Nano crystallized chalcogenide for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Sb2Se3 is a non-toxic and earth abundant compound and has been extensively studied for a wide range of applications including solar energy conversion. This compound with an orthorhombic structure has an inherent anisotropic crystal structure promoting 1D nano-structure. It is the only stable phase in the Sb-Se binary system, which is different from the multi-valence Cu-Se and SnSe binary systems. It exhibits a direct band-gap of 1.1-1.3eV with a high absorption coefficient around 105 cm-1. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that Sb2Se3 based solar cell is a promising candidate for achieving >30% efficiency, comparable to that of CIGS or CdTe.