This study employs theoretical simulations to identify ways to improve the efficiency of CsSnI ₃ -based perovskite solar cells with PCBM ETL. The optimized device with CFTS HTL with a structure of ITO/PCBM/CsSnI ₃ /CFTS/Se shows the highest PCE of 24.73%.

In the future, when fossil fuels are exhausted, alternative energy sources will be essential for everyday needs. Hydrogen-based energy can play a vital role in this aspect. This energy is green, clean, and renewable. Electrochemical hydrogen devices have been used extensively in nuclear power plants to manage hydrogen-based renewable fuel. Doped zirconate materials are commonly used as an electrolyte in these electrochemical devices. These materials have excellent physical stability and high proton transport numbers, which make them suitable for multiple applications. Doping enhances the physical and electronic properties of zirconate materials and makes them ideal for practical applications. This review highlights the applications of zirconate-based proton-conducting materials in electrochemical cells, particularly in tritium monitors, tritium recovery, hydrogen sensors, and hydrogen pump systems. The central section of this review summarizes recent investigations and provides a comprehensive insight into the various doping schemes, experimental setup, instrumentation, optimum operating conditions, morphology, composition, and performance of zirconate electrolyte materials. In addition, different challenges that are hindering zirconate materials from achieving their full potential in electrochemical hydrogen devices are discussed. Finally, this paper lays out a few pathways for aspirants who wish to undertake research in this field.

The Schockley–Quisser (SQ) limit of 28.64% is distant from the Sb₂S₃ solar cells’ record power conversion efficiency (PCE), which is 8.00%. Such poor efficiency is mostly owing to substantial interface-induced recombination losses caused by defects at the interfaces and misaligned energy levels. The endeavor of this study is to investigate an efficient Sb₂S₃ solar cell structure via accurate analytical modeling. The proposed model considers different recombination mechanisms such as non-radiative recombination, Sb₂S₃/CdS interface recombination, Auger, SRH, tunneling-enhanced recombination, and their combined impact on solar cell performance. This model is verified against experimental work (Glass/ITO/CdS/Sb₂S₃/Au) where a good coincidence is achieved. Several parameters effects such as thickness, doping, electronic affinity, and bandgap are scrutinized. The effect of both bulk traps located in CdS and Sb₂S₃ on the electrical outputs of the solar cell is analyzed thoroughly. Besides, a deep insight into the effect of interfacial traps on solar cell figures of merits is gained through shedding light into their relation with carriers’ minority lifetime, diffusion length, and surface recombination velocity. Our research findings illuminate that the primary contributors to Sb₂S₃ degradation are interfacial traps and series resistance. Furthermore, achieving optimal band alignment by fine-tuning the electron affinity of CdS to create a Spike-like conformation is crucial for enhancing the immunity of the device versus the interfacial traps. In our study, the optimized solar cell configuration (Glass/ITO/CdS/Sb₂S₃/Au) demonstrates remarkable performance, including a high short-circuit current (J_SC) of 47.9 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of 1.16 V, a fill factor (FF) of 54%, and a notable improvement in conversion efficiency by approximately 30% compared to conventional solar cells. Beyond its superior performance, the optimized Sb₂S₃ solar cell also exhibits enhanced reliability in mitigating interfacial traps at the CdS/Sb₂S₃ junction. This improved reliability can be attributed to our precise control of band alignment and the fine-tuning of influencing parameters.