V2O5 Layer Research Articles

Preparation of colorful glass/W/V2O5 electrochromic electrodes by magnetron sputtering

Abstract V2O5, an inorganic electrochromic (EC) material with rich color variation and natural abundance, has received extensive attention due to its polychromatic properties during the EC process. However, research on achieving multicolor tuning by combining the structural color generated from the light-matter interactions with the EC properties of V2O5 is rare. Here, based on the detailed investigation of the process parameters of V2O5, we propose a new optical design of the colorful EC electrode with the V2O5/W Fabry–Pérot cavity constructed by magnetron sputtering on the glass substrate. By varying the thickness of the top layer of V2O5, the reflective electrodes exhibit seven different initial colors. Importantly, the designed EC electrode exhibits a vivid and rich wide color gamut when applying a voltage of −0.6–1.6 V. After 200 cycles, the color of the EC electrode and device can still change, demonstrating the potential of the glass/W/V2O5 EC electrodes in the fields such as camouflage and anti-counterfeiting.

Inspection and comparative analysis of light and thermal response dynamics of Cu/V₂O₅/n-Si and Cu/La-V₂O₅/n-Si MIS diodes

Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) are pivotal in modern electronics for their quick switching and low forward voltage drop, enabled by metal-semiconductor junctions. SBDs are renowned for their performance, primarily due to their metal-semiconductor intersection. This study focuses on Cu/V2O5/n-Si and Cu/La-V2O5/n-Si SBDs, examining the impact of lanthanum doping on their performance. Transition Metal Oxides (TMOs) like Vanadium Pentoxide (V2O5) offer unique electronic, magnetic and optical properties making them suitable for various applications. The fabrication process involved sol-gel spin coating and DC magnetron sputtering to create a thin V2O5 layer on n-type silicon wafers, followed by copper contact deposition. Galvanizing temperatures ranged 300° C to 500° C to study the structural, optical, and morphological changes in V2O5 thin films. Key findings include the significant reduction in ideality factor (n) with increasing annealing temperatures for Cu/V2O5/n-Si SBDs, reaching as low n value of 5.26 at 500°C, indicating improved device performances. For Cu/La-V2O5/n-Si SBDs, the ideality factor consistently decreased with higher light intensities, showcasing enhanced performance due to La doping. Barrier height (ɸB) also varied, with higher values observed for La-doped V2O5, enhancing charge recombination and increasing oxygen vacancies. Photodiode parameters were significantly enhanced by doping of the La. The Cu/La-V2O5/n-Si SBDs demonstrated high photosensitivity (PS = 3327.5 %), photo responsivity (R = 33.39 mA/W) and detectivity (D* = 9.82 × 10¹⁰ Jones), making them highly efficient for optoelectronic applications. Overall, this study highlights the potential of Cu/La-V2O5/n-Si SBDs for high-efficiency, optoelectronic applications, with optimized doping concentrations and annealing conditions significantly improving their performance.

Regulating V2O5 Layer Spacing by a Polyaniline Molecule Chain to Improve Electrochemical Performance in Salinity Gradient Energy Conversion.

Salinity gradient energy is a chemical potential energy between two solutions with different ionic concentrations, which is also an ocean energy at the junction of rivers and seas. In our original work, the device "activated carbon//(0.083 M Na2SO4, 0.5 M Na2SO4)//vanadium pentoxide" for the conversion of salinity gradient energy was designed, and the conversion value of 6.29 J g-1 was obtained. However, the low specific surface area of the original V2O5 inevitably resulted in limited active sites and slow ionic transport rates, and the inherent lower conductivity and narrower layer spacing of the original V2O5 also resulted in poor electrode kinetic performance and cycle stability, hindering its practical application. To solve the above problems, the present work provides a strategy of using polyaniline (PANI) molecule chain intercalation to regulate the layer spacing of the original V2O5, and through the expansion and traction of the layer spacing, the composite PANI/V2O5 (PVO) with high specific surface area is prepared and used as an anode material for electrochemical conversion of salinity gradient energy application. The significantly increased layer spacing of the crystal plane (001) corresponding to the original V2O5 was confirmed with the PANI by the hydrogen bonding and the van der Waals force. The high specific surface area of the composite provides more electrochemical active sites to realize a fast Na+ migration rate and high specific capacitance. Meanwhile, the inserted PANI molecule chain, which acts not only as a pillar enlarging the Na+ diffusion channel but also as an anchor locking the gap between V2O5 bilayers, improves the structural stability of the V2O5 electrode during the electrochemical conversion process. The proposed insertion strategy for the conductive polymer PANI has created a new way to improve the cycle stability performance of the salinity gradient energy conversion device.

