Optically Generated Free-Carrier Collection from an All Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Active Layer

Journal Article · Tue Aug 07 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01850· OSTI ID:1471478

Kubie, Lenore ^[1]; Watkins, Kevin J. ^[2]; Ihly, Rachelle ^[3]; Wladkowski, Henry V. ^[2]; Blackburn, Jeffrey L. ^[3]; Rice, William D. ^[2]; Parkinson, Bruce A. ^[2]

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1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)
2. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)
3. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes' (SWCNTs) broad absorption range and all-carbon composition make them attractive materials for light harvesting. We report photoinduced charge transfer from both multichiral and single-chirality SWCNT films into atomically flat SnO₂ and TiO₂ crystals. Higher-energy second excitonic SWCNT transitions produce more photocurrent, demonstrating carrier injection rates are competitive with fast hot-exciton relaxation processes. A logarithmic relationship exists between photoinduced electron-transfer driving force and photocarrier collection efficiency, becoming more efficient with smaller diameter SWCNTs. Photocurrents are generated from both conventional sensitization and in the opposite direction with the semiconductor under accumulation and acting as an ohmic contact with only the p-type nanotubes. Finally, we demonstrate that SWCNT surfactant choice and concentration play a large role in photon conversion efficiency and present methods of maximizing photocurrent yields.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1471478
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA--5900-71402
• Journal Information: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters Journal Issue: 17 Vol. 9; ISSN 1948-7185
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
absorption
light harvesting
semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes