Charge Transfer Modulation in Vanadium-Doped WS2/Bi2O2Se Heterostructures

The field of photovoltaics is revolutionized in recent years by the development of two-dimensional (2D) type-II heterostructures. These heterostructures are made up of two different materials with different electronic properties, which allows for the capture of a broader spectrum of solar energy than traditional photovoltaic devices. In this study, the potential of vanadium (V)-doped WS2 is investigated, hereafter labeled V-WS2, in combination with air-stable Bi2O2Se for use in high-performance photovoltaic devices. Various techniques are used to confirm the charge transfer of these heterostructures, including photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy, along with Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The results show that the PL is quenched by 40%, 95%, and 97% for WS2/Bi2O2Se, 0.4 at.% V-WS2/Bi2O2Se, and 2 at.% V-WS2/Bi2O2Se, respectively, indicating a superior charge transfer in V-WS2/Bi2O2Se compared to pristine WS2/Bi2O2Se. The exciton binding energies for WS2/Bi2O2Se, 0.4 at.% V-WS2/Bi2O2Se and 2 at.% V-WS2/Bi2O2Se heterostructures are estimated to be approximate to 130, 100, and 80 meV, respectively, which is much lower than that for monolayer WS2. These findings confirm that by incorporating V-doped WS2, charge transfer in WS2/Bi2O2Se heterostructures can be tuned, providing a novel light-harvesting technique for the development of the next generation of photovoltaic devices based on V-doped transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs)/Bi2O2Se.