{
  "abstract": "Controlling the phase evolution during the sulfurization of co-evaporated Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is crucial for developing efficient solar cells. Here, a stepwise pre-treatment strategy combining pre-alloying and pre-sulfurization was developed to precisely regulate the phase-evolution kinetics of CZTS absorbers. During the pre-alloying stage, elemental distribution was homogenized and atomic diffusion pathways were established, while the subsequent pre-sulfurization process enabled uniform sulfur incorporation throughout the precursor film. This resulted in the precursor transforming into CZTS in a single step, without the formation of secondary phases. Compared with conventional high-temperature sulfurization, this strategy yielded highly dense, through-thickness columnar grains with a reduced defect density. In addition, a ZnxSn1-xO (ZTO) buffer layer was employed to substitute for the conventional CdS layer, achieving a completely Cd-free architecture. Consequently, we report a Cd-free solar cell with a high efficiency of 10.62%, representing the state-of-the-art for co-evaporated CZTS devices. This work provides important insights into the sulfurization mechanism and phase-evolution kinetics of kesterite absorbers, offering an effective strategy for the development of high-performance thin-film photovoltaics.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Jiahui Zhou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yue Jian"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gang Yang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abbas Muhammad"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhengqiang Zhao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shuo Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhenghua Su"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hongli Ma"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xianghua Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guangxing Liang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c4dzmm623p6z6.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1002/sus2.70097",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "c4dzmm623p6z6",
  "issns": [
    "2692-4552",
    "2766-8479"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05781187v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.chim"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.chim.mate"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2208|Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213979069",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05781187/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-06",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c4dzmm623p6z6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05781187",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05781187v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "hal:1.chim.mate",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Stepwise Pre‐Treatment Enables Tunable Phase Evolution for High‐Efficiency Co‐Evaporated and Sulfurized Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Solar Cells",
  "title_text": "Stepwise Pre‐Treatment Enables Tunable Phase Evolution for High‐Efficiency Co‐Evaporated and Sulfurized Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Solar Cells",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c4dzmm623p6z6",
  "venue": "Susmat",
  "versions": []
}