Hexagonal boron phosphide and boron arsenide van der Waals heterostructure as high-efficiency solar cell

Abstract

The rapid development of two-dimensional (2D) materials offers new opportunities for 2D ultra-thin excitonic solar cells (XSCs). The construction of van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) is a recognised and effective method of integrating the properties of single-layer 2D materials, creating particularly superior performance. Here, the prospects of h-BP/h-BAs vdW heterostructures in 2D excitonic solar cells are assessed. We systematically investigate the electronic properties and optical properties of heterogeneous structures by using the density functional theory (DFT) and first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the heterogeneous structure has good optoelectronic properties, such as a suitable direct bandgap and excellent optical absorption properties. The calculation of the phonon spectrum also confirms the well-defined kinetic stability of the heterstructure. We design the heterogeneous structure as a model for solar cells, and calculate its solar cell power conversion efficiency which reaches up to 16.51% and is higher than the highest efficiency reported in organic solar cells (11.7%). Our work illustrates the potential of h-BP/h-BAs heterostructure as a candidate for high-efficiency 2D excitonic solar cells.