Regulating hydrothermal reaction kinetics using sodium sulfide achieves a flattened valence band maximum across the Sb2(S,Se)3 film, lifting the potential barrier for hole transport while suppressing deep-level defect formation and reducing trap centres. This strategy enables Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells to reach a certified record efficiency of 10.7%.
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References
Tang, R. et al. Hydrothermal deposition of antimony selenosulfide thin films enables solar cells with 10% efficiency. Nat. Energy 5, 587–595 (2020). This paper presents the hydrothermal deposition method that enabled the fabrication of Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells with 10% efficiency.
Huang, L. et al. Temperature-gradient solution deposition amends unfavorable band structure of Sb2(S,Se)3 film for highly efficient solar cells. Angew. Chem. Int. Edn 63, e202406512 (2024). This paper reports a stepwise temperature-ramping hydrothermal process to control chemical reaction kinetics and suppress the unfavourable gradient in the valence band maximum.
Chen, J. et al. Se-elemental concentration gradient regulation for efficient Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells with high open-circuit voltages. Angew. Chem. Int. Edn 63, e202409609 (2024). This paper describes a thioacetamide-assisted method to suppress the unfavourable gradient in the valence band maximum during the hydrothermal deposition of Sb2(S,Se)3.
Li, J. et al. Defects passivation via potassium iodide post-treatment for antimony selenosulfide solar cells with improved performance. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33, 2211657 (2023). This paper introduces a post-treatment strategy using potassium iodide to manipulate the crystal growth process and inhibit the formation of deep defects.
Che, B. et al. Thermally driven point defect transformation in antimony selenosulfide photovoltaic materials. Adv. Mater. 35, 2208564 (2023). This paper presents the defect transformation process in Sb2(S,Se)3 under annealing and its underlying thermal-driven principles.
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This is a summary of: Qian, C. et al. Regulation of hydrothermal reaction kinetics with sodium sulfide for certified 10.7% efficiency Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01952-0 (2026).
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Regulation of hydrothermal kinetics unlocks record efficiency in Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells. Nat Energy (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01956-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01956-w
