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Title: Scalably synthesized environmentally benign, aqueous-based binary nanoparticle inks for Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 photovoltaic cells achieving over 9% efficiency
Low-cost materials, scalable manufacturing, and high power conversion efficiency are critical enablers for large-scale applications of photovoltaic (PV) cells. Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) has emerged as a promising PV material due to its low-cost earth-abundant nature and the low toxicity of its constituents. We present a compact and environmentally friendly route for preparing metal sulfide (metals are Cu, Zn, and Sn) nanoparticles (NPs) and optimize their annealing conditions to obtain uniform carbon-free CZTSSe thin films with large grain sizes. Further, the solution-stable binary NP inks synthesized in an aqueous solution with additives are shown to inhibit the formation of secondary phases during annealing. A laboratory-scale PV cell with a Al/AZO/ZnO/CdS/CZTSSe/Mo-glass structure is fabricated without anti-reflective coatings, and a 9.08% efficiency under AM1.5G illumination is demonstrated for the first time. The developed scalable, energy-efficient, and environmentally sustainable NP synthesis approach can enable integration of NP synthesis with emerging large-area deposition and annealing methods for scalable fabrication of CZTSSe PV cells.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1809289
NSF-PAR ID:
10063276
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Volume:
1
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2398-4902
Page Range / eLocation ID:
267 to 274
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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    Acknowledgment

    This work was partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Award No. ECCS-1931088. S.L. and H.W.S. acknowledge the support from the Improvement of Measurement Standards and Technology for Mechanical Metrology (Grant No. 22011044) by KRISS.

    Figure 1

     

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