Date of Award
January 2015
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Chemical Engineering
First Advisor
Rakesh Agrawal
Committee Member 1
Bryan W Boudouris
Committee Member 2
Mark S Lundstrom
Committee Member 3
David S Corti
Abstract
Providing access to on-demand energy at the global scale is a grand challenge of our time. The fabrication of solar cells from nanocrystal inks comprising earth abundant elements represents a scalable and sustainable photovoltaic technology with the potential to meet the global demand for electricity. Solar cells with Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)¬4¬ (CZTSSe) absorber layers are of particular interest due to the high absorption coefficient of CZTSSe, its band gap in the ideal range for efficient photovoltaic power conversion, and the relative abundance of its constituent elements in the earth’s crust. Despite the promise of this material system, CZTSSe solar cell efficiencies reported throughout literature have failed to exceed 12.6%, principally due to the low open-circuit voltage (VOC) achieved in these devices compared to the absorber band gap.
Recommended Citation
Carter, Nathaniel James, "Nanocrystal Synthesis and Thin Film Formation for Earth Abundant Photovoltaics" (2015). Open Access Dissertations. 1171.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1171