Superior role of V2O5 and yttrium interface layers in enhancing MIS radical photodiode performance

In this study, Cu/n-Si Schottky diodes with V2O5–Y insulating interface layer were designed for the fabrication of metal/insulator/semiconductor (MIS) structures. The effects of different Y–V2O5 interface layers placed between metals and semiconductors on the critical electrical parameters of Schottky diodes were examined. Electrical parameters of the prepared sample such as barrier height (ΦB), ideality factor (n), photosensitivity (Ps), photosensitivity (R), quantum efficiency (QE) and detectivity (D∗) were obtained from the expression. Characteristics of I–V The modification in these parameters can be attributed to the use of Schottky diodes as intermediate layers. Additionally, n, ΦB values were calculated using the thermionic emission process and the photodiode parameters Ps, R, QE and D∗ the results were compared with each other. Experiments have shown that the Schottky structure with V2O5–Y interlayer leads to higher values of Ps = 799.70 % and under the light condition of 6 wt% of Y lower value n = 2.01. This provides evidence of the improved performance of MIS models.

Cations-Pillared and Polyaniline-Encapsulated Vanadate Cathode for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Layered vanadium-based oxides have emerged as highly promising candidates for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their open-framework layer structure and high theoretical capacity among the diverse cathode materials investigated. However, the susceptibility to structural collapse during charge-discharge cycling severely hampers their advancement. Herein, we propose an effective strategy to enhance the cycling stability of vanadium oxides. Initially, the structural integrity of the host material is significantly reinforced by incorporating bi-cations Na+ and NH4 + as "pillars" between the V2O5 layers (NaNVO). Subsequently, surface coating with polyaniline (PA) is employed to further improve the conductivity of the active material. As anticipated, the assembled Zn//NaNVO@PA cell exhibits a remarkable discharge capacity of 492 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and exceptional capacity retention up to 89.2 % after 1000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g-1. Moreover, a series of in-situ and ex-situ characterization techniques were utilized to investigate both Zn ions insertion/extraction storage mechanism and the contribution of polyaniline protonation process towards enhancing capacity.

Regulation of V2O5 layer spacing by controlling H2O/C2H5OH ratio in hydrothermal process for application in electrochemical conversion of salinity gradient energy

Another abundant source of renewable energy exists in the oceans, where the chemical energy released from the mixing of seawater and river water is known as salinity gradient energy or blue energy. Salinity gradient energy is a sustainable, clean and renewable energy source that produces electricity without emitting greenhouse gasses or other pollutants. In this work, we constructed a new salinity gradient energy extraction device by preparing V2O5 in a very simple way by controlling H2O/C2H5OH ratio in hydrothermal process and using the V2O5 as an anode to obtain salinity gradient energy by utilizing the salinity change of the solution and thus the potential difference power generation. The results show that ethanol forms hydrogen bonds or van der Waals forces with the layered material, which enters the interlayer to enlarge the spacing between the layers of V2O5 and further increase the electrochemical properties of V2O5. The maximum energy density produced by the device was 6.29 J g−1 after one complete cycle. The device is environmentally friendly with low cost, easy to synthesize raw materials and does not use ionic membranes, which provides a new way to harvest the salinity gradient energy.

Zinc ion modulation of hydrated vanadium pentoxide for high-performance aqueous zinc ion batteries

The structure of V2O5 as a cathode material is prone to collapse during repeated embedding/de-embedding of Zn2+, and the instability of the material limits its application. Introducing metal ions into the V2O5 layer provides larger ion channels, improves cycling kinetics, and acts as a pillar to enhance the structure stability during the charge/discharge process. In this study, Zn0·2V2O5·0.51H2O (ZVOH) is prepared by the hydrothermal method by embedding both Zn2+ and structural water molecules in the V2O5 interlayer. ZVOH is used as the cathode in zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) with high power and energy densities (∼6779.3 W kg−1 and 289.6 Wh kg−1) and outstanding cycling stability. Furthermore, the valence changes of vanadium in ZVOH during charging and discharging as well as the morphological changes on the surface of the electrode material are investigated by ex-situ methods. The binding energy of Zn2+ at the sites within ZVOH and the migration energy barrier for Zn2+ migration on the ZVOH surface are also investigated by density functional theory.

