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Liang Z, Liu YZ, Gong ZT, Li JY, Yao YS, Tang ZK, Wei XL. Ultra-high photoelectric conversion efficiency and obvious carrier separation in photovoltaic ZnIn 2X 4 (X = S, Se, and Te) van der Waals heterostructures. Dalton Trans 2024; 53:4729-4736. [PMID: 38362847 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt04276f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The need for low-carbon solar electricity production has become increasingly urgent for energy security and climate change mitigation. However, the bandgap and carrier separation critical requirements of high-efficiency solar cells are difficult to satisfy simultaneously in a single material. In this work, several van der Waals ZnIn2X4 (X = S, Se, and Te) heterostructures were designed based on density functional theory. Our results suggest that both ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 and ZnIn2Se4/ZnIn2Te4 heterostructures are direct bandgap semiconductors at the Γ point. Besides, obvious carrier spatial separations were observed in the ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 and ZnIn2Se4/ZnIn2Te4 heterostructures. Interestingly, the ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 heterostructure has a suitable bandgap of 1.43 eV with good optical absorption in the visible light range. The calculated maximum theoretical photoelectric conversion efficiency of ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 heterostructure was 32.1%, and it can be further enhanced to 32.9% under 2% tensile strain. Compared to single-layer ZnIn2X4 materials, the electron effective mass of the ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 heterostructure is relatively low, which results in high electron mobility in the heterostructure. The suitable bandgap, obvious carrier separation, high electron mobility, and excellent theoretical photoelectric conversion efficiency of the ZnIn2S4/ZnIn2Se4 heterostructure make it a promising candidate for novel 2D-based photoelectronic devices and solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Liang
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Yao-Zhong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Ze-Ting Gong
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Jun-Yao Li
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Yong-Sheng Yao
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Zhen-Kun Tang
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
| | - Xiao-Lin Wei
- Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Energy Materials and Application Technologies, University of Hunan Province & College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China.
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