Recently, the Solid Energy System Technology Center of the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Process of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made significant progress in the research of high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium (CZTSSe) solar cells. They have achieved a third-party certified efficiency of 14.88% in high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium solar cells, placing them at the forefront internationally in this field. The related achievements have been published in the prestigious international journal "Advanced Materials."
Research Progress on High-Efficiency Copper Zinc Tin Sulfur Selenium Solar Cells Provided by Qingdao Energy Institute
High-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium solar cells have many advantages, such as abundant element reserves, low cost, high stability, and non-toxicity. Currently, their certified efficiency has exceeded 14.9%, reaching the threshold for the commercialization of photovoltaic technology. At the same time, these solar cells can directly integrate with the mature CIGS industrial route, demonstrating significant application potential in the field of thin-film solar cells.
In 2011, the Solid-State Energy Technology Center began research on sulfide semiconductor materials, conducting systematic research in new material development, semiconductor thin film preparation, and device development. Breakthroughs were achieved in sulfide optoelectronic materials and sulfide energy storage. After more than a decade of continuous research investment, the center achieved a third-party certified efficiency of 14.88% in high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium solar cells, placing it in the top tier internationally in this field.
The diverse composition of high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium materials leads to the complexity of chemical reaction pathways, phase structures, and defect properties, limiting performance improvement and posing a bottleneck in the field. In response to this challenge, the center proposed solutions to the severe non-radiative recombination in bulk and interface through in-depth research and innovative strategies, significantly enhancing the open-circuit voltage and photoelectric conversion efficiency of high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium solar cells.
The team successfully reconstructed heterojunction interfaces, reduced deep-level defects, and initially achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 13.6%. Subsequently, by optimizing the precursor solution composition, the research team successfully prepared a high-efficiency copper zinc tin sulfur selenium absorption layer with enhanced crystallinity and reduced defects, increasing the photoelectric conversion efficiency to 14.1%. By further exploring the potential mechanism of element non-uniformity during selenization, the phenomenon of copper diffusion from the absorption layer to the rear interface was revealed.
This research was supported by major basic research projects of the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Leading Science and Technology Projects of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shandong Taishan Scholars Program, and the Shandong Energy Research Institute, among others.
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