Janus $β$-Te$_2$X (X = S, Se) Monolayers for Efficient Excitonic Solar Cells and Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Abstract: Highly efficient, environmental friendly and renewable sources of energy are of great need today to combat with increasing energy demands and environmental pollution. In this work, we have investigated the novel 2D allotropes i.e., $\beta$-Te$_2$X (X = S, Se) using first-principles calculations and study their potential applications in light harvesting devices. Both the monolayers possess to have the high stability and semiconducting nature with an indirect band gap. The high carrier mobilities and excellent optical absorption of these monolayers make them potential candidates for solar conversion applications. We have proposed the type-II heterojunction solar cells and calculated their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). The small conduction band offset and appropriate band gap of donor material in case of $\beta$-Te$_2$S(S-Side)/$\alpha$-Te$_2$S(Te-Side) heterojunction results in the PCE of ~ 21%. In addition to that, the band alignments of these monolayers properly engulf the redox potentials of the water. The overpotentials required to trigger the hydrogen reduction (HER) and water oxidation (OER) half reactions reveal that HER and OER preferred the acidic and neutral mediums, respectively. The calculated solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of $\beta$-Te$_2$S ($\beta$-Te$_2$Se) monolayers come out to be ~ 13 % (~12 %), respectively, which implies their practical applications in water splitting. Thus, our work provides strong evidence regarding the potential applications of these materials in the field of light harvesting devices.