Electronic Characterisation of Earth‐Abundant Sulphides for Solar Photovoltaics

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxx

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2. Introduction

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 1-40

3. Experimental Methods

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 41-97

4. The Electronic Structure of CuSbS2 for Use as a PV Absorber

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 99-138

5. The Electronic Structure of Cu3BiS3 for Use as a PV Absorber

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 139-173

6. The Electronic Structures of SnS, SnS2, and Sn2S3 for Use in PV

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 175-213

7. The Use of Photoemission Spectroscopies for the Characterisation and Identification of Cu2ZnSnS4 and its Secondary Phases

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 215-306

8. Conclusions and Recommendations for the Future

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages 307-326

9. Correction to: Electronic Characterisation of Earth‐Abundant Sulphides for Solar Photovoltaics

   • Thomas James Whittles

   Pages C1-C1

10. Back Matter

    Pages 327-362

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This book examines the electronic structure of earth-abundant and environmentally friendly materials for use as absorber layers within photovoltaic cells. The corroboration between high-quality photoemission measurements and density of states calculations yields valuable insights into why these materials have demonstrated poor device efficiencies in the vast literature cited. The book shows how the materials’ underlying electronic structures affect their properties, and how the band positions make them unsuitable for use with established solar cell technologies. After explaining these poor efficiencies, the book offers alternative window layer materials to improve the use of these absorbers. The power of photoemission and interpretation of the data in terms of factors generally overlooked in the literature, such as the materials’ oxidation and phase impurity, is demonstrated. Representing a unique reference guide, the book will be of considerable interest and value to members of the photoemission community engaged in solar cell research, and to a wider materials science audience as well.

• Thin-film Solar Cells
• XPS
• Band Alignments
• DFT
• Earth-abundant Absorbers
• Sulphides for Photovoltaics
• Photoemission Spectroscopy
• Electronic Characterisation of Sulphides
• Abundant Sulphides

• Department of Physics and Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

  Thomas James Whittles

Having graduated with a Master's degree in physics from the University of Durham, UK, Thomas Whittles then completed his PhD at the University of Liverpool, UK, producing the work presented in this book. He now lives in Germany, and is about to begin a postdoctoral placement at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart.

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