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Published on: October 3, 2018
Green Precursor Aqueous Solution for High-Performance Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 Thin-Film Solar Cells.
Dongdong Shen1,2, Bowen Liu1,2, Zhuoer Deng1
1State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-Cycle Safety for Composite Structures; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials; MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Nonferrous Metals and Materials; School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
Researchers developed a green, aqueous solution for Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide Sulfide (CIGSSe) thin-film solar cells. This sustainable method avoids toxic solvents and reduces costs, achieving a 14.04% power conversion efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide Sulfide (CIGSSe) thin-film solar cells are promising next-generation photovoltaics with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability.
- Solution-based deposition offers cost advantages but is limited by toxic organic solvents and carbon residue.
- Developing sustainable and cost-effective fabrication methods is crucial for scalable photovoltaic production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a green, facile, and cost-effective aqueous solution for fabricating high-performance CIGSSe thin-film solar cells.
- To address the limitations of toxicity and carbon contamination associated with conventional solution-processed methods.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of water-based processing for sustainable photovoltaic manufacturing.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of CIGSSe thin-film solar cells using an aqueous precursor solution.
- The precursor solution was prepared by dissolving copper oxide, silver oxide, indium hydroxide, gallium nitrate, and thiourea (TU) in carbon-free sulfamic acid (H2NSO3H).
- Evaluation of precursor wettability on Mo-coated soda-lime glass (Mo-SLG) and characterization of the resulting solar cell performance.
Main Results:
- The aqueous precursor solution exhibited excellent wettability on Mo-SLG with a contact angle of 36.70°, ensuring uniform film formation.
- The fabricated CIGSSe solar cells achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.04%.
- Key performance metrics included a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 35.42 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.61 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 65.00%.
Conclusions:
- The developed water-based processing route successfully eliminates toxic organic solvents and reduces manufacturing costs for CIGSSe solar cells.
- This green approach represents a significant advancement toward sustainable and scalable photovoltaic production.
- The high performance achieved demonstrates the potential of aqueous solutions for next-generation solar cell fabrication.
