Potential Role of Kesterites in Development of Earth‐Abundant Elements‐Based Next Generation Technology

Abstract

Recently, Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe)‐based kesterite thin films have received growing attention in a wide variety of fields due to their suitable physico‐chemical asset nano‐ and micro‐scale. The low elemental cost, earth abundance, and environment‐friendly nature have widened the scope and made it a potential material for developing next‐generation technology. The kesterite thin films have already shown their potential in thin‐film photovoltaics (PVs) with a record efficiency of nearly 12.6%. Apart from solar cells, they have also demonstrated their widespread applicability in the field of photodetectors, gas sensors, thermoelectrics, solar water splitting, energy storage, humidity sensors, antibacterial activities, and many more. This review aims to present an overview of the advancement in the CZTSSe‐based kesterite thin films in terms of synthesis, material properties, and their use in various applications. A comprehensive review of each device application contains ongoing progress, device fabrication, and related issues. Furthermore, this review emphasizes kesterite materials and possible solutions to proposed pitfalls, thus strengthening kesterite's perspective.