Enhanced PEC Characteristics of Elemental 2D Materials Thin Film Electrodes by Bottom-Up Approach Monolayer Deposition

Abstract

The direct current conductivity and electrical power conversion efficiency of elemental 2D materials thin films were fabricated and investigated for the solar cell efficiency. We optimized the deposition of 2D elements such as , , ,  and  to create high-quality thin films using three different methods of chemical vapor deposition. The optical properties showed that as the amount of 2D materials increased, the band gap of the films became smaller. In our photoconduction tests, we found that when exposed to light, the current increased steadily with higher solar irradiance, while photocurrent changed with the level of solar irradiance applied. We characterized the PEC solar cell made from , , ,  and  thin films by measuring key factors such as open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), maximum power (Pmax), fill factor (ff), and efficiency (ɳ %). We used a sample cell area of 2 cm² and tested it under various levels of solar irradiance measured in W/m². The results showed a fill factor of 0.40 % and a conversion efficiency of 5.50 % for one specific composition based on I-V measurements.