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Amrillah T, Prasetio A, Supandi AR, Sidiq DH, Putra FS, Nugroho MA, Salsabilla Z, Azmi R. Environment-friendly copper-based chalcogenide thin film solar cells: status and perspectives. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:313-339. [PMID: 36537134 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh00983h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Copper chalcogenides (CuCh) have attracted considerable attention due to their promising potential as environmental-friendly photoactive material for lightweight and flexible thin film solar cells. Further, CuCh can be fabricated from simple to complex chemical compositions and offer a remarkable charge carrier mobility and excellent absorption coefficient with a desirable bandgap (up to ∼1.0 eV). Currently, they have demonstrated maximum power conversion efficiencies of over 23% for single-junction, around 25% and 28% for monolithic 2-Terminal (2T) and mechanically-stacked 4-Terminal (4T) perovskite/CuCh tandem solar cells, respectively. This article presents an overview of CuCh-based materials, from binary- to quaternary-CuCh compounds for single- and multi-junction solar cells. Then, we discuss the development of fabrication methods and the approaches taken to improve the performance of CuCh-based thin film itself, including chemical doping, the development of complement layers, and their potential application in flexible and lightweight devices. Finally, these technologies' stability, scalability, and toxicity aspects are discussed to enhance their current marketability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahta Amrillah
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplinary, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
| | - Adi Prasetio
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abdul Rohman Supandi
- Department of Chemistry and Materials, Shinshu University, 3-15-1 Tokida, Ueda, Nagano 386-8567, Japan
| | - David Hadid Sidiq
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplinary, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
| | - Fajar Sukamto Putra
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplinary, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
| | - Muhammad Adi Nugroho
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplinary, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
| | - Zahra Salsabilla
- Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidisciplinary, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
| | - Randi Azmi
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center (KSC), Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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2
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Harvey SM, Houck DW, Kirschner MS, Flanders NC, Brumberg A, Leonard AA, Watkins NE, Chen LX, Dichtel WR, Zhang X, Korgel BA, Wasielewski MR, Schaller RD. Transient Lattice Response upon Photoexcitation in CuInSe 2 Nanocrystals with Organic or Inorganic Surface Passivation. ACS NANO 2020; 14:13548-13556. [PMID: 32915540 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c05553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
CuInSe2 nanocrystals offer promise for optoelectronics including thin-film photovoltaics and printed electronics. Additive manufacturing methods such as photonic curing controllably sinter particles into quasi-continuous films and offer improved device performance. To gain understanding of nanocrystal response under such processing conditions, we investigate impacts of photoexcitation on colloidal nanocrystal lattices via time-resolved X-ray diffraction. We probe three sizes of particles and two capping ligands (oleylamine and inorganic S2-) to evaluate resultant crystal lattice temperature, phase stability, and thermal dissipation. Elevated fluences produce heating and loss of crystallinity, the onset of which exhibits particle size dependence. We find size-dependent recrystallization and cooling lifetimes ranging from 90 to 200 ps with additional slower cooling on the nanosecond time scale. Sulfide-capped nanocrystals show faster recrystallization and cooling compared to oleylamine-capped nanocrystals. Using these lifetimes, we find interfacial thermal conductivities from 3 to 28 MW/(m2 K), demonstrating that ligand identity strongly influences thermal dissipation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Harvey
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Daniel W Houck
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Matthew S Kirschner
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Nathan C Flanders
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Alexandra Brumberg
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Ariel A Leonard
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemical Science and Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Nicolas E Watkins
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Lin X Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemical Science and Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - William R Dichtel
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Xiaoyi Zhang
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Brian A Korgel
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Michael R Wasielewski
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Richard D Schaller
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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3
