High-performance Schottky solar cells using ZrS₂ nanobelt networks

The transition metal dichalcogenide ZrS₂ is an important semiconductor and should be a promising material in the optoelectronic field, however, its optoelectronic properties and applications have seldom been reported. In this paper, we synthesized single-crystalline ZrS₂ nanobelts for interesting applications in solar cells. A facile and effective approach to fabricate ZrS₂ nanobelt network-embedded solar cells was represented by forming Schottky junctions between the contacts of ZrS ₂ nanobelts and metal Au electrodes. The solar cell devices showed a high short-circuit current J_sc of 21.8 mA cm^-2 and a cell efficiency of 1.2%. The photovoltaic mechanism was discussed by constructing their energy band diagrams. Present results would be important for the field of transition-metal-dichalcogenide nanostructure optoelectronic applications.