Vanadium pentoxide interfacial layer enables high performance all-solid-state thin film batteries.

Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) is considered as one of the promising building blocks that can be used to fabricate all-solid-state thin film batteries (TFBs) because of its easy accessibility, high working voltage, and high energy density. However, the slow interfacial dynamics between LiCoO2 and LiPON in these TFBs results in undesirable side reactions and severe degradation of cycling and rate performance. Herein, amorphous vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) film was employed as the interfacial layer of a cathode-electrolyte solid-solid interface to fabricate all-solid-state TFBs using a magnetron sputtering method. The V2O5 thin film layer assisted in the construction of an ion transport network at the cathode/electrolyte interface, thus reducing the electrochemical redox polarization potential. The V2O5 interfacial layer also effectively suppressed the side reactions between LiCoO2 and LiPON. In addition, the interfacial resistance of TFBs was significantly decreased by optimizing the thickness of the interfacial modification layer. Compared to TFBs without the V2O5 layer, TFBs based on LiCoO2/V2O5/LiPON/Li with a 5 nm thin V2O5 interface modification layer exhibited a much smaller charge transfer impedance (Rct) value, significantly improved discharge specific capacity, and superior cycling and rate performance. The discharge capacity remained at 75.6% of its initial value after 1000 cycles at a current density of 100 μA cm-2. This was mainly attributed to the enhanced lithium ion transport kinetics and the suppression of severe side reactions at the cathode-electrolyte interface in TFBs based on LiCoO2/V2O5/LiPON/Li with a 5 nm V2O5 thin layer.

Tailoring Local Chemical Coordination in Vanadium Pentoxide to Enable High Efficiency Zinc Ion Storage

Vanadium oxides-based materials are one of promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to their various chemical coordination and oxidation states rendering high theoretical specific capacity. However, the poor electronic conductivity and structural instability limit their practical application in AZIBs. In this study, these drawbacks of vanadium pentoxide are mitigated by introducing Al ions into the interlayer space (V2O5-Al). Compared with pristine V2O5, the V2O5-Al possesses an increased proportion of oxygen vacancy and improved diffusivity because of the tailored local chemical coordination and the strong chemical bonding from Al-O bonds. First-principles calculations suggest that pre-inserted Al ions embedded into the V2O5 layers enhances structural stability and improves the electrical conductivity of V2O5. While used as cathode for AZIBs, V2O5-Al electrode delivers a high capacity of 260 mAh g−1 at 4 A·g−1 and the 108% initial capacity maintained over 4400 cycles as well as an energy density of 260 Wh·kg−1 at 405 W·kg−1 based on the cathode. These superior electrochemical suggest the as-prepared Al-doped V2O5 hold great potential as the promising low-cost cathode materials in the ZIBs.

Fast optoelectronic gas sensing with p-type V2O5/WS2/Si heterojunction thin film

The efficiency of ultraviolet (UV) illumination in gas adsorption/desorption is remarkable due to its capacity to activate and energize CO2 molecules, rendering them more reactive and prone to surface interactions. A heterojunction device for room-temperature optoelectronic gas sensing has been fabricated. This was achieved through the deposition of an orthorhombic vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin film onto a wafer scale 2D p-type tungsten disulfide (WS2)/silicon (Si). The incorporation of the V2O5 layer brings about alterations in WS2's electronic properties, resulting in increased energy states for photo-generated carriers and a promising approach to enhance the intensity of exciton and trion peaks. Specifically, the WS2 film exhibits a carrier concentration of 3.67 × 1018 cm−3, while incorporating the V2O5 layer significantly raises this concentration to 1.20 × 1020 cm−3. The experiments reveal a rapid response time of 0.4 s and a recovery time of 0.2 s, respectively, demonstrating the swift desorption capability of the device in a CO2 environment. Remarkably, this device exhibits high optoelectronic performances, boasting a detectivity of 1.22 × 1013 Jones and a responsivity of 177.21 A/W. These findings have the potential to advance the development of improved gas-sensing devices, offering heightened sensitivity and selectivity in diverse optoelectronic applications.

