ZnS Ultrathin interfacial layers for optimizing carrier management in Sb2S3-based photovoltaics

Antimony chalcogenides represent a family of materials of low toxicity and relative abundance, with a high potential for future sustainable solar energy conversion technology. However, solar cells based on antimony chalcogenides present open-circuit voltage losses that limit their efficiencies. These losses are attributed to several recombination mechanisms, with interfacial recombination being considered as one of the dominant processes. In this work, we exploit atomic layer deposition (ALD) to grow a series of ultrathin ZnS interfacial layers at the TiO2/Sb2S3 interface to mitigate interfacial recombination and to increase the carrier lifetime. ALD allows for very accurate control over the ZnS interlayer thickness on the ångström scale (0-1.5 nm) and to deposit highly pure Sb2S3. Our systematic study of the photovoltaic and optoelectronic properties of these devices by impedance spectroscopy and transient absorption concludes that the optimum ZnS interlayer thickness of 1.0 nm achieves the best balance between the beneficial effect of an increased recombination resistance at the interface and the deleterious barrier behavior of the wide-bandgap semiconductor ZnS. This optimization allows us to reach an overall power conversion efficiency of 5.09% in planar configuration

Elucidating Mechanistic Details of Photo-Induced Charge Transfer in Antimony Sulfide-Based p‑i‑n Junctions

<p>The initial kinetics and mechanisms of photo-induced charge transfer in photovoltaic materials are critical to the operation of fabricated devices. Despite the importance of charge transfer in the picosecond to nanosecond timescales, mechanistic understanding of these events is still limited. To address this challenge, a series of p-i-n junction samples that comprises fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/TiO2/ZnS/Sb2S3/P3HT layers was prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD allows for carefully controlled film thickness in samples that enable systematic evaluation of photo-induced charge-transfer kinetics by transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS). Sb2S3 serves as the intrinsic light absorber, P3HT is the hole acceptor, and TiO2 is the electron acceptor. An extremely thin, electron-blocking layer of ZnS was deposited between Sb2S3 and TiO2 varied in thickness by ALD to create a series of 20 samples that included (1) five different ZnS thicknesses (0, 2, 5, 10, and 15 ALD cycles) and (2) four combinations of layers, always including ZnS/Sb2S3, that built up to the completed stack. These mechanistic studies confirm our proposed mechanism for photo-induced electron and hole transfer and recombination in these p-i-n junction samples and provide predictive insights into the charge-transfer processes that may be most determinant in the operation of completed devices.</p&gt

Housing Needs Assessment Jacksonville, TX

The Jacksonville Housing Needs Assessment, a collaborative, year-long project between Texas Target Communities at Texas A&M University and several dedicated residents, situates the community’s housing challenges in the context of multiple sources of data, including consumers and producers of housing. The report documents the methods and analyses used to assess the City’s housing gaps and estimate its housing needs. Furthermore, it discusses the findings, implications, and recommendations developed by the two entities to address the City’s housing challenges. The chapters reflect the order of the process. The first chapter provides background details on community engagement and the origins of both the Housing Council of the Cherokee County Human Needs Network and the Housing Needs Assessment. The second chapter delves into Jacksonville’s demographic overview, while the third chapter addresses the City’s current housing inventory and conditions. The fourth chapter interweaves the second and third chapters’ findings to situate the City’s housing gaps and estimated housing needs. Finally, the fifth chapter proposes a series of recommendations for addressing housing challengesThe Jacksonville Housing Needs Assessment, a collaborative, year-long project between Texas Target Communities at Texas A&M University and several dedicated residents, situates the community’s housing challenges in the context of multiple sources of data, including consumers and producers of housing.Texas Target Communitie

Housing Needs Assessment Jacksonville, TX

The Jacksonville Housing Needs Assessment, a collaborative, year-long project between Texas Target Communities at Texas A&M University and several dedicated residents, situates the community’s housing challenges in the context of multiple sources of data, including consumers and producers of housing. The report documents the methods and analyses used to assess the City’s housing gaps and estimate its housing needs. Furthermore, it discusses the findings, implications, and recommendations developed by the two entities to address the City’s housing challenges. The chapters reflect the order of the process. The first chapter provides background details on community engagement and the origins of both the Housing Council of the Cherokee County Human Needs Network and the Housing Needs Assessment. The second chapter delves into Jacksonville’s demographic overview, while the third chapter addresses the City’s current housing inventory and conditions. The fourth chapter interweaves the second and third chapters’ findings to situate the City’s housing gaps and estimated housing needs. Finally, the fifth chapter proposes a series of recommendations for addressing housing challengesThe Jacksonville Housing Needs Assessment, a collaborative, year-long project between Texas Target Communities at Texas A&M University and several dedicated residents, situates the community’s housing challenges in the context of multiple sources of data, including consumers and producers of housing.Texas Target Communitie

Adjusting Interfacial Chemistry and Electronic Properties of Photovoltaics Based on a Highly Pure Sb2S3 Absorber by Atomic Layer Deposition

The combination of oxide and heavier chalcogenide layers in thin film photovoltaics suffers limitations associated with oxygen incorporation and sulfur deficiency in the chalcogenide layer or with a chemical incompatibility which results in dewetting issues and defect states at the interface. Here, we establish atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a tool to overcome these limitations. ALD allows one to obtain highly pure Sb2S3 light absorber layers, and we exploit this technique to generate an additional interfacial layer consisting of 1.5 nm ZnS. This ultrathin layer simultaneously resolves dewetting and passivates defect states at the interface. We demonstrate via transient absorption spectroscopy that interfacial electron recombination is one order of magnitude slower at the ZnS-engineered interface than hole recombination at the Sb2S3/P3HT interface. The comparison of solar cells with and without oxide incorporation in Sb2S3, with and without the ultrathin ZnS interlayer, and with systematically varied Sb2S3 thickness provides a complete picture of the physical processes at work in the devices

Identity Formation, Space and Social Centrality

Abstract not available