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Novel Materials for Solar Cells and Photovoltaic Systems

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2025 | Viewed by 40

Special Issue Editors

Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-Structures of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: solar cell; solar energy materials; Sb2(SxSe1-x)3; CIGS; thin film technology

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Guest Editor
College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
Interests: solar cells; Sb2(SxSe1-x)3; CZTS; thin film technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of novel materials for high-performance solar cells and photovoltaic systems is a critical research frontier. For example, antimony chalcogenides (Sb2(SxSe1-x)3) have become an exceptionally appealing light absorber for solar cells in recent years due to their environmental friendliness, excellent light absorption in the visible range, and suitable bandgap. According to Shockley–Queisser's theory, the maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2(SxSe1-x)3 solar cells can reach up to over 30%. However, the device's efficiency has fallen far short of expectations. In terms of defect suppression and PCE improvement, the material processing method plays an inextricable role.

Over the years, a lot of effort has been made in developing film deposition techniques for absorbers, including hydrothermal (HT), chemical bath deposition (CBD), fast chemical approach (FCA), vapor transport deposition (VTD), thermal evaporation (TE), rapid thermal evaporation (RTE), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and closed space sublimation (CSS). Therefore, further improving thin-film solar cells and delving deeper into their functionalities are urgent tasks for the future.

This Special Issue aims to summarize the latest advancements in emerging light-absorbing materials, device architectures, and fabrication techniques that can contribute to improving the efficiency and affordability of solar energy conversion. Key topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Design and optimization of novel solar cell materials;
  • Synthesis and deposition techniques for high-quality thin-film absorbers;
  • Tandem solar cell configurations;
  • Theoretical studies and computational modeling of novel photovoltaic materials;
  • High-efficiency solar cells.

Dr. Jianmin Li
Prof. Dr. Guilin Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel materials for solar cells
  • Sb2(SxSe1-x)3, Sb2S3, Sb2Se3
  • photovoltaic systems
  • enhanced efficiency

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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