Quantum Efficiency Enhancement versus Reduced Power Conversion Efficiency in Graphene/MoS₂/n-Si Cells

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14500/aro.12328

Keywords:

2D materials, Graphene, Heterostructure solar cell, Monolayer MoS2, N-type silicon

Abstract

In this study, we examined the performance of a vertically stacked solar cell made of graphene, monolayer MoS₂, and n-type silicon, which combines the exceptional transparency and high carrier mobility of graphene with the light absorption capabilities of MoS2 and the proven photovoltaic response of silicon. The solar cell recorded the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 60% at ~660 nm, significantly higher than the previously recorded 44% EQE for the Mo2 /n-Si junction alone. Despite this improvement in the EQE, the power conversion efficiency fell from 2.46% to 1.6% after graphene integration, owing to higher interfacial recombination and series resistance. These results clarify the potential and inherent trade-offs of implementing 2D/2D/3D hybrid structures for efficient sunlight harvesting, paving the way for interface design solutions to fully exploit their capabilities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Amani, M., Lien, D.H., Kiriya, D., Xiao, J., Azcatl, A., Noh, J., Madhvapathy, S.R., Addou, R., Santosh, K.C., Dubey, M., Cho, K., Wallace, R.M., Lee, S.C., He, J.H., Ager, J.W.3rd., Zhang, X., Yablonovitch, E., and Javey, A., 2015. Near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield in MoS₂. Science, 350(6264), pp.1065-1068.

Bonaccorso, F., Colombo, L., Yu, G., Stoller, M., Tozzini, V., Ferrari, A.C., Ruoff, R.S., and Pellegrini, V., 2015. 2D materials. Graphene, related twodimensional crystals, and hybrid systems for energy conversion and storage. Science, 347(6217), p.1246501.

Borah, C.K., Tyagi, P.K., and Kumar, S., 2020. The prospective application of a graphene/MoS2 heterostructure in Si-HIT solar cells for higher efficiency. Nanoscale Advances, 2(8), pp.3231-3243.

Du, X., Skachko, I., Barker, A., and Andrei, E.Y., 2008. Approaching ballistic transport in suspended grapheme. Nature Nanotechnology, 3(8), pp.491-495.

Fan, K., Zhou, S., Xie, L., Jia, S., Zhao, L., Liu, X., Liang, K., Jiang, L., and Kong, B., 2024. Interfacial assembly of 2D graphene-derived ion channels for water-based green energy conversion. Advanced Materials, 36(9), p.e2307849.

Ferrari, A.C., Bonaccorso, F., Fal’ko, V., Novoselov, K.S., Roche, S., Bøggild, P., Borini, S., Koppens, F.H., Palermo, V., Pugno, N., Garrido, J.A., Sordan, R., Bianco, A.,… & Kinaret J., 2015. Science and technology roadmap for graphene, related two-dimensional crystals, and hybrid systems. Nanoscale, 7(11), pp.4598-4810.

Hao, L., Liu, Y., Gao, W., Han, Z., Xue, Q., Zeng, H., Wu, Z., Zhu, J., and Zhang, W., 2015. Electrical and photovoltaic characteristics of MoS2/Si p-n junctions. Journal of Applied Physics, 117(11), p.114502.

Li, H., Zhang, Q., Ray Yap, C.C., Tay, B.K., Edwin, T.H.T., Olivier, A., and Baillargeat, D., 2012. From bulk to monolayer MoS2 : Evolution of Raman scattering. Advanced Functional Materials, 22(7), pp.1385-1390.

Ma, J., Bai, H., Zhao, W., Yuan, Y., and Zhang, K., 2018. High efficiency graphene/MoS2 /Si Schottky barrier solar cells using layer-controlled MoS 2 films. Solar Energy, 160, pp.76-84.

Ma, X.Y., and Shi, M.Y., 2013. Study of the electrical contact properties of monolayer MoS2 /Si heterojunction. Advanced Materials Research, 660, pp.57-60.

