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Negrín-Montecelo Y, Geneidy AHA, Govorov AO, Alvarez-Puebla RA, Besteiro LV, Correa-Duarte MA. Balancing Near-Field Enhancement and Hot Carrier Injection: Plasmonic Photocatalysis in Energy-Transfer Cascade Assemblies. ACS PHOTONICS 2023; 10:3310-3320. [PMID: 37743943 PMCID: PMC10516266 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.3c00733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Photocatalysis stands as a very promising alternative to photovoltaics in exploiting solar energy and storing it in chemical products through a single-step process. A central obstacle to its broad implementation is its low conversion efficiency, motivating research in different fields to bring about a breakthrough in this technology. Using plasmonic materials to photosensitize traditional semiconductor photocatalysts is a popular strategy whose full potential is yet to be fully exploited. In this work, we use CdS quantum dots as a bridge system, reaping energy from Au nanostructures and delivering it to TiO2 nanoparticles serving as catalytic centers. The quantum dots can do this by becoming an intermediate step in a charge-transfer cascade initiated in the plasmonic system or by creating an electron-hole pair at an improved rate due to their interaction with the enhanced near-field created by the plasmonic nanoparticles. Our results show a significant acceleration in the reaction upon combining these elements in hybrid colloidal photocatalysts that promote the role of the near-field enhancement effect, and we show how to engineer complexes exploiting this approach. In doing so, we also explore the complex interplay between the different mechanisms involved in the photocatalytic process, highlighting the importance of the Au nanoparticles' morphology in their photosensitizing capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoel Negrín-Montecelo
- Department
of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Universitat
Rovira i Virgili, Carrer de Marcel•lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | | | - Alexander O. Govorov
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, United States
| | - Ramon A. Alvarez-Puebla
- Department
of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Universitat
Rovira i Virgili, Carrer de Marcel•lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
- ICREA, Passeig Lluís
Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucas V. Besteiro
- CINBIO,
University of Vigo, Campus
Universitario de Vigo, Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Miguel A. Correa-Duarte
- CINBIO,
University of Vigo, Campus
Universitario de Vigo, Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- Southern
Galicia Institute of Health Research (IISGS) and Biomedical Research
Networking Center for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
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2
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Babu KJ, Kaur G, Biswal L, De G, Ghosh HN. Ultrafast Charge Delocalization Dynamics of Ambient Stable CsPbBr
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Nanocrystals Encapsulated in Polystyrene Fiber. Chemistry 2020; 27:683-691. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202003254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Justice Babu
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali Punjab 160062 India
| | - Gurpreet Kaur
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali Punjab 160062 India
| | - Liza Biswal
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali Punjab 160062 India
| | - Goutam De
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali Punjab 160062 India
| | - Hirendra N. Ghosh
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mohali Punjab 160062 India
- RPC Division Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Trombay Mumbai 400085 India
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3
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Rondiya S, Jadhav Y, Dzade NY, Ahammed R, Goswami T, De Sarkar A, Jadkar S, Haram S, Ghosh HN. Experimental and Theoretical Study into Interface Structure and Band Alignment of the Cu 2Zn 1-x Cd x SnS 4 Heterointerface for Photovoltaic Applications. ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS 2020; 3:5153-5162. [PMID: 32905359 PMCID: PMC7469238 DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.9b02314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
To improve the constraints of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cell, such as undesirable band alignment at p-n interfaces, bandgap tuning, and fast carrier recombination, cadmium (Cd) is introduced into CZTS nanocrystals forming Cu2Zn1-x Cd x SnS4 through cost-effective solution-based method without postannealing or sulfurization treatments. A synergetic experimental-theoretical approach was employed to characterize and assess the optoelectronic properties of Cu2Zn1-x Cd x SnS4 materials. Tunable direct band gap energy ranging from 1.51 to 1.03 eV with high absorption coefficient was demonstrated for the Cu2Zn1-x Cd x SnS4 nanocrystals with changing Zn/Cd ratio. Such bandgap engineering in Cu2Zn1-x Cd x SnS4 helps in effective carrier separation at interface. Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals a longer lifetime and efficient separation of photoexcited charge carriers in Cu2CdSnS4 (CCTS) nanocrystals compared to that of CZTS. We found that there exists a type-II staggered band alignment at the CZTS (CCTS)/CdS interface, from cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements, corroborated by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, predicting smaller conduction band offset (CBO) at the CCTS/CdS interface as compared to the CZTS/CdS interface. These results point toward efficient separation of photoexcited carriers across the p-n junction in the ultrafast time scale and highlight a route to improve device performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin
R. Rondiya
- Institute
of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Yogesh Jadhav
- Department
of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Nelson Y. Dzade
- School
of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales United Kingdom
| | - Raihan Ahammed
- Institute
of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Tanmay Goswami
- Institute
of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Abir De Sarkar
- Institute
of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Sandesh Jadkar
- Department
of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Santosh Haram
- Department
