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Huang S, Ye T, Liu X, Cong X, Peng K, Liu L, Jiang Y, Chen Q, Hu Z, Zhang J. Amorphous and defective Co-P-O@NC ball-in-ball hollow structure for highly efficient electrocatalytic overall water splitting. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 649:1047-1059. [PMID: 37421805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical water splitting using hollow and defect-rich catalysts has emerged as a promising strategy for efficient hydrogen production. However, the rational design and controllable synthesis of such catalysts with intricate morphology and composition present significant challenges. Herein, we propose a template-engaged approach to fabricate a novel ball-in-ball hollow structure of Co-P-O@N-doped carbon with abundant oxygen vacancies. The synthesis process involves the preparation of uniform cobalt-glycerate (Co-gly) polymer microspheres as precursors, followed by surface coating with ZIF-67 layer, adjustable chemical etching by phytic acid, and controllable pyrolysis at high temperature. The resulting ball-in-ball structure offers a large number of accessible active sites and high redox reaction centers, facilitating efficient charge transport, mass transfer, and gas evolution, which are beneficial for the acceleration of electrocatalytic reaction. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the incorporation of oxygen and the presence of Co-P dangling bonds in CoP significantly enhance the adsorption of oxygenated species, leading to improved intrinsic electroactivity at the single-site level. As a sequence, the titled catalyst exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic activity and stability for water splitting in alkaline media. Notably, it only requires a low overpotential of 283 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for the oxygen evolution reaction. This work may provide some new insights into the design of complex hollow structures of phosphides with abundant defects for energy conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoushuang Huang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Tong Ye
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xiao Liu
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xiansheng Cong
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Kaimei Peng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities, Duyun 558000, China.
| | - Libin Liu
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Qiaochuan Chen
- School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Zhangjun Hu
- Division of Molecular Surface Physics & Nanoscience, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Linkoping 58183, Sweden.
| | - Jiujun Zhang
- Institute for Sustainable Energy College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
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2
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Wei Y, Nakamura M, Ding C, Liu D, Li H, Li Y, Yang Y, Wang D, Wang R, Hayase S, Masuda T, Shen Q. Unraveling the Organic and Inorganic Passivation Mechanism of ZnO Nanowires for Construction of Efficient Bulk Heterojunction Quantum Dot Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:36268-36276. [PMID: 35894431 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c10508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire (NW) based lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs), i.e., bulk heterojunction QDSCs, have been widely investigated because of the excellent photoelectronic properties of PbS QDs and ZnO NWs. To further improve the efficiency of this type of QDSCs, various passivation methods are applied to ZnO NWs to suppress interface recombination caused by trap defects. However, the comparison among passivation using organic, inorganic, and inorganic-organic hybrid materials with different properties has been less studied. In this work, the effect of passivation with inorganic Mg-doped ZnO (ZMO), organic 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) and both of them on ZnO NWs and PbS QDSCs are investigated. As a result, ZnO NWs purely passivated by organic material EDT show the best performance with fewer surface defects and better matched energy level with the PbS QD layer. A nearly 1.7 times larger power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.9% is achieved for the solar device using ZnO NW @EDT, compared with that (4.1%) of the untreated one. The work provides a promising way to impede interlayer charge recombination and facilitate carrier transport, thus enhancing the photovoltaic performance of the device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyao Wei
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Mako Nakamura
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Chao Ding
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Dong Liu
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Hua Li
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Yusheng Li
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Yongge Yang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Dandan Wang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Ruixiang Wang
- Beijing Engineering Research Centre of Sustainable Energy and Buildings, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, No.15 Yongyuan Road, Huangcun, Daxing, Beijing 102616, China
| | - Shuzi Hayase
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Taizo Masuda
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
- CN Development Division, Toyota Motor Corporation, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193, Japan
| | - Qing Shen
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
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3
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Xiao Y, Wang H, Awai F, Shibayama N, Kubo T, Segawa H. Emission Spectroscopy Investigation of the Enhancement of Carrier Collection Efficiency in AgBiS 2-Nanocrystal/ZnO-Nanowire Heterojunction Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:6994-7003. [PMID: 35099930 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c21762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Eco-friendly solar cells were fabricated using interdigitated layers comprising ZnO nanowires (NWs) and infrared absorbing AgBiS2 nanocrystals (ITO/ZnO NWs/AgBiS2/P3HT/Au). The quality of ZnO NWs was studied using photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy to identify the defects in ZnO NWs influencing solar cell performance. Oxygen vacancies and Zn interstitial sites, among various recombination sites, were observed to be the main sites for carrier recombination, which hinders the carrier collection in the solar cells. Accordingly, the power conversion efficiency of AgBiS2 solar cells exhibited a good correlation with the number of oxygen vacancies. The structural order and electron-phonon interaction in ZnO NWs were also investigated via Raman scattering spectroscopy. A lower concentration of oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials (Zni) resulted in a higher structural order as well as a weaker electron-phonon interaction in ZnO NWs. When ZnO NWs were treated at 500 °C in oxygen with the lowest oxygen vacancy concentration, the solar cells (500-O2 solar cell (SC)) demonstrated an external quantum efficiency of approximately 70% in the visible region and a corresponding internal quantum efficiency of more than 80%. The 500-O2 SC exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 5.41% (JSC = 22.21 mA/cm2, VOC = 0.41 V, and FF = 60%) under quasi one-sun illumination. New methods that can efficiently reduce oxygen vacancies and Zni without affecting the structural order of ZnO NWs would further enhance the carrier collection efficiency. Moreover, since ZnO is a key electron transport material for constructing not only colloidal quantum dot solar cells but also other emerging solar cells, such as organic thin-film solar cells, the present findings provide significant information for improving their performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Xiao
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Haibin Wang
- Graduate School Arts & Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Fumiyasu Awai
- Graduate School Arts & Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Shibayama
- Graduate School Arts & Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Takaya Kubo
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Segawa
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
- Graduate School Arts & Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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4
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Yuan M, Wang X, Chen X, He J, Li K, Song B, Hu H, Gao L, Lan X, Chen C, Tang J. Phase-Transfer Exchange Lead Chalcogenide Colloidal Quantum Dots: Ink Preparation, Film Assembly, and Solar Cell Construction. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2102340. [PMID: 34561947 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Solution-processed colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising candidates for the third-generation photovoltaics due to their low cost and spectral tunability. The development of CQD solar cells mainly relies on high-quality CQD ink, smooth and dense film, and charge-extraction-favored device architectures. In particular, advances in the processing of CQDs are essential for high-quality QD solids. The phase transfer exchange (PTE), in contrast with traditional solid-state ligand exchange, has demonstrated to be the most promising approach for high-quality QD solids in terms of charge transport and defect passivation. As a result, the efficiencies of Pb chalcogenide CQD solar cells have been