Efficiency Enhancement of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube‐Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells Using Microwave‐Exfoliated Few‐Layer Black Phosphorus. (2nd November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bat‐Erdene, Munkhjargal; Batmunkh, Munkhbayar; Tawfik, Sherif Abdulkader; Fronzi, Marco; Ford, Michael J.; Shearer, Cameron J.; Yu, LePing; Dadkhah, Mahnaz; Gascooke, Jason R.; Gibson, Christopher T.; Shapter, Joseph G.
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 27:Number 48(2017)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2017-11-02
• Subjects: 2D materials -- black phosphorus -- carbon nanotubes -- phosphorene -- solar cells; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201704488
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract: Carbon nanotube‐silicon (CNT‐Si)‐based heterojunction solar cells (HJSCs) are a promising photovoltaic (PV) system. Herein, few‐layer black phosphorus (FL‐BP) sheets are produced in N ‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) using microwave‐assisted liquid‐phase exfoliation and introduced into the CNTs‐Si‐based HJSCs for the first time. The NMP‐based FL‐BP sheets remain stable after mixing with aqueous CNT dispersion for device fabrication. Due to their unique 2D structure and p‐type dominated conduction, the FL‐BP/NMP incorporated CNT‐Si devices show an impressive improvement in the power conversion efficiency from 7.52% (control CNT‐Si cell) to 9.37%. Our density‐functional theory calculation reveals that lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of FL‐BP is higher in energy than that of single‐walled CNT. Therefore, we observed a reduction in the orbitals localized on FL‐BP upon highest occupied molecular orbital to LUMO transition, which corresponds to an improved charge transport. This study opens a new avenue in utilizing 2D phosphorene nanosheets for next‐generation PVs. Abstract : Few‐layer black phosphorus sheets are prepared using a microwave‐assisted liquid‐phase exfoliation method and introduced into high efficiency single‐walled carbon nanotube‐silicon heterojunction solar cells.