PbSe Quantum Dot Solar Cells with More than 6% Efficiency Fabricated in Ambient Atmosphere
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Science and Technology, Hubei (China)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for the next generation of photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Much of the progress in QD PVs is based on using PbS QDs, partly because they are stable under ambient conditions. There is considerable interest in extending this work to PbSe QDs, which have shown an enhanced photocurrent due to multiple exciton generation (MEG). One problem complicating such device-based studies is a poor stability of PbSe QDs toward exposure to ambient air. We develop a direct cation exchange synthesis to produce PbSe QDs with a large range of sizes and with in situ chloride and cadmium passivation. The synthesized QDs have excellent air stability, maintaining their photoluminescence quantum yield under ambient conditions for more than 30 days. When we use QDs, we fabricate high-performance solar cells without any protection and demonstrate a power conversion efficiency exceeding 6%, which is a current record for PbSe QD solar cells.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1160180
- Journal Information:
- Nano Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 10, 8 October 2014; ISSN 1530-6984
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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