Back Interface and Absorber Bulk Deep-Level Trap Optimization Enables Highly Efficient Flexible Antimony Triselenide Solar Cell.

The unique 1D crystal structure of Antimony Triselenide (Sb ₂ Se ₃ ) offers notable potential for use in flexible, lightweight devices due to its excellent bending characteristics. However, fabricating high-efficiency flexible Sb ₂ Se ₃ solar cells is challenging, primarily due to the suboptimal contact interface between the embedded Sb ₂ Se ₃ layer and the molybdenum back-contact, compounded by complex intrinsic defects. This study introduces a novel Molybdenum Trioxide (MoO ₃ ) interlayer to address the back contact interface issues in flexible Sb ₂ Se ₃ devices. Further investigations indicate that incorporating a MoO ₃ interlayer not only enhances the crystalline quality but also promotes a favorable [hk1] growth orientation in the Sb ₂ Se ₃ absorber layer. It also reduces the barrier height at the back contact interface and effectively passivates harmful defects. As a result, the flexible Sb ₂ Se ₃ solar cell, featuring a Mo-foil/Mo/MoO ₃ /Sb ₂ Se ₃ /CdS/ITO/Ag substrate structure, demonstrates exceptional flexibility and durability, enduring large bending radii and multiple bending cycles while achieving an impressive efficiency of 8.23%. This research offers a straightforward approach to enhancing the performance of flexible Sb ₂ Se ₃ devices, thereby expanding their application scope in the field of photovoltaics.
(© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)