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Design of chalcopyrite-type CuFeSe2 nanocrystals: Microstructure, magnetism, photoluminescence and sensing performances. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2019.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Yun HJ, Lim J, Fuhr AS, Makarov NS, Keene S, Law M, Pietryga JM, Klimov VI. Charge-Transport Mechanisms in CuInSe xS 2- x Quantum-Dot Films. ACS NANO 2018; 12:12587-12596. [PMID: 30495927 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b07179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have attracted considerable attention as promising materials for solution-processable electronic and optoelectronic devices. Copper indium selenium sulfide (CuInSe xS2- x or CISeS) QDs are particularly attractive as an environmentally benign alternative to the much more extensively studied QDs containing toxic metals such as Cd and Pb. Carrier transport properties of CISeS-QD films, however, are still poorly understood. Here, we aim to elucidate the factors that control charge conductance in CISeS QD solids and, based on this knowledge, develop practical approaches for controlling the polarity of charge transport and carrier mobilities. To this end, we incorporate CISeS QDs into field-effect transistors (FETs) and perform detailed characterization of these devices as a function of the Se/(Se+S) ratio, surface treatment, thermal annealing, and the identity of source and drain electrodes. We observe that as-synthesized CuInSe xS2- x QDs exhibit degenerate p-type transport, likely due to metal vacancies and CuIn'' anti-site defects (Cu1+ on an In3+ site) that act as acceptor states. Moderate-temperature annealing of the films in the presence of indium source and drain electrodes leads to switching of the transport polarity to nondegenerate n-type, which can be attributed to the formation of In-related defects such as InCu•• (an In3+ cation on a Cu1+ site) or Ini••• (interstitial In3+) acting as donors. We observe that the carrier mobilities increase dramatically (by 3 orders of magnitude) with increasing Se/(Se+S) ratio in both n- and p-type devices. To explain this observation, we propose a two-state conductance model, which invokes a high-mobility intrinsic band-edge state and a low-mobility defect-related intragap state. These states are thermally coupled, and their relative occupancies depend on both QD composition and temperature. Our observations suggest that the increase in the relative fraction of Se moves conduction- and valence band edges closer to low-mobility intragap levels. This results in increased relative occupancy of the intrinsic band-edge states and a corresponding growth of the measured mobility. Further improvement in charge-transport characteristics of the CISeS QD samples as well as their stability is obtained by infilling the QD films with amorphous Al2O3 using atomic layer deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeong Jin Yun
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
| | - Jaehoon Lim
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Energy System Research , Ajou University , Suwon 16499 , Republic of Korea
| | - Addis S Fuhr
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of California , Los Angeles , California 90095 , United States
| | - Nikolay S Makarov
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
- UbiQD, Inc. , 134 East Gate Drive , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87544 , United States
| | - Sam Keene
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science , University of California , Irvine , California 92697 , United States
| | - Matt Law
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science , University of California , Irvine , California 92697 , United States
| | - Jeffrey M Pietryga
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
| | - Victor I Klimov
- Chemistry Division , Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos , New Mexico 87545 , United States
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Lee BS, Park SYL, Lee JM, Jeong JH, Kim JY, Chung CH, Lee DK. Suppressed Formation of Conductive Phases in One-Pot Electrodeposited CuInSe2 by Tuning Se Concentration in Aqueous Electrolyte. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:24585-24593. [PMID: 27585315 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b07065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The single-bath electrochemical deposition of CuInSe2 often leads to short-circuit behavior of the resulting solar cells due to the high shunt conductance. In this study, in an attempt to resolve this problem, the influence of the Se precursor concentration (CSe) on electrodeposited CuInSe2 films and solar cell devices is examined in the CSe range of 4.8 to 12.0 mM in selenite-based aqueous solutions containing Cu and In chlorides along with sulfamic acid (H3NSO3) and potassium hydrogen phthalate (C8H5KO4) additives. As CSe increases, the CuInSe2 layers become porous, and the grain growth of the CuInSe2 phase is restricted, while the parasitic shunting problem was markedly alleviated, as unambiguously demonstrated by measurements of the local current distribution. Due to these ambivalent influences, an optimal value of CSe that achieves the best quality of the films for high-efficiency solar cells is identified. Thus, the device prepared with 5.2 mM Se exhibits a power-conversion efficiency exceeding 10% with greatly improved device parameters, such as the shunt conductance and the reverse saturation current. The rationale of the present approach along with the physicochemical origin of its conspicuous impact on the resulting devices is discussed in conjunction with the electro-crystallization mechanism of the CuInSe2 compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byung-Seok Lee
