Issue 41, 2023

Prospects of copper–bismuth chalcogenide absorbers for photovoltaics and photoelectrocatalysis

Abstract

Wittichenite, Cu3BiS3 (CBS), is perceived as an appealing material for application as a photoabsorber due to its ns2 electronic configuration and antibonding character on its upper valence band, which provides defect-tolerance characteristics. Herein, we highlight the high charge carrier mobility and low effective mass due to the high dispersive character of both the valence and conduction bands in CBS. The absorption coefficient of CBS is as high as >105 cm−1 (energy > 1.43 eV); however, it is still poorly explored in photovoltaic (PV) (maximum power conversion efficiency of 1.7%) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices. The challenges and questions related to the nature of the bandgap, intrinsic defects, and charge transport in CBS need to be addressed to enhance its PV and PEC performance. In this review, we provide an overview of the crystal and energetic structure, optoelectronic properties, recent advances in synthesis methods, and experimental realization of devices based on CBS. Further, we outline the important research directions that are indispensable for the development of CBS-based devices.

Graphical abstract: Prospects of copper–bismuth chalcogenide absorbers for photovoltaics and photoelectrocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
16 6 2023
Accepted
31 8 2023
First published
10 10 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 22087-22104

Prospects of copper–bismuth chalcogenide absorbers for photovoltaics and photoelectrocatalysis

D. R. Santos, S. Shukla and B. Vermang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 22087 DOI: 10.1039/D3TA03564F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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