Article
Improved Performance of Nanowire-Quantum-Dot-Polymer Solar Cells by Chemical Treatment of the Quantum Dot with Ligand and Solvent Materials
Nanotechnology
(2012)
Abstract
We report a nanowire-quantum-dot-polymer solar cell consisting of a chemically treated CdSe quantum dot film deposited on n-type ZnO nanowires. The electron and hole collecting contacts are a fluorine-doped tin-oxide/zinc oxide layer and a P3HT/Au layer. This device architecture allows for enhanced light absorption and an efficient collection of photogenerated carriers. A detailed analysis of the chemical treatment of the quantum dots, their deposition, and the necessary annealing processes are discussed. We find that the surface treatment of CdSe quantum dots with pyridine, and the use of 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) ligands, critically improves the device performance. Annealing at 380 °C for 2 h is found to cause a structural conversion of the CdSe from its initial isolated quantum dot arrangement into a polycrystalline film with excellent surface conformality, thereby resulting in a further enhancement of device performance. Moreover, long-term annealing of 24 h leads to additional increases in device efficiency. Our best conversion efficiency reached for this type of cell is 3.4% under 85 mW cm(-2) illumination.
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2012
DOI
10.1088/0957-4484/23/48/485403
Publisher Statement
Copyright 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd
Citation Information
Athavan Nadarajah, T. Smith and Rolf Kӧnenkamp. "Improved Performance of Nanowire-Quantum-Dot-Polymer Solar Cells by Chemical Treatment of the Quantum Dot with Ligand and Solvent Materials" Nanotechnology Vol. 23 Iss. 48 (2012) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rolf_koenenkamp/21/