Themed collection Emerging Materials for Solar Energy Harvesting

Guest Editors Joel M. R. Tan, Frank E. Osterloh, and Lydia Wong introduce this Journal of Materials Chemistry A themed collection on emerging materials for solar energy harvesting.

Over the past few decades, extensive research on photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been conducted as a promising solution to meet the increasing demand for cleaner and renewable energy in a sustainable manner.

This article presents progress and challenges in the development of photocatalyst sheets for scalable efficient production of renewable hydrogen via water splitting reaction.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the significant advancements made in CZTS monograin powder technology and its applications in flexible solar cells over the past decade.

Various strategies for improving the photocatalytic performance of covalent triazine frameworks, including molecular design, structural regulation and the creation of heterostructures, are summarized.

We prepared a prebaked (SnS + S) source absorber which results in suppressing the deep level and interface defects. The device showed a 42% enhancement in the performance compared to the reference absorber-based device without prebaking.

Silver substitution on Cu₂CdSnS₄ solar cells improves device performance at small doping concentrations. Structural and properties changes are induced with higher silver alloying amounts.

We demonstrated InCl₃ modified SnO₂ as ETL in Sb₂Se₃ solar cells. InCl₃ post-treatment blocked the downward diffusion of Se and improved the quality of the SnO₂/Sb₂Se₃ heterojunction. Thus, a Cd-free Sb₂Se₃ solar cell achieved a PCE of 5.52%.

Carbon contamination on the photocatalysts intereferes the performance analysis of photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction reaction (CO₂RR).

Anisotropic crystal facets of SrTaO₂N allowed the spatial isolation of the reduction and oxidation co-catalysts, enabling a Z-scheme water splitting system based solely on an oxynitride photocatalyst using visible light up to 600 nm and beyond.

Ambient temperature growth on Si produces a polycrystalline ZnTiN₂ film while Sn-assisted growth on sapphire at elevated temperature results in a single-crystal-like ZnTiN₂ film with significantly reduced sub-bandgap absorption.

Sulfide-derived catalysts tend to be more selective to HCOO⁻ with suppression of CO production. We found that sulfur-doped Cu–Sb breaks the trend with improved CO selectivity.

All-in-one ultrathin porous ZnIn₂S₄ toward photocatalytic water reduction and benzyl alcohol oxidation for the co-production of hydrogen fuels and value-added benzaldehyde.

The study employs an ITO layer to enhance CZTS photocathodes for water splitting, resulting in improved photocurrent, onset potential, and stability through phosphate ion removal and In–Pt/Sn–Pt interactions on the ITO surface.

The underexplored Ba–Sn–S phase space is explored at various temperatures and cation ratios with combinatorial sputtering, crystallizing rocksalt-derived phases, Ba₂SnS₄, and Ba₇Sn₅S₁₅. These findings are supported by DFT computed phase diagrams.

Fe₂O₃ and BiVO₄ photoanodes were studied under exceptionally high irradiation conditions (up to 358 kW m⁻²) and the photoelectrochemical performance and degradation rates under such conditions were quantified.

We replace high-cost Au with low-cost Cu as the electrode that greatly reduces the cost of Se photovoltaics. The resulting Se cells achieve an efficiency of 10.4% under indoor illumination at 500 lux.

A novel hybrid growth method involving the first-stage hydrothermal deposition (HTD) process and the second-stage vapor transport deposition (VTD) enables an optimal bandgap gradient in Sb₂(S,Se)₃, ultimately leading to a remarkable efficiency improvement in Sb₂(S,Se)₃ solar cells.

Phase-pure thin films of BiSBr are shown to have an optical efficiency limit of 43.6% under indoor lighting, with improved environmental and photo-stability over lead-halide perovskites, and have band positions well suited to a range of charge transport layer materials.

The shallow V_Zn acceptors are proposed as the source for p-type doping in the Zn₃P₂ solar absorber. Not only V_Zn but also deep-level defects P_Zn and P_i have increased concentrations in non-stoichiometric, P-rich Zn₃P₂.

A novel wide-bandgap InOCl passivator incorporated between In₂S₃ buffer layer and Sb₂(S,Se)₃ absorber enables high performance fully environment-friendly solar cells.

Decoupling the industrially relevant conditions simulating the electrolytic conditions in alkaline water electrolysers reveals a larger stability decay for ternary FeNiCr hydroxides as a promoted catalyst for water oxidation compared to binary FeNi.

SbSeX (X = I, Br) chalcohalides constitute a new family of earth-abundant wide-bandgap materials suitable for PV applications. Development of a new versatile and scalable synthesis methodology based on high pressure annealing.

Earth abundant Ni₂FeS₄ was used as a highly efficient co-catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction over TiO₂, as an alternative to noble metal co-catalysts.

Alkali elements (Li, Na, K, and Rb) were used as prospective p-type dopants for Cu₂BaGe_1−xSn_xSe₄ films to address the low hole carrier density, and associated changes in film properties were investigated.

Ethylamine-intercalated H_xK_2−xLaTa₂O₆N, further modified with a Pt cocatalyst, exhibited 60 times height photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution under visible light, as compared with the parent layered material.

The PEC performance of antimony selenide (Sb₂Se₃) is increased by removing oxide impurities from the surface using (NH₄)₂S etching solution and passivating dangling bonds with a CuCl₂ solution treatment.