Recent progress in the research on using CuSbS₂ and its derivative CuPbSbS₃ as absorbers in case of photovoltaic devices

Abstract

Thin-film solar cells show considerable application potential as alternative photovoltaic technologies. Cuprous antimony chalcogen materials and their derivatives, represented as CuSbS₂ and CuPbSbS₃, respectively, exhibit the advantages of low cost, massive elemental abundance, stability, and good photoelectric properties, including a suitable bandgap and large optical absorption coefficient. These advantages demonstrate that they can be used as light absorbers in photovoltaic applications. In this study, we review the major properties, fabrication methods, and recent progress of the performance of the devices containing CuSbS₂ and CuPbSbS₃. Furthermore, the limitations and future development prospects with respect to the CuSbS₂ and CuPbSbS₃ solar cells are discussed.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

CuSbS₂ / CuPbSbS₃ / properties / fabrication / performance

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61725401, and 61904058), the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFA0204000), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Nos. 2018M642825 and 2019M662623), the National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talent (No. BX20190127), and the HUST Key Innovation Team for Interdisciplinary Promotion (Nos. 2016JCTD111 and 2017KFXKJC003). The authors would also like to thank the Analytical and Testing Center of HUST and the facility support of the Center for Nanoscale Characterization and Devices (CNCD), WNLO, HUST.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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