The solar cells based on the 2D van der Waals heterostructure (vdWHs) are promising to satisfy both criteria of using fewer materials and high conversion efficiency. Since the 2D sheets used in this type of solar cell usually consist of monolayers or few-layers materials, they have the least used materials in solar cell technologies.
Van der Waals heterostructure solar cells have enhanced light absorption. The bandgap can be tuned in the van der Waals heterostructure solar cells. Van der Waals heterostructure solar cells use a few amounts of the materials. Van der Waals heterostructure solar cells could approach to high conversion efficiencies.
The formed heterostructure is a type-II one. The electron-hole pairs can be separated due to the internal electric field. The spontaneous charge separation of the formed heterostructure is suitable for solar cell applications .
The heterostructure of 2D devices which consists of more than one layer could enhance the efficiency of solar cell compared to the devices consist of single 2D layer due to the increased absorption.
Thus, there are tremendous opportunities to develop 2D material–based photovoltaic solar cells by improving the synthesis of high-quality large-scale layered semiconductors, designing heterostructure of 2D materials for high absorption of solar spectrum and engineering the solar cell devices for better performance.
Depending on the device geometry, the 2D heterostructure photovoltaic devices can be classified into two categories: (1) lateral configuration where the built-in electric field is in the in-plane direction of 2D material, another is (2) vertical configuration where the electric field is in the perpendicular direction of the plane of 2D materials.
Growing large-scale vertical heterostructure with different bandgap of materials could be a challenging task but a suitable, low-cost transfer process for large size crystals will lead to better 2D-based photovoltaic solar cells.
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