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Improvement of photovoltaic performance on inverted chalcostibite CuSbS2 solar cells using Sr-doped TiO2 window layers

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Abstract

In our recent study, we delved into the exploration of solution-processed copper antimony sulfide (CuSbS2, referred to as CAS) nanostructured materials.Upon verifying its purity, we employed this nanostructured material as a key constituent in the production of thin films via the electron beam evaporation method. We comprehensively analyzed the characteristics of a thin film made from CAS. To thoroughly examine its properties, we employed a variety of analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–Visible spectroscopy. To assess the influence of architectural adjustments on the efficiency of solar cells, we conducted modifications by substituting the standard intrinsic-zinc oxide (i–ZnO) window layer with a one-dimensional (1D) n-type TiO2/Sr-doped TiO2 and integrating an active layer composed of CAS. Notably, the solar cell utilizing Sr-doped TiO2 nanorod thin films achieved a power conversion of 1.4% under simulated solar light irradiation at 1000 Wm−2. This efficiency stands out significantly when contrasted to solar cells based on undoped TiO2. The increase in conversion efficiency observed in the Sr-doped TiO2 nanorod thin films is primarily attributed to two key factors: the rapid transport of electrons within the TiO2 nanorod thin films and the positive shift of the flat band potentials.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank UGC Dr. D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship (Award letter number: No.F.4-2/2006 (BSR)/EN/20-21/0063) for their financial support. We also thank the DST-FIST, Department of Physics, and Dr. K. Jeganathan, CNST, Department of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India, for Raman and Solar simulator characterization facilities, respectively. The author RR gratefully acknowledges MOE-RUSA2.0 (R& I) physical sciences for financial support.

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  1. Crystal Growth and Thin Film Laboratory, Department of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620024, Tamil Nadu, India

    Sripan Chinnaiyah & R. Ramesh Babu

  2. Department of Engineering and Materials Physics, Institute of Chemical Technology-IOC, Bhubaneswar, 751013, Odisha, India

    Ramakanta Naik

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  1. Sripan Chinnaiyah
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SC was involved in conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, validation, methodology, funding acquisition, writing original draft, review and editing. RN was involved in the methodology and investigation. RR was involved in validation, funding, supervision, review, and editing.

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Chinnaiyah, S., Naik, R. & Ramesh Babu, R. Improvement of photovoltaic performance on inverted chalcostibite CuSbS2 solar cells using Sr-doped TiO2 window layers. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 1015 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-024-12752-9

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