Review of Recent Progress in Antimony Chalcogenide‐Based Solar Cells: Materials and Devices

• Published in: Solar RRL Vol. 3; no. 6
• Main Authors: Lei, Hongwei, Chen, Jianjun, Tan, Zuojun, Fang, Guojia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.2019
• Subjects: materials; Sb2(SxSe1−x)3; Sb2S3; Sb2Se3; solar cells
• ISSN: 2367-198X; 2367-198X
• DOI: 10.1002/solr.201900026

Antimony chalcogenides such as Sb2S3, Sb2Se3, and Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 have emerged as very promising alternative solar absorber materials due to their high stability, abundant elemental storage, nontoxicity, low‐cost, suitable tunable bandgap, and high absorption coefficient. Remarkable achievements have been made in antimony chalcogenide solar cells in the past few decades, with the power conversion efficiency (PCE) currently reaching 9.2%, which is close to the PCE level required for industrial applications. To facilitate the realization of highly efficient antimony chalcogenide solar cells in the future, a comprehensive review of antimony chalcogenide‐based materials and photovoltaic devices is presented. First, the fundamental physical properties and preparation methods of antimony chalcogenide‐based materials are outlined, and then, notable recent developments in antimony chalcogenide‐based photovoltaic devices with various architectures are highlighted. Finally, the most prominent limitations are described, and approaches to achieving remarkable advances in antimony chalcogenide solar cells in the future are provided. Recent progress in antimony chalcogenide‐based photovoltaic materials and devices including Sb2S3 solar cells, Sb2Se3 solar cells, and Sb2(SxSe1−x)3 solar cells is comprehensively reviewed. The fundamental properties and preparation techniques of antimony chalcogenides are discussed. The achievements and challenges in antimony chalcogenide solar cells are highlighted. In addition, the outlook for future research in this field is provided.