Open Access

ARTICLE

Quaternary chalcogenides as transport layers in solid-state DSSC: a feasibility study

M. H. Ibrahim^*, M. R. Salim, M. Y. Mohd Nor, A. S. Abdullah, A. I. Azmi

Lightwave Communication Research Group, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2025, 22(6), 551-560. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2025.226.551

Received 09 March 2025; Accepted 23 June 2025;

Abstract

Four chalcogenide compounds: copper zinc germanium sulfide (CZGS), copper zinc germanium selenide (CZGSe), copper barium tin sulfide (CBTS), and copper manganese tin sulfide (CMTS) were proposed as hole transport layer (HTL) in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The DSSC structure comprises fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) as the top electrode, zinc oxysulfide (ZnOS) as the electron transport layer (ETL), N719 dye as the light absorber, chalcogenides as the HTL, and gold (Au) as the back electrode. By utilizing the SCAPS 1- D simulator, the optimal thicknesses for ZnOS, HTL candidates and N719 dye were determined to be 50 nm, 200 nm, and 700 nm, respectively. Among the materials studied, CZGSe demonstrated the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) at 12.11%, followed by CZGS and CBTS at 12.02%. In contrast, CMTS exhibited a significantly lower PCE of 4.25%, indicating its limited suitability for DSSC applications. The DSSC exhibited stable performance, with PCE fluctuations constrained within 0 to 0.4%, even as the hole transport layer (HTL) varied in thickness between 50 nm and 300 nm. Comparative analysis with published simulation and experimental studies supports the promising potential of quaternary chalcogenides in solid-state DSSC applications.

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