Systematic control of nanostructured interfaces of planar Sb2S3 solar cells by simple spin-coating process and its effect on photovoltaic properties

Shi-Joon Sung; Eun Kyung Gil; Sang-Ju Lee; Yong Chan Choi; Kee-Jeong Yang; Jin-Kyu Kang; Kuk Young Cho; Dae-Hwan Kim

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.56, 196-202, December, 2017

DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2017.07.012 Export Citation

Systematic control of nanostructured interfaces of planar Sb2S3 solar cells by simple spin-coating process and its effect on photovoltaic properties

Shi-Joon Sung, Eun Kyung Gil, Sang-Ju Lee, Yong Chan Choi, Kee-Jeong Yang, Jin-Kyu Kang, Kuk Young Cho^{1, †}, and Dae-Hwan Kim^†

Convergence Research Center for Solar Energy, DGIST, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
¹Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea

E-mail:,

Herein, we report on the systematic engineering of the interface between the titanium oxide (TiO2) photoelectrode and the antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) absorber layer in planar Sb2S3 solar cells, which was much unexplored, on the photovoltaic performance. Due to simple spin-coating process for the preparation of TiO2 and Sb2S3 layers, it was possible to vary the interfacial conditions between the TiO2 photoelectrode and the Sb2S3 absorber layer easily. Unlike conventional solar cells using mesoporous TiO2 electrode, it was newly found that uniform and intimate contact between TiO2 and Sb2S3 layers affects not only efficiency but also reproducibility of planar Sb2S3 solar cells. Our results clearly emphasize and raise the importance of interfacial engineering for the planar heterojunction solar cells.

Keywords:Interface;Nanostructure;Antimony sulfide;Planar solar cells;Spin-coating

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[1] Savadogo O, Mandal KC, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 26, 117 (1992)

[2] Versavel MY, Haber JA, Thin Solid Films, 515(18), 7171 (2007)

[3] Messina S, Nair MTS, Nair PK, Thin Solid Films, 515(15), 5777 (2007)

[4] Anderson CG, Chem. Erde-Geochem., 72(S4), 3 (2012)

[5] Itzhaik Y, Niitsoo O, Page M, Hodes G, J. Phys. Chem., 113, 4254 (2009)

[6] Moon SJ, Itzhaik Y, Yum JH, Zakeeruddin SM, Hodes G, Gratzel M, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 1, 1524 (2010)

[7] Im SH, Lim CS, Chang JA, Lee YH, Maiti N, Kim HJ, Nazeeruddin MK, Gratzel M, Seok SI, Nano Lett., 11, 4789 (2011)

[8] Choi YC, Lee DU, Noh JH, Kim EK, Seok SI, Adv. Funct. Mater., 24(23), 3587 (2014)

[9] Choi YC, Seok SI, Adv. Funct. Mater., 25(19), 2892 (2015)

[10] Gil EK, Lee SJ, Sung SJ, Cho KY, Kim DH, J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol., 16, 10763 (2016)

[11] Wedemeyer H, Michels J, Chmielowski R, Bourdais S, Muto T, Sugiura M, Dennler G, Bachmann J, Energy Environ. Sci., 6, 67 (2013)

[12] Park SN, Sung SJ, Sim JH, Yang KJ, Hwang DK, Kim J, Kim GY, Jo W, Kim DH, Kang JK, Nanoscale, 7, 11182 (2015)

[13] Boix PP, Lee YH, Faregat-Santiago F, Im SH, Mora-Sero I, Bisquert J, Seok SI, ACS Nano, 6, 873 (2012)

[14] Muto T, Larramona G, Dennler G, Appl. Phys. Express, 6, 072301 (2013)

[15] Kim DH, Lee SJ, Park MS, Kang JK, Heo JH, Im SH, Sung SJ, Nanoscale, 6, 14549 (2014)

[16] Wang X, Li J, Liu W, Yang S, Zhu C, Chen T, Nanoscale, 9, 3386 (2017)

[17] Zhang X, Yoshioka S, Loew N, Ihara M, ECS Trans., 64(15), 1 (2014)

[18] Yuan SJ, Deng H, Dong DD, Yang XK, Qiao KK, Hu C, Song HB, Song HS, He ZB, Tang J, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 157, 887 (2016)

[19] Mayon YO, White TP, Wang R, Yang Z, Catchpole KR, Phys. Status Solidi A-Appl. Res., 213, 108 (2016)

[20] Zimmermann E, Pfadler T, Kalb J, Dorman JA, Sommer D, Hahn G, Weickert J, Schmidt-Mende L, Adv. Sci., 2, 150005 (2015)

[21] Lei H, Yang G, Guo Y, Xiong L, Qin P, Dai X, Zheng X, Ke W, Tao H, Chen Z, Li B, Fang G, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 18, 16436 (2016)

[22] Park SN, Sung SJ, Son DH, Kim DH, Gansukh M, Cheong H, Kang JK, RSC Adv., 4, 9118 (2014)

[23] Ishizuka S, Sakurai K, Yamada A, Matsubara K, Fons P, Iwata K, Nakamura S, Kimura Y, Baba T, Nakanishi H, Kojima T, Niki S, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells, 87(1-4), 541 (2005)

[24] Maiti N, Im SH, Lim CS, Seok SI, Dalton Trans, 41, 11569 (2014)

[25] Liu CP, Wang HE, Ng TW, Chen ZH, Zhang WF, Yan C, Tang YB, Bello I, Martinu L, Zhang WJ, Jha SK, Phys. Status Solidi B, 249, 627 (2012)

[26] Borras A, Gonzalez-Elipe AR, Langmuir, 26(20), 15875 (2010)