Strong enhancement of the optical properties of SiNWs by the deposition of snowball-like V2O5 nanoparticles

In this work, the morphological and optical properties of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanoparticles deposited on silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been investigated. SiNWs are obtained by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) method. The deposition of vanadium pentoxide on SiNWs layer was performed by vacuum thermal evaporation system for different durations. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) images show the formation of snowball-like V2O5 nanoparticles on the SiNWs surface. A large condensation of V2O5 elements was observed by increasing the evaporation time. The changes in bonds and chemical composition at the surface of the SiNWs-V2O5 nanocomposites were examined by Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique revealed the presence of orthorhombic structure of V2O5 layer with good crystallinity. The SiNWs-V2O5 composites show strong visible PL due to the contribution of the radiative band edge transitions of vanadium pentoxide. The emission of V2O5 layer is in the same energy range as that of SiNWs thus leading to a large increase in PL intensity. Optical band gap (Eog) was determined from UV–Vis-IR spectroscopy. The presence of vanadium pentoxide on the SiNWs surface causes an increase in the value of Eog from 1.851 to 2.075 eV. This increase was explained by Burstein-Moss effect.

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Response of the ZnO/V2O5 Heterojunction Via Improved Visible-Light Absorption and Charge Carrier Separation

Planar ZnO/V2O5 heterojunctions show excellent photocurrent density and are easy to prepare using a simple physical vapor deposition technique. First, ZnO thin-film photo-electrodes were prepared by radio frequency sputtering, and then their thickness was optimized for improved photoelectrochemical (PEC) response, resulting in an optimum photocurrent density value of ∼0.7 mA/cm2 at 0.61 V vs Ag/AgCl for ZnO thin films deposited for 15 min. Thereafter, ZnO/V2O5 heterojunctions were fabricated by depositing V2O5 thin films for different deposition durations of 10, 20, and 30 min onto ZnO thin-film samples which were already optimized to further improve the PEC performance. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of pristine and heterojunction thin-film samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The maximum photocurrent density value of 1.56 mA/cm2 at 0.61 V vs Ag/AgCl was obtained for ZnO/V2O5 heterojunction photoanodes, where the top V2O5 layer was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering process which occurred for 20 min. The ZnO/V2O5 heterojunction photocurrent density was nearly twice as compared with that of the pristine ZnO photo-electrode. This improved PEC response of the ZnO/V2O5 heterojunction was due to enhanced visible-light absorption and the formation of a staggered n–n heterojunction, which facilitated the separation of electron–hole pairs at the photo-anode/electrolyte junction.

Regulating the Electron Depletion Layer of Au/V2O5/Ag Thin Film Sensor for Breath Acetone as Potential Volatile Biomarker.

Human exhaled breath has been utilized to identify biomarkers for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The existence of these illnesses is indicated by a rise in the level of acetone in the breath. The development of sensing devices capable of identifying the onset of lung cancer or diabetes is critical for the successful monitoring and treatment of these diseases. The goal of this research is to prepare a novel breath acetone sensor made of Ag NPs/V2O5 thin film/Au NPs by combining DC/RF sputtering and post-annealing as synthesis methods. The produced material was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis, Raman, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results revealed that the sensitivity to 50 ppm acetone of the Ag NPs/V2O5 thin film/Au NPs sensor was 96%, which is nearly twice and four times greater than the sensitivity of Ag NPs/V2O5 and pristine V2O5, respectively. This increase in sensitivity can be attributed to the engineering of the depletion layer of V2O5 through the double activation of the V2O5 thin films with uniform distribution of Au and Ag NPs that have different work function values.

Atomically Strained Metal Sites for Highly Efficient and Selective Photooxidation.

