Solution-processed Cd-substituted CZTS nanocrystals for sensitized liquid junction solar cells

The Earth-abundant kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) exhibits outstanding structural, optical, and electronic properties for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. However, the efficiency of CZTS thin-film solar cells is limited due to a range of factors, including electronic disorder, secondary phases, and the presence of anti-site defects, which is a key factor limiting the Voc. The complete substitution of Zn lattice sites in CZTS nanocrystals (NCs) with Cd atoms offers a promising approach to overcome several of these intrinsic limitations. Herein, we investigate the effects of substituting Cd2+ into Zn2+ lattice sites in CZTS NCs through a facile solution-based method. The structural, morphological, optoelectronic, and power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the NCs synthesized have been systematically characterized using various experimental techniques, and the results are corroborated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The successful substitution of Zn by Cd is demonstrated to induce a structural transformation from the kesterite phase to the stannite phase, which results in the bandgap reduction from 1.51 eV (kesterite) to 1.1 eV (stannite), which is closer to the optimum bandgap value for outdoor photovoltaic applications. Furthermore, the PCE of the novel Cd-substituted liquid junction solar cell underwent a four-fold increase, reaching 1.1%. These results highlight the importance of substitutional doping strategies in optimizing existing CZTS-based materials to achieve improved device characteristics.

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Work Title Solution-processed Cd-substituted CZTS nanocrystals for sensitized liquid junction solar cells
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Sachin R. Rondiya
  2. Yogesh A. Jadhav
  3. Aleksandar Živković
  4. Sagar B. Jathar
  5. Ganesh K. Rahane
  6. Russell W. Cross
  7. Avinash V. Rokade
  8. Rupesh S. Devan
  9. Sadhu Kolekar
  10. Robert L.Z. Hoye
  11. Hirendra N. Ghosh
  12. Nora H. de Leeuw
  13. Sandesh R. Jadkar
  14. Nelson Y. Dzade
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Publication Date January 15, 2022
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2021.161575
Deposited January 13, 2022

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added Final-Manuscript-Cd-CZTS_liquid_junction_solar_cells.docx
  • Added Creator Sachin R. Rondiya
  • Added Creator Yogesh A. Jadhav
  • Added Creator Aleksandar Živković
  • Added Creator Sagar B. Jathar
  • Added Creator Ganesh K. Rahane
  • Added Creator Russell W. Cross
  • Added Creator Avinash V. Rokade
  • Added Creator Rupesh S. Devan
  • Added Creator Sadhu Kolekar
  • Added Creator Robert L.Z. Hoye
  • Added Creator Hirendra N. Ghosh
  • Added Creator Nora H. de Leeuw
  • Added Creator Sandesh R. Jadkar
  • Added Creator Nelson Y. Dzade
  • Published
  • Updated
  • Updated
  • Updated