CdSe Quantum-Dot-Sensitized Solar Cell with ~100% Internal Quantum Efficiency

Journal Article · Wed Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · ACS Nano

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/nn101319x· OSTI ID:1105281

Fuke, Nobuhiro ^[1]; Hoch, Laura B. ^[2]; Koposov, Alexey Y. ^[2]; Manner, Virginia W. ^[2]; Werder, Donald J. ^[2]; Fukui, Atsushi ^[1]; Koide, Naoki ^[1]; Katayama, Hiroyuki ^[1]; Sykora, Milan ^[2]

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1. Sharp Corporation, Katsuragi (Japan)
2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

We have constructed and studied photoelectrochemical solar cells (PECs) consisting of a photoanode prepared by direct deposition of independently synthesized CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) onto a nanocrystalline TiO₂ film (NQD/TiO₂), aqueous Na₂S or Li₂S electrolyte, and a Pt counter electrode. We show that light harvesting efficiency (LHE) of the NQD/TiO₂ photoanode is significantly enhanced when the NQD surface passivation is changed from tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) to 4-butylamine (BA). In the PEC the use of NQDs with a shorter passivating ligand, BA, leads to a significant enhancement in both the electron injection efficiency at the NQD/TiO₂ interface and charge collection efficiency at the NQD/electrolyte interface, with the latter attributed mostly to a more efficient diffusion of the electrolyte through the pores of the photoanode. We show that by utilizing BA-capped NQDs and aqueous Li₂S as an electrolyte, it is possible to achieve ~100% internal quantum efficiency of photon-to-electron conversion, matching the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.

• Research Organization: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1105281
• Journal Information: ACS Nano, Vol. 4, Issue 11; Related Information: CASP partners with Los Alamos National Laboratory (lead); University of California, Irvine; University of Colorado; Colorado School of Mines; George Mason University; Los Alamos National Laboratory; University of Minnesota; National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

solar (photovoltaic)
solar (fuels)
solid state lighting
bio-inspired
electrodes - solar
defects
charge transport
materials and chemistry by design
optics
synthesis (novel materials)
synthesis (scalable processing)