Proceedings of Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP27)
Publication date: 22nd October 2026
Thiourea Additive Engineering for Lead-Free AgBi₀.₅Sb₁.₅I₇ Perovskite-Inspired Solar Cells
Lead-free silver–bismuth-based iodides have attracted increasing attention as promising absorber materials for environmentally friendly solar cells. However, they have major challenges that restrict their photovoltaic performance [1,2]. Thiourea (TU), a Lewis-base additive, has been investigated to improve film quality and device performance in AgBiI₄-based solar cells [3].
This work studies the effect of thiourea concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mM on the structural, optical, and photovoltaic properties of lead-free AgBi₀.₅Sb₁.₅I₇ thin films. A semi-closed-environment annealing method is used during film and device preparation to provide controlled conditions for crystallisation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to investigate crystal structure and crystallite size; UV–visible absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) are used to study optical absorption. The photovoltaic performance of the fabricated solar cells is evaluated using current density–voltage (J–V) measurements and external quantum efficiency (EQE). Also, device reproducibility and stability are investigated to assess the effect of TU concentration on overall device performance.
The device containing 1.0 mM TU shows the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.777%, with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.530 V, a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 2.74 mA cm⁻², and a fill factor (FF) of 53.5%. The simulated device also retains approximately 95% of its initial efficiency after 25 days, compared with 88% for the untreated control.
These results highlight the potential of thiourea additive engineering combined with semi-closed-environment annealing for improving the photovoltaic performance of lead-free AgBi₀.₅Sb₁.₅I₇ solar cells.
The first author gratefully acknowledges the scholarship support provided by the Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program.
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