International Journal of Physics | Vol. 16, No. 2, February 2025 | pp. 9–16
DOI: 10.46882/2025/IJP/000178
Research Article
Title: Quantum Efficiency Optimization of Antimonene Solar Cells via Continuous Bandgap Grading Profiles
Names of Authors: H. K. Tanaka¹, M. G. Richter²
Authors’ Affiliations:
¹ Department of Quantum Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
² Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
Abstract: Developing group-V elemental two-dimensional monolayers provides an exceptional architectural framework for improving the conversion efficiency of thin-film photovoltaics. This paper presents a detailed numerical model to optimize the internal quantum efficiency of chemically functionalized antimonene solar cells using a continuous bandgap grading profile. We systematically evaluated the impacts of carrier recombination lifetimes and interface defect traps on device performance parameters under standard one-sun illumination matrices (AM 1.5G, 100.0 mW/cm²). Our numerical calculations reveal that grading the surface chemical functionalization creates a linear bandgap tilt (varying from 1.20 eV to 1.65 eV) that generates a built-in electric field. This built-in field accelerates charge separation tracks and significantly drops radiative recombination rates. When standard recombination lifetimes of 18.0 ns are introduced, the optimized graded device yields a short-circuit current density of 27.4 mA/cm² and an open-circuit voltage of 0.92 V. This results in a maximum power conversion efficiency of 19.4%, representing a significant improvement over the uniform bandgap control cell. We also analyzed the thermal stability of the device between 280.0 K and 360.0 K, demonstrating that the graded structure reduces thermal efficiency degradation by 25.0%.
Keywords: Antimonene solar cells; graded bandgap; quantum efficiency; charge transport; numerical modeling; photovoltaics
Manuscript Timeline: Received: November 05, 2024; Revised: December 18, 2024; Accepted: January 08, 2025; Published: February 12, 2025
Citation: Tanaka, H. K., & Richter, M. G. (2025). Quantum Efficiency Optimization of Antimonene Solar Cells via Continuous Bandgap Grading Profiles. International Journal of Physics, 16(2), 9–16.
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