Issue 32, 2023

InCl3-modified SnO2 as an electron transporting layer for Cd-free antimony selenide solar cells

Abstract

Solar cells based on Sb2Se3 have attracted increasing attention due to its excellent optoelectronic properties and low-cost fabrication. Up to now, high-efficiency Sb2Se3 solar cells with a superstrate structure have always used CdS as an electron transport layer (ETL). However, the parasitic absorption caused by CdS reduces the light absorption of the Sb2Se3 absorber layer, and combined with the toxicity of the Cd element, jointly causes its limitation in practical application. Tin oxide (SnO2) is a wide-bandgap ETL and has been widely used in solar cells due to its suitable energy level, high electron mobility, and good stability. However, Sb2Se3 films deposited on metal oxides always exhibit poor quality. In this study, we demonstrate a facile strategy to improve the quality of an Sb2Se3 film by modifying a SnO2 layer with InCl3. We find that InCl3 post-treatment can optimize the band alignment between SnO2 and Sb2Se3, improve the quality of the SnO2/Sb2Se3 heterojunction, and reduce deep-level defects. As a result, the PCE improves from 1.51% to 5.52%. Thus, this work offers a simple and effective way to improve the quality of Sb2Se3 films deposited on SnO2 ETLs and provides a new path towards fabricating Cd-free Sb2Se3 solar cells.

Graphical abstract: InCl3-modified SnO2 as an electron transporting layer for Cd-free antimony selenide solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
07 Jun 2023
Accepted
20 Jul 2023
First published
20 Jul 2023

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 16963-16972

InCl3-modified SnO2 as an electron transporting layer for Cd-free antimony selenide solar cells

L. Huang, J. Yang, Y. Xia, P. Xiao, H. Cai, A. Liu, Y. Wang, X. Liu, R. Tang, C. Zhu and T. Chen, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 16963 DOI: 10.1039/D3TA03358A

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