Prof. Dr. Edgardo Saucedo will be giving a lecture at ICMAB on 27th September 2021

On 27th September, Prof. Dr. Edgardo Saucedo will be giving a lecture regarding thin film photovoltaic materials based on earth abundant elements. The seminar will take place at the Sala d’Actes Carles Miravitlles but it will also be possible to be followed online. Click here for more information.

The Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) is a multidisciplinary research center focused on cutting-edge research in functional advanced materials in the fields of ENERGY, ELECTRONICS, NANOMEDICINE and application fields yet to imagine.

The ICMAB is integrated within the Barcelona Nanocluster in Bellaterra (BNC-b), a research network that includes the UAB, the CSIC (ICMAB, IMB-CNM and ICN2) and IRTA, part of the UAB Research Park of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (PRUAB) and the ALBA Synchrotron. The BNC-b aims to share advanced scientific equipment and promote and disseminate nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The ICMAB therefore offers a complete range of scientific services, including a 10,000 class cleanroom (the Nanoquim Platform) that are open to interested parties, whether these are academic or from industry, and it participates in all kinds of educational and promotional activities.

Abstract of the lecture:

In the last few years, the interest and research on new thin film inorganic materials for photovoltaic (PV) applications have largely increased. There are two main motivations for this: the necessity to substitute scarce and/or expensive materials currently used in the thin film photovoltaic industry (such as In, Ga or Te); and the necessity of materials with new properties that are required for non-conventional PV applications (flexible, transparent). In this context, kesterite type semiconductors, including Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe), Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), and Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) are recognized as one of the most relevant and promising thin film photovoltaic technologies.

In the first part of the presentation, the most relevant progresses achieved for kesterite in the last years will be reviewed, focusing on the recent strategies followed to improve their efficiency, that are mainly based on the partial cationic and anionic substitution including Cu by Ag, Zn by Cd, Mn and Mg, Sn by Ge, extended to the S, Se and Te substitutions as possible anions in the structure.

In the second part of the presentation, other relevant emerging photovoltaic materials will be discussed, including oxides, pnictides and halides, giving insights about the most promising ones for different PV applications.