Abstract
Copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) solar cells have now become a topic of interest in the solar power generation industry. These are used as an absorber in the zinc oxide (ZnO)/cadmium sulfide (CdS) core-shell nanowire arrays, in order to improve the performance of solar cells. The relationship between the average increase in absorption rates and CdS shell thickness (compared to the thin film) reveals that the optimum thickness with the maximum average absorption rate (39.95%) compared to thin film is 30 nm. The cells’ electrical and optical performance was significantly improved with the introduction of graphene between the ZnO and CdS layers. The shell thicknesses for a better performance of these nanowire solar cells were 30 and 40 nm, with almost the same open-circuit voltage, the similar short-circuit current density, and efficiency, which were 630 mV, 6.39 mA/cm2, and 16.8%, respectively. Furthermore, a minimum reflection of 40% was obtained with these same shell thicknesses.
Highlights
In recent decades, copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) has emerged as an excellent absorber used in thin-film solar cells [1,2,3]. e use of nanotechnology has increased efficiency while reducing the cost of solar cells [4]
To improve the performance of cell while taking into account the above information, models based on the CZTS thin-film solar cell and having zinc oxide (ZnO)/cadmium sulfide (CdS) as core-shell nanowires have been compared in this research. e models studied are based on the ZnO/CdS/CZTS structure, and recent studies on such a structure have shown that the selection of the thicknesses of the different structural layers is one of the determining factors for improving the performance parameters of the cell [22]. erefore, the current study has focused on the optimization of the geometric parameters, the design, and the composition of the model for the improvement of the performance of the solar cell
E geometric fill factor was computed as factor fill (FF) πD2/4P2, where D is the sum of the diameter of ZnO nanowires, double CdS shell thickness, and double graphene shell and P is kept at 360 nm. e two models are based on a square base of 3 × 3 μm
Summary
Copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) has emerged as an excellent absorber used in thin-film solar cells [1,2,3]. e use of nanotechnology has increased efficiency while reducing the cost of solar cells [4]. CZTS has a bandgap between 1.45 and 1.65 eV along with a high absorption coefficient of more than 104cm−1 and a refractive index of 2.72 [5,6,7,8,9]. Shell-less ZnO nanowire arrays are not very favorable for good absorption due to their wide bandgap of 3.3 eV. These can help improve the efficiency of photo-conversion if covered with an extremely thin shell of semiabsorbent conductors, such as CdS and graphene, owing to the fact that these ZnO nanowires have good conductivity, chemical stability, and long service life [11, 13, 14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
