Topologically Protected Photovoltaics in Bi Nanoribbons

Photovoltaic efficiency in solar cells is hindered by many unwanted effects. Radiative channels (emission of photons) sometimes mediated by nonradiative ones (emission of phonons) are principally responsible for the decrease in exciton population before charge separation can take place. One such mechanism is electron-hole recombination at surfaces or defects where the in-gap edge states serve as the nonradiative channels. In topological insulators (TIs), which are rarely explored from an optoelectronics standpoint, we show that their characteristic surface states constitute a nonradiative decay channel that can be exploited to generate a protected photovoltaic current. Focusing on two-dimensional TIs, and specifically for illustration purposes on a Bi(111) monolayer, we obtain the transition rates from the bulk excitons to the edge states. By breaking the appropriate symmetries of the system, one can induce an edge charge accumulation and edge currents under illumination, demonstrating the potential of TI nanoribbons for photovoltaics.