Abstract
Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into electricity is an alternative way to use renewable energy for sustainable energy production. The great demand of low-cost and efficient solar cells inspires research on solution-processable light-harvesting materials. Antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) is a promising light-harvester for photovoltaic purposes. Here we report on the in situ grown monolayer of preferentially oriented, large Sb2S3 single-crystalline cuboids on a polycrystalline titania (TiO2) nanoparticle film. A facile, oriented seed-assisted solution-processing method is used, providing the Sb2S3/TiO2-based bulk/nano-planar heterojunction with a preferred structure for efficient planar solar cells. An orientation-competing-epitaxial nucleation/growth mechanism is proposed for understanding the growth of the Sb2S3 single-crystalline cuboids. With an organic hole transporting material, the stable solar cell of the heterojunction yields a power conversion efficiency of 5.15% (certified as 5.12%). It is found that the [221]-oriented Sb2S3 cuboids provide highly effective charge transport channels inside the Sb2S3 layer.
Highlights
Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into electricity is an alternative way to use renewable energy for sustainable energy production
The bulk/nanoplanar heterojunction (BnPHJ) consisting of an inorganic bulk p-type semiconductor layer of grain sizes comparable to layer thickness and an inorganic n-type nanoparticle film are preferred in efficient planar heterojunctions (PHJs) solar cells1–3, because the bulk p-type layers as light-harvesting materials can offer a highly effective charge generation and transportation as the results of reducing the deficiencies related to small size and the energy loss due to charge recombination at grain boundary
In summary, an oriented seed-assisted repetition of spin-coating and annealing (RSCA) solution-processing method is developed for the in situ growth of the monolayer of closely packed and preferentially [221]-oriented large orthorhombic Sb2S3 single-crystalline cuboids on polycrystalline anatase TiO2 nanoparticle film, offering a novel Sb2S3/TiO2-BnPHJ with the Sb2S3 cuboids having the typical growth features of the out-ofplane growth along the [001] direction with (001) planes tilting ca. 44o on substrate plane and the size much larger than TiO2 nanoparticles
Summary
Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into electricity is an alternative way to use renewable energy for sustainable energy production. The BnPHJs consisting of an inorganic bulk p-type semiconductor layer of grain sizes comparable to layer thickness and an inorganic n-type nanoparticle film are preferred in efficient PHJ solar cells, because the bulk p-type layers as light-harvesting materials can offer a highly effective charge generation and transportation as the results of reducing the deficiencies related to small size (e.g., high exciton binding energy, low carrier concentration and high defects trap density, and poor electronic contact because of surface capping agents6) and the energy loss due to charge recombination at grain boundary. A simple repetition of spin-coating and annealing (RSCA) solution-processing method for the in situ grown monolayer of preferentially oriented large Sb2S3 single-crystalline cuboids on the polycrystalline TiO2 film surface is developed, offering a novel Sb2S3/TiO2-BnPHJ that is of application potential to efficient solar cells.
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