Strain engineering is an attractive strategy for improving the intrinsic catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts. Manipulating strain on the short-range atomic scale to the local structure of the catalytic sites is still challenging. Herein, we successfully achieved atomic strain modulation on ultrathin layered vanadium oxide nanoribbons by an ingenious intercalation chemistry method. When trace sodium cations were introduced between the V2O5 layers (Na+-V2O5), the V-O bonds were stretched by the atomically strained vanadium sites, redistributing the local charges. The Na+-V2O5 demonstrated excellent photooxidation performance, which was approximately 12 and 14 times higher than that of pristine V2O5 and VO2, respectively. Complementary spectroscopy analysis and theoretical calculations confirmed that the atomically strained Na+-V2O5 had a high surficial charge density, improving the activation of oxygen molecules and contributing to the excellent photocatalytic property. This work provides a new approach for the rational design of strain-equipped catalysts for selective photooxidation reactions.

Synthesis of V2O5 Nanoribbon–Reduced Graphene Oxide Hybrids as Stable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery Cathodes via Divalent Transition Metal Cation-Mediated Coprecipitation

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are an emerging sustainable and safer technology for large-scale electrical energy storage. Here, we report the synthesis of hybrid materials consisting of V2O5 nanoribbons (NRs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets as AZIB cathode materials by divalent metal cation-mediated coprecipitation. The divalent metal ions M2+ (Zn2+ and Mn2+) effectively neutralize the negative charges on the surface of microwave-exfoliated crystalline V2O5 NRs and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to form a strongly bound assembly. After thermal annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere, GO is converted into rGO with higher electrical conductivity while the layers in V2O5 NRs are expanded by M2+ intercalation. When only Zn2+ ions are used during coprecipitation, the produced Zn-V2O5 NR/rGO hybrid shows a very high reversible specific capacity of ∼395 mAh g–1 at 0.50 A g–1 but suffers from poor stability. This is improved by mixing Mn2+ with Zn2+ ions during coprecipitation. The (Mn + Zn)-V2O5 NR/rGO hybrid shows a slightly lower specific capacity of ∼291 mAh g–1 at 0.5 A g–1 but a substantially improved long-cycling stability and better rate performance due to the stronger binding of Mn atoms in the V2O5 host that serve as stable pillars to support the expanded V2O5 layers.

Redox-Guided Synthesis of Au–V2O5–MnO2 Nanoflower Composites with Enhanced Electrical Conductance for Supercapacitor Applications

This paper details an approach for the synthesis of stable electroactive Au–V2O5–MnO2 nanoflower composites using a simple redox-mediated methodology under modified hydrothermal (MHT) conditions. The nanocomposite was characterized by various techniques like X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmisson electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. MnO2 and Au formed a profitable hierarchical network morphology in the interstitial sites of V2O5, and this kind of synergetic architecture exhibits an elevated specific capacitance (388 F g–1 at 1 A g–1) compared to commercial V2O5 (85 F g–1 at 1 A g–1) in a neutral electrolyte. The as-synthesized nanocomposite contributed more to energy storage with superior energy density (49 Wh kg–1 at 1 A g–1 current density) and power density (4 kW kg–1 at 10 A g–1 current density) and demonstrated improved stability compared to commercial V2O5 of up to 2000 continuous charge/discharge cycles in a two-electrode system. Temperature- and field-dependent [both direct-current (dc) and alternating-current (ac)] studies exhibited enhanced conductance due to the incorporation of Au and MnO2 and non-Ohmic electrical conduction, characterized by the onset voltage V0 (dc) and onset frequency f0 (ac). These two onset parameters followed power-law behavior with Ohmic conductance with two onset exponents (xV and xf). Such electrical transport properties were explained using intrachain hopping conduction of charge carriers within the layers of pristine V2O5 and hopping of charge carriers between the layers of V2O5 in the Au–V2O5–MnO2 nanocomposite and supported the interstitial incorporation of the compounds.

