Issue 38, 2015

Predicting suitable optoelectronic properties of monoclinic VON semiconductor crystals for photovoltaics using accurate first-principles computations

Abstract

Using accurate first-principles quantum calculations based on DFT (including the DFPT) with the range-separated hybrid HSE06 exchange–correlation functional, we can predict the essential fundamental properties (such as bandgap, optical absorption co-efficient, dielectric constant, charge carrier effective masses and exciton binding energy) of two stable monoclinic vanadium oxynitride (VON) semiconductor crystals for solar energy conversion applications. In addition to the predicted band gaps in the optimal range for making single-junction solar cells, both polymorphs exhibit a relatively high absorption efficiency in the visible range, high dielectric constant, high charge carrier mobility and much lower exciton binding energy than the thermal energy at room temperature. Moreover, their optical absorption, dielectric and exciton dissociation properties were found to be better than those obtained for semiconductors frequently utilized in photovoltaic devices such as Si, CdTe and GaAs. These novel results offer a great opportunity for this stoichiometric VON material to be properly synthesized and considered as a new good candidate for photovoltaic applications.

Graphical abstract: Predicting suitable optoelectronic properties of monoclinic VON semiconductor crystals for photovoltaics using accurate first-principles computations

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Jul 2015
Accepted
24 Aug 2015
First published
26 Aug 2015

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015,17, 25244-25249

Author version available

Predicting suitable optoelectronic properties of monoclinic VON semiconductor crystals for photovoltaics using accurate first-principles computations

M. Harb, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 25244 DOI: 10.1039/C5CP03924J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements