cells are doubled by reducing the effect of the Schottky barrier between Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O and the indium tin oxide (ITO) top contact. By depositing Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O with a long band-tail, charge flows through the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/ITO Schottky barrier without rectification by hopping between the sub-bandgap states. High current densities are obtained by controlling the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O thickness to ensure that the Schottky barrier is spatially removed from the p-n junction, allowing the full built-in potential to form, in addition to taking advantage of the increased electrical conductivity of the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O films with increasing thickness. This work therefore shows that the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O window layer sub-bandgap state density and thickness are critical parameters that can be engineered to minimize the effect of Schottky barriers on device performance. More generally, these findings show how to improve the performance of other photovoltaic system reliant on transparent top contacts, e.g., CZTS and CIGS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert
L. Z. Hoye
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles
Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
| | - Shane Heffernan
- Electrical
Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Yulia Ievskaya
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles
Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
| | - Aditya Sadhanala
- Department
of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Flewitt
- Electrical
Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Richard H. Friend
- Department
of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles
Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin P. Musselman
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles
Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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46
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Izaki M, Ohta T, Kondo M, Takahashi T, Mohamad FB, Zamzuri M, Sasano J, Shinagawa T, Pauporté T. Electrodeposited ZnO-nanowire/Cu₂O photovoltaic device with highly resistive ZnO intermediate layer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2014; 6:13461-9. [PMID: 25078882 DOI: 10.1021/am502246j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Cl-doped ZnO-nanowire (Cl:ZnO-nws)/Cu2O photovoltaic devices were prepared by electrodeposition in aqueous solutions, and the effects of the insertion of the highly resistive ZnO (i-ZnO) layer has been demonstrated by an improvement of the photovoltaic performance. The Cl:ZnO-nws and i-ZnO layer were prepared by electrodeposition in a zinc chloride aqueous solution with saturated molecular oxygen and simple zinc nitrate aqueous solution, respectively. The i-ZnO layer was directly deposited on the Cl:ZnO-nws and suppressed the electrodeposition of the Cu2O layer on the Cl:ZnO-nws. The insertion of the i-ZnO layer between the Cl:ZnO-nws and Cu2O layers induced an improvement in the photovoltaic performance from 0.40 to 1.26% with a 0.35 V open circuit voltage, 7.1 mA·cm(-2) short circuit current density, and 0.52 fill factor due to the reduction of the recombination loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanobu Izaki
- Graduate School of Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology , Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan
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