Suppressing Deep-Level Trap and Energy Band Alignment Enable Air-Solution-Processed Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film Solar Cell with Certified Record Efficiency

Suppressing Deep-Level Trap and Energy Band Alignment Enable Air-Solution-Processed Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film Solar Cell with Certified Record Efficiency | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Suppressing Deep-Level Trap and Energy Band Alignment Enable Air-Solution-Processed Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Thin Film Solar Cell with Certified Record Efficiency Guangxing Liang, Tong WU, Zi Wang, Ping Luo, Shuo Chen, Zhuang-Hao Zheng, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4759528/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Energy → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The sulfide kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is widely recognized as a highly competitive photovoltaic material, especially for use in multi-junction solar cells, due to its excellent photoelectric properties. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CZTS solar cells has remained stagnant for years. The presence of deep level defects, such as VS (sulfur vacancies), has been demonstrated to provide a kind of effective non-radiative recombination pathway, leading to serious open-circuit voltage (VOC) deficit and reduced efficiency in carrier migration and separation. Herein, we propose a novel directional passivation strategy for VS through a an easily operable heterojunction heat treatment. By introducing O2 during this process, sulfur vacancies can be readily occupied by oxygen atoms in an oxygen-rich environment, thus contributing to eliminating the already-existing VS defects. In addition, the thermal movement of ions during this process induces Cd diffusion to the absorption layer to occupy the Cu or Zn lattice sites, these collective effects lead to a reduced charge recombination and more favorable band alignment. As a result, CZTS thin film solar cell with a PCE of 11.89% and a certified record efficiency of 11.51% was achieved. The present study offers valuable insights into defect passivation mechanism of kesterite thin-film solar cells. Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Renewable energy/Solar energy/Photovoltaics/Solar cells Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Solar cells Cu2ZnSnS4 Defect Passivation Photoelectric performance Interface optimization Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Energy → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4759528","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":330271659,"identity":"e8df3736-e754-4138-8a2c-c3b23887e0dd","order_by":0,"name":"Guangxing 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