Sn-Doped Hydrated V2O5 Cathode Material with Enhanced Rate and Cycling Properties for Zinc-Ion Batteries

Water molecules and cations with mono, binary, and triple valences have been intercalated into V2O5 to significantly improve its electrochemical properties as a cathode material of zinc-ion batteries. Sn as a tetravalent element is supposed to interact aggressively with the V2O5 layer and have a significant impact on the electrochemical performance of V2O5. However, it has been rarely investigated as a pre-intercalated ion in previous works. Hence, it is intriguing and beneficial to develop water molecules and Sn co-doped V2O5 for zinc-ion batteries. Herein, Sn-doped hydrated V2O5 nanosheets were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal synthesis, and they demonstrated that they had a high specific capacity of 374 mAh/g at 100 mA/g. Meanwhile, they also showed an exceptional rate capability with 301 mAh/g even at a large current density of 10 A/g, while it was only 40 mAh/g for the pristine hydrated V2O5, and an excellent cycling life (87.2% after 2500 cycles at 5 A/g), which was far more than the 25% of the pure hydrated V2O5. The dramatic improvement of the rate and cycling performance is mainly attributed to the faster charge transfer kinetics and the enhanced crystalline framework. The remarkable electrochemical performance makes the Sn-doped hydrate V2O5 a potential cathode material for zinc-ion batteries.

Preferred Site Occupation of Doping Cation and Its Impact on the Local Structure of V2O5

Cation doping is an effective method to alter the local structure and electronic state of V2O5. While it remains a great challenge to experimentally understand whether the doping cations prefer to replace the V ions or reside between the V2O5 layers, namely, substitutional or interstitial positions. In this work, cation-doped V2O5 with different elements M (M = Mn, Ni, and Fe) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method since V and M ions can uniformly distribute in the solution to obtain a homogeneous target material. The impact of doping cations on the local structure of V2O5 is revealed. Multitechniques demonstrate the existence of a small portion of V4+ in the doped samples resulting from the electronic structure change of V. Although the results do not directly certify where the doping cations lie in the V2O5 structure, all information together provide a hint that the doping cations may prefer to reside on the interstitial positions rather than the substitutional positions.

Interfacial modulation of organic-inorganic two-dimensional superlattices for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

Conventional strategies used to develop broadband electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials have mainly focused on multi-component hybrid materials. In these materials, attenuation of EMW absorption is achieved through strong interfacial polarization at heterogeneous interfaces. However, these interfaces have most often been on the micron scale and, therefore, they have many inherent defects. Herein, we devised a new approach in which an organic-inorganic superlattice structure composite is employed to achieve hyperpolarization loss by modulating the heterogeneous interface between a V2O5 layer and PANI at the molecular scale. Amplification of interfacial polarization effects at heterogeneous interfaces between materials by exploiting large differences in physical properties between the non-conducting V2O5 phase and the conducting PANI phase. Synergy between conductive losses and polarization losses is achieved by optimizing the thickness of the conductive phase PANI layer, which contributes to an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.40 GHz at a thickness of 2.1 mm. The results of experimental and theoretical studies clearly show that the superlattice structure is responsible for the unique microwave absorption properties. Thus, the construction of heterogeneous interfaces at the molecular scale will serve as the basis for designing future broadband absorbing materials.

Performance of V2O5 hole selective layer in CdS/CdTe heterostructure solar cell

the five CdS/CdTe heterostructure solar cells were synthesized by using multiple fabrication methods. The structural, optical and electrical characteristics were measured to understand the role of AZO, ZTO, and V2O5 layers in the solar cell operation. The performance of the ZTO, AZO (ETL) as a transparent electrode and V2O5 holes transport layer (HTL) was investigated in the CdS/CdTe solar cell. AZO, ZTO and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) has shown an efficient role to serve as a charge selective layer in the heterostructure solar cell. XRD pattern revealed that all thin-film HSSCs exhibit crystalline nature with their characteristic phases and growth. Top and cross-sectional FESEM images were captured to observe the morphology and the thickness of AZO, ZTO, CdS, CdTe, and V2O5 thin films. It was observed that V2O5 equipped solar cell offers better performance and high efficiency due to their larger open-circuit voltage. The value of current increases 7.50–10.75 mA with the insertion of the V2O5 layer between CdTe and back surface contact. The conductive AZO and ZTO layer shows high transmittance (above 90%), resulting in the maximum amount of light refracts towards the CdTe absorber layer. The combination of TCO (AZO/ZTO) and HTL V2O5 layer in the CdS/CdTe solar cell promote high efficiency and large open-circuit voltage.