Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency
Chalcopyrite-based solar cell deposited by solution processes is of great research interest due to ease of fabrication and cost effectiveness. Despite the initial promising results, most of the reported methods encounter challenges such as limited grain growth, Carbon-rich interlayer, high thermal b...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2013
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/100341 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17872 |
| _version_ | 1811691679121408000 |
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| author | Cai, Yongan Ho, John C. W. Batabyal, Sudip Kumar Liu, Wei Sun, Yun Mhaisalkar, Subodh Gautam Wong, Lydia Helena |
| author2 | School of Materials Science & Engineering |
| author_facet | School of Materials Science & Engineering Cai, Yongan Ho, John C. W. Batabyal, Sudip Kumar Liu, Wei Sun, Yun Mhaisalkar, Subodh Gautam Wong, Lydia Helena |
| author_sort | Cai, Yongan |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Chalcopyrite-based solar cell deposited by solution processes is of great research interest due to ease of fabrication and cost effectiveness. Despite the initial promising results, most of the reported methods encounter challenges such as limited grain growth, Carbon-rich interlayer, high thermal budget and the presence of secondary Cu-rich phases, which limit the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this paper, we develop a new technique to deposit large grain, Carbon-free CISSe absorber layers from aqueous nanoparticle/precursor mixture which resulted in a solar cell with PCE of 6.2%. CuCl2, InCl3, and thiourea were mixed with CuS and In2S3 nanoparticles in water to form the unique nanoparticle/precursor solution. The Carbon layer formation was prevented because organic solvents were not used in the precursor. The copper-rich (CuS) nanoparticles were intentionally introduced as nucleation sites which accelerate grain growth. In the presence of nanoparticles, the grain size of CISSe film increased by a factor of 7 and the power conversion efficiency of the solar cell is 85% higher than the device without nanoparticle. This idea of using nanoparticles as a means to promote grain growth can be further exploited for other types of chalcopyrite thin film deposited by solution methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:23:43Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/100341 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:23:43Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1003412021-01-10T11:52:17Z Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency Cai, Yongan Ho, John C. W. Batabyal, Sudip Kumar Liu, Wei Sun, Yun Mhaisalkar, Subodh Gautam Wong, Lydia Helena School of Materials Science & Engineering Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) Nanoparticles Chalcopyrite-based solar cell deposited by solution processes is of great research interest due to ease of fabrication and cost effectiveness. Despite the initial promising results, most of the reported methods encounter challenges such as limited grain growth, Carbon-rich interlayer, high thermal budget and the presence of secondary Cu-rich phases, which limit the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this paper, we develop a new technique to deposit large grain, Carbon-free CISSe absorber layers from aqueous nanoparticle/precursor mixture which resulted in a solar cell with PCE of 6.2%. CuCl2, InCl3, and thiourea were mixed with CuS and In2S3 nanoparticles in water to form the unique nanoparticle/precursor solution. The Carbon layer formation was prevented because organic solvents were not used in the precursor. The copper-rich (CuS) nanoparticles were intentionally introduced as nucleation sites which accelerate grain growth. In the presence of nanoparticles, the grain size of CISSe film increased by a factor of 7 and the power conversion efficiency of the solar cell is 85% higher than the device without nanoparticle. This idea of using nanoparticles as a means to promote grain growth can be further exploited for other types of chalcopyrite thin film deposited by solution methods. Accepted version 2013-11-27T05:37:28Z 2019-12-06T20:20:50Z 2013-11-27T05:37:28Z 2019-12-06T20:20:50Z 2013 2013 Journal Article Cai, Y., Ho, J. C. W., Batabyal, S. K., Liu, W., Sun, Y., Mhaisalkar, S. G., & Wong, L. H. (2013). Nanoparticle-Induced Grain Growth of Carbon-Free Solution-Processed CuIn(S,Se) 2 Solar Cell with 6% Efficiency . ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 5(5), 1533-1537. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/100341 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17872 10.1021/am303057z en ACS applied materials & interfaces © 2013 American Chemical Society. This is the author created version of a work that has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication by ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, American Chemical Society. It incorporates referee’s comments but changes resulting from the publishing process, such as copyediting, structural formatting, may not be reflected in this document. The published version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/am303057z 17 p. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Nanoparticles Cai, Yongan Ho, John C. W. Batabyal, Sudip Kumar Liu, Wei Sun, Yun Mhaisalkar, Subodh Gautam Wong, Lydia Helena Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title | Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title_full | Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title_fullStr | Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title_short | Nanoparticle-induced grain growth of carbon-free solution-processed CuIn(S,Se)2 solar cell with 6% efficiency |
| title_sort | nanoparticle induced grain growth of carbon free solution processed cuin s se 2 solar cell with 6 efficiency |
| topic | Nanoparticles |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/100341 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17872 |
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