Abstract
The nanostructured ZnO/copper oxide (Cu2O) photovoltaic devices based on electrospun ZnO nanofibrous network and electrodeposited Cu2O layer have been fabricated. The effects of the pH value of electrodeposition solution and the Cu2O layer thickness on the photovoltaic performances have been investigated. It is revealed that the pH value influences the morphology and structure of the Cu2O layer and thus the device performances. The Cu2O layer with an appropriate thickness benefits to charge transfer and light absorption. The device prepared at the optimal conditions shows the lowest recombination rate and exhibits a power conversion efficiency of ~0.77 %.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s11671-015-1169-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Inexpensive solar cells that can be synthesized from solutions on various low-cost substrates are of particular interest for distributed electricity generation [1,2,3]
Copper oxide (Cu2O) has been recognized as one of the promising photovoltaic materials due to its abundance, high absorption coefficient, low-cost fabrication, and high theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~20 % [6]. Various techniques such as electrodeposition, sputtering, and thermal oxidation of metallic Cu sheet were once used for fabricating Cu2O films for photovoltaic devices [7,8,9]
In order to reduce interfacial defects and improve the interfacial contact between the ZnO nanofibrous networks and Cu2O layer, ZnO powder was added to the buffered solution to protect the ZnO from etching during the electrodeposition [15]
Summary
Inexpensive solar cells that can be synthesized from solutions on various low-cost substrates are of particular interest for distributed electricity generation [1,2,3]. A series of advantages such as material abundance, low toxicity, and high stability are identified for these “ultralow-cost” cells [4, 5]. Copper oxide (Cu2O) has been recognized as one of the promising photovoltaic materials due to its abundance, high absorption coefficient, low-cost fabrication, and high theoretical power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~20 % [6]. Various techniques such as electrodeposition, sputtering, and thermal oxidation of metallic Cu sheet were once used for fabricating Cu2O films for photovoltaic devices [7,8,9]. Electrodeposition is down-scaled and can produce extremely uniform films on conductive substrates, allowing an attractive potential to synthesize inexpensive Cu2O photovoltaics on a variety of supporting substrates with minimal energy
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