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Oxide Heterostructures for Efficient Solar Cells

Elias Assmann, Peter Blaha, Robert Laskowski, Karsten Held, Satoshi Okamoto, and Giorgio Sangiovanni
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 078701 – Published 11 February 2013
Physics logo See Synopsis: Building Better Solar Cells, Layer by Layer
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Abstract

We propose an unexplored class of absorbing materials for high-efficiency solar cells: heterostructures of transition-metal oxides. In particular, LaVO3 grown on SrTiO3 has a direct band gap 1.1eV in the optimal range as well as an internal potential gradient, which can greatly help to separate the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, oxide heterostructures afford the flexibility to combine LaVO3 with other materials such as LaFeO3 in order to achieve even higher efficiencies with band-gap graded solar cells. We use density-functional theory to demonstrate these features.

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  • Received 5 November 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.078701

© 2013 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Building Better Solar Cells, Layer by Layer

Published 11 February 2013

According to new calculations, thin films of transition-metal oxides could be promising materials for high-efficiency solar cells.

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Authors & Affiliations

Elias Assmann1, Peter Blaha2, Robert Laskowski2, Karsten Held1, Satoshi Okamoto3,*, and Giorgio Sangiovanni1,4

  • 1Institute of Solid State Physics, Vienna University of Technology, 1040 Vienna, Austria
  • 2Institute of Materials Chemistry, Vienna University of Technology, 1040 Vienna, Austria
  • 3Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
  • 4Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany

  • *okapon@ornl.gov

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Issue

Vol. 110, Iss. 7 — 15 February 2013

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