Abstract
•Cu2O\ZnO nanowires (NWs) were obtained by combining Atomic layer Deposition (ALD) and Electrochemical Deposition (ECD).•These scalable processes allow applications in photovoltaic field.•The crystallinity, morphology and photoconductivity properties of the Cu2O\ZnO NWs were investigated.•High density of interface states and high resistivity of Cu2O film were the main reason of the low photovoltaic performances.
Cu2O\ZnO nanowires (NWs) heterojunctions were successfully prepared by combining Atomic layer Deposition (ALD) and Electrochemical Deposition (ECD) processes. The crystallinity, morphology and photoconductivity properties of the Cu2O\ZnO nanostructures have been investigated. The properties of the Cu2O absorber layer and the nanostructured heterojunction were studied in order to understand the mechanisms lying behind the low photoconductivity measured. It has been found that the interface state defects and the high resistivity of Cu2O film were limiting the photovoltaic properties of the prepared devices. The understanding presented in this work is expected to enable the optimization of solar cell devices based on Cu2O\ZnO nanomaterials and improve their overall performance.