of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Hirendra N. Ghosh
- Institute
of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
- E-mail: . Phone: +91-172-2210075/57/56 ext. 120. Fax: +91-172-2211074
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4
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Maiti S, Anand P, Azlan F, Dana J, Ghosh HN. Improving the Power-Conversion Efficiency through Alloying in Common Anion CdZnX (X=S, Se) Nanocrystal Sensitized Solar Cells. Chemphyschem 2019; 20:2662-2667. [PMID: 31120604 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201900379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we have investigated the possibility of utilizing CdZnS and CdZnSe alloy nanocrystals (NCs) as sensitizers in quantum-dot solar cells (QDSCs). The alloy NCs were synthesized by a high-temperature hot injection method and subsequently characterized through high photoluminescence quantum yield, along with larger size compared to binary NCs. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements revealed long-lived charge carriers in the alloy structure due to more structural rigidity and less defect states. Finally, the solar-cell efficiencies of the CdZnS (CdZnSe) NCs were found to be 3.05 % (3.69 %) as compared to 1.23 % (3.12 %) efficiencies for CdS (CdSe) NCs. Thus, common anion ternary NCs have been successfully utilized for solar-cell assembly and can be helpful for constructing tandem solar cells to harvest the high-energy portion of solar radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sourav Maiti
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - Pranav Anand
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - Farazuddin Azlan
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - Jayanta Dana
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - Hirendra N Ghosh
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India.,Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
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5
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Chen JS, Li M, Cotlet M. Nanoscale Photoinduced Charge Transfer with Individual Quantum Dots: Tunability through Synthesis, Interface Design, and Interaction with Charge Traps. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:9102-9112. [PMID: 31459998 PMCID: PMC6648770 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Semiconducting colloidal quantum dots (QDs) provide an excellent platform for nanoscale charge-transfer studies. Because of their size-dependent optoelectronic properties, which can be tuned via chemical synthesis and of their versatility in surface ligand exchange, QDs can be coupled with various types of acceptors to create hybrids with controlled type (electron or hole), direction, and rate of charge flow, depending on the foreseen application, either solar harvesting, light emitting, or biosensing. This perspective highlights several examples of QD-based hybrids with controllable (tunable) rate of charge transfer obtained by various approaches, including by changing the QD core size and shell thickness by colloidal synthesis, by the insertion of molecular linkers or dielectric spacers between donor and acceptor components. We also show that subjecting QDs to external factors such as electric fields and alternate optical excitation energy is another approach to bias the internal charge transfer between charges photogenerated in the QD core and QD's surface charge traps. The perspective also provides the reader with various examples of how single nanoparticle spectroscopic studies can help in understanding and quantifying nanoscale charge transfer with QDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Shiang Chen
- Center
for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony
Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Mingxing Li
- Center
for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Mircea Cotlet
- Center
for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
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6
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Yadav AN, Singh AK, Srivastava S, Kumar M, Gupta BK, Singh K. Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in CdSe/V 2O 5 core/shell quantum dots. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:6265-6273. [PMID: 30834922 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp00031c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafast transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy has been carried out to study the charge carrier dynamics of CdSe core and CdSe/V2O5 core/shell quantum dots (QDs). A significant redshift accompanied by broadening in the first excitonic peak was observed in the UV-Vis absorption spectra of the core/shell QDs as the shell thickness increases. This interesting observation is related to a quasi-type-II alignment characterized by the spatial separation of an electron into the core/shell and a hole into the core. The observed optical excitonic spectra have further been used to study the energetics of CdSe and charge separated states with the concept of Marcus theory and confirmed that electron transfer takes place in the Marcus inverted region (). Moreover, the growth kinetics of the CdSe core and CdSe/V2O5 core/shell QDs, studied with TA spectroscopy, exhibits slow electron cooling in core/shell QDs because of the de-coupling of the electronic wave functions with their hole counterpart. These exciting properties reveal a new paradigm shift from CdSe QDs to CdSe/V2O5 core/shell QDs for highly suitable applications in photovoltaics (PV) and optoelectronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Nath Yadav
- School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India.
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7
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Abstract
From a niche field over 30 years ago, quantum dots (QDs) have developed into viable materials for many commercial optoelectronic devices. We discuss the advancements in Pb-based QD solar cells (QDSCs) from a viewpoint of the pathways an excited state can take when relaxing back to the ground state. Systematically understanding the fundamental processes occurring in QDs has led to improvements in solar cell efficiency from ~3% to over 13% in 8 years. We compile data from ~200 articles reporting functioning QDSCs to give an overview of the current limitations in the technology. We find that the open circuit voltage limits the device efficiency and propose some strategies for overcoming this limitation.
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