Open-Circuit Voltage Loss of Antimony Chalcogenide Solar Cells: Status, Origin, and Possible Solutions

Recently, antimony chalcogenide solar cells including Sb2S3, Sb2Se3, and Sb2(S,Se)3 have obtained considerable progress, with efficiency up to 7.5%, 9.2%, and 7.82%, respectively, and the efficiency values are largely plagued by a severe open-circuit voltage deficit. In this Perspective, we conduct a detailed analysis of open-circuit voltage loss in antimony chalcogenide solar cells with respect to the basic material properties (including carrier lifetime, defects, carrier density, and band tail states) and device properties (including recombination mechanism, hole transport layer, and device structure). We also note the main challenges at present and discuss future development directions. In the end, we provide some suggestions to overcome these challenges. We hope our work can promote the development of antimony-chalcogenide-based photoelectric devices, including solar cells, photodiodes, and photoelectrochemical cells.