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
- Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology , Daejeon 305-350, Korea
| | - Sung-Yul L Park
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
- Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology , Daejeon 305-350, Korea
| | - Jang Mi Lee
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
- Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology , Daejeon 305-350, Korea
| | - Jeung-Hyun Jeong
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
| | - Jin Young Kim
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
| | - Choong-Heui Chung
- Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hanbat National University , Daejeon 305-719, Korea
| | - Doh-Kwon Lee
- Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) , Seoul 136-791, Korea
- Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, Korea University of Science and Technology , Daejeon 305-350, Korea
- Green School, Korea University , Seoul 136-713, Korea
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6
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Ho WH, Hsu CH, Yeh TH, Chang YH, Wei SY, Lin TY, Lai CH. Room-Temperature Chemical Solution Treatment for Flexible ZnS(O,OH)/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cell: Improvements in Interface Properties and Metastability. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:6709-6717. [PMID: 26905219 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b11028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an effective room-temperature chemical solution treatment, by using thioacetamide (S treatment) or thioacetamide-InCl3 (In-S treatment) solution, on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) surface to engineer the ZnS(O,OH)/CIGSe interface and junction quality, leading to enhanced efficiency and minimized metastability of flexible solar cells. The control device without treatment reveals a relatively low efficiency of 8.15%, which is significantly improved to 9.74% by In-S treatment, and 10.39% by S treatment. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest that S is incorporated into CIGSe surface forming CIGSSe by S treatment, whereas a thin In-S layer is formed on CIGSe surface by In-S treatment with reduced amount of S diffusing into CIGSe. PL spectra and TRPL lifetime further reveal that S incorporation into CIGS surface may substitute the OSe and/or directly occupy the vacant anion site (VSe), resulting in the effective passivation of the recombination centers at CIGSe surface. Moreover, reducing the concentrations of VSe may thereby decrease the density of (VCu-VSe) acceptors, which can minimize the metastability of ZnS(O,OH)/CIGSe solar cells. With S treatment, the light soaking (LS) time of ZnS(O,OH)/CIGSe device is reduced approximately to one-half of control one. Our approach can be potentially applied for alternative Cd-free buffer layers to achieve high efficiency and low metastability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Hao Ho
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chia-Hao Hsu
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Tzu-Hsuan Yeh
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yu-Han Chang
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shih-Yuan Wei
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Tzu-Ying Lin
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chih-Huang Lai
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan, Republic of China
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7
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Kshirsagar AS, More PV, Khanna PK. Synthesis of shape and size controlled copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2) via extrusion of selenium from 1,2,3-selenadiazole. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra16933c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
CISe NPs were successfully synthesized via extrusion of selenium from 1,2,3-selenadiazole. The effect of various reaction parameters on the size and shape of CISe were studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuraj S. Kshirsagar
- Nano Chemistry and Quantum Dots R & D Lab
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT)
- Ministry of Defence
- Govt. of India
| | - Priyesh V. More
- Nano Chemistry and Quantum Dots R & D Lab
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT)
- Ministry of Defence
- Govt. of India
| | - Pawan K. Khanna
- Nano Chemistry and Quantum Dots R & D Lab
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT)
- Ministry of Defence
- Govt. of India
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8
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Golobostanfard MR, Abdizadeh H. All solution processable graded CIGS solar cells fabricated using electrophoretic deposition. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra26315h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Graded band gap chalcopyrite solar cells are fabricated based on an all solution processable synthesis method with the aid of electrophoretic deposition and a superstrate structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hossein Abdizadeh
- School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
- College of Engineering
- University of Tehran
- Tehran
- Iran