Mak, K.F., He, K., Lee, C., Lee, G.H., Hone, J., Heinz, T.F., and Shan, J., 2013. Tightly bound trions in monolayer MoS2. Nature Materials, 12(3), pp. 207-211.

Mak, K.F., Lee, C., Hone, J., Shan, J., and Heinz, T.F., 2010. Atomically thin MoS₂: A new direct-gap semiconductor. Physical Review Letters, 105(13), p.136805.

Novoselov, K.S., Fal’ko, V.I., Colombo, L., Gellert, P.R., Schwab, M.G., and Kim, K., 2012. A roadmap for graphene. Nature, 490(7419), pp.192-200.

Rao, R., Islam, A.E., Singh, S., Berry, R., Kawakami, R.K., Maruyama, B., and Katoch, J., 2019. Spectroscopic evaluation of charge-transfer doping and strain in graphene/MoS2 heterostructures. Physical Review. B, 99(19), p.195401.

Rocha Robledo, A.K., Flores Salazar, M., Muñiz Martínez, B.A., TorresRosales, Á.A., Lara-Alfaro, H.F., Del Pozo-Zamudio, O., Cerda-Méndez, E.A., Jiménez-Sandoval, S., and De Luna Bugallo, A., 2023. Interlayer charge transfer in supported and suspended MoS2/Graphene/MoS2 vertical heterostructures. PLoS One, 18(7), p.e0283834.

Salih Omar, O., 2022 Monolayer MoS2/n-Si heterostructure Schottky solar cell. Journal of Renewable Materials, 10(7), pp.1979-1988.

Singh, E., Kim, K.S., Yeom, G.Y., and Nalwa, H.S., 2017. Atomically thin-layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) for bulk-heterojunction solar cells. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 9(4), pp.3223-3245.

Song, Y., Li, X., Mackin, C., Zhang, X., Fang, W., Palacios, T., Zhu, H., and Kong, J., 2015. Role of interfacial oxide in high-efficiency graphene-silicon Schottky barrier solar cells. Nano Letters, 15(3), pp.2104-2110.

Splendiani, A., Sun, L., Zhang, Y., Li, T., Kim, J., Chim, C.Y., Galli, G., and Wang F., 2010. Emerging photoluminescence in monolayer MoS2. Nano Letters, 10(4), pp.1271-1275.

Tao, H., Fan, Q., Ma, T., Liu, S., Gysling, H., Texter, J., Guo, F., and Sun, Z., 2020. Two-dimensional materials for energy conversion and storage. Progress in Materials Science, 111(100637), p.100637.

Tsai, M.L., Su, S.H., Chang, J.K., Tsai, D.S., Chen, C.H., Wu, C.I., Li, L.J., Chen, L.J., and He, J.H., 2014 Monolayer MoS2 heterojunction solar cells. ACS Nano, 8(8), pp.8317-8322.

Tsuboi, Y., Wang, F., Kozawa, D., Funahashi, K., Mouri, S., Miyauchi, Y., Takenobu, T., and Matsuda, K., 2015. Enhanced photovoltaic performances of graphene/Si solar cells by insertion of a MoS₂ thin film. Nanoscale, 7(34), pp.14476-14482.

Wirth-Lima, A.J., Alves-Sousa, P.P., and Bezerra-Fraga, W., 2019. Graphene/ silicon and 2D-MoS2 /silicon solar cells: A review. Applied Physics. A, 125(4), p.241.

Zhang, Y., Su, P., Liu, L., Qiu, P., Su, L., Fu, G., and Yu, W., 2020. The effect of MoS2 modulated doping with molybdenum-oxide on the photovoltaic performance for MoS2 /n-Si heterojunction solar cells. Solar Energy, 208, pp.1048-1057.

Published

2026-09-19

How to Cite

Omar, O. S. (2026) “Quantum Efficiency Enhancement versus Reduced Power Conversion Efficiency in Graphene/MoS₂/n-Si Cells”, ARO-THE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF KOYA UNIVERSITY, 14(2), pp. 63–69. doi: 10.14500/aro.12328.
Received 2025-06-03
Accepted 2026-07-29
Published 2026-09-19

Similar Articles

<< < 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.