Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Physical Review Letters
Publication Date
Page Number
078701
Volume
110
Issue
110
Abstract
We propose an unexplored class of absorbing materials for high-efficiency solar cells: heterostructures
of transition-metal oxides. In particular, LaVO3 grown on SrTiO3 has a direct band gap ~1.1 eV in the
optimal range as well as an internal potential gradient, which can greatly help to separate the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Furthermore, oxide heterostructures afford the flexibility to combine
LaVO3 with other materials such as LaFeO3 in order to achieve even higher efficiencies with band-gap
graded solar cells. We use density-functional theory to demonstrate these features.