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Ramasamy P, Kim J. Wurtzite Cu2GeS3Nanocrystals: Phase- and Shape-Controlled Colloidal Synthesis. Chem Asian J 2015; 10:1468-73. [DOI: 10.1002/asia.201500199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Parthiban Ramasamy
- Department of Chemistry and GETRC; Kongju National University; 182, Shinkwon, Kongju 314-701 Chungnam Republic of Korea
| | - Jinkwon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and GETRC; Kongju National University; 182, Shinkwon, Kongju 314-701 Chungnam Republic of Korea
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10
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Draguta S, McDaniel H, Klimov VI. Tuning carrier mobilities and polarity of charge transport in films of CuInSe(x)S(2-x) quantum dots. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2015; 27:1701-1705. [PMID: 25613726 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201404878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
CuInSe(x)S(2-x) quantum dot field-effect transistors show p-type, n-type, and ambipolar behaviors with carrier mobilities up to 0.03 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). Although some design rules from studies of cadmium and lead containing quantum dots can be applied, remarkable differences are observed including a strong gating effect in as-synthesized nanocyrstals with long ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiu Draguta
- Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
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Wang W, Jiang J, Ding T, Wang C, Zuo J, Yang Q. Alternative synthesis of CuFeSe2 nanocrystals with magnetic and photoelectric properties. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:2235-41. [PMID: 25562289 DOI: 10.1021/am508844w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Monodisperse CuFeSe2 nanocrystals of high quality have been successfully synthesized for the first time using a hot-solution injection method from the reaction of metallic acetylacetonates with diphenyl diselenide (Ph2Se2) in oleylamine with addition of oleic acid at 255 °C for 90 min. The characterizations of X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and compositional analysis reveal that the resulting CuFeSe2 nanocrystals are of tetragonal phase with a stoichiometric composition. The CuFeSe2 nanocrystals exhibit well-defined quasi-cubic shape with an average size of ∼18 nm, and their shape can be tuned from quasi-cubes to quasi-spheres by adjusting the reaction parameters. Magnetic measurement reveals that the as-synthesized CuFeSe2 nanocrystals are ferromagnetic and paramagnetic at 4 and 300 K, respectively. Additionally, the current-voltage (I-V) behavior of the CuFeSe2 nanocrystals suggests that they are promising candidates for application in optoelectronics and solar energy conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenliang Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory of Physical Sciences at the Microscale, ‡Department of Chemistry, §Laboratory of Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion, and ∥Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information & Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) , Hefei 230026, Anhui, P. R. China
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Colombara D, Crossay A, Regesch D, Broussillou C, de Monsabert TG, Grand PP, Dale PJ. Prediction of photovoltaic p–n device short circuit current by photoelectrochemical analysis of p-type CIGSe films. Electrochem commun 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.elecom.2014.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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Park BI, Hwang Y, Lee SY, Lee JS, Park JK, Jeong J, Kim JY, Kim B, Cho SH, Lee DK. Solvent-free synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals: a facile, green, up-scalable route for low cost photovoltaic cells. NANOSCALE 2014; 6:11703-11711. [PMID: 25091974 DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02564d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Efficient Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) solar cells were fabricated with a simple, environmentally friendly, and scalable synthetic method for Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals. CZTS nanoparticles were mechanochemically synthesized from elemental precursors on a relatively large scale (∼20 g), during which no solvents or additives were used, thus alleviating the complex process of particle synthesis. An analysis of the time evolution of the crystalline phase and morphology of precursor powders revealed that the formation of the CZTS compound was completed in 0.5 h once initiated, suggesting that the mechanochemically induced self-propagating reaction prevails. CZTS ink was prepared by dispersing the as-synthesized nanoparticles in an environmentally benign solvent (160 mg mL(-1) in ethanol) without using any additives, after which it was cast onto Mo-coated glass substrates by a doctor-blade method. Subsequent reactive annealing at 560 °C under a Se-containing atmosphere resulted in substantial grain growth along with the nearly complete substitution of Se. The CZTSe solar cells therefrom exhibited power conversion efficiency levels as high as 6.1% (based on the active area, 0.44 cm(2)) with a relatively high open-circuit voltage (0.42 V) in comparison with the bandgap energy of 1.0 eV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-In Park
- Center for Materials Architecturing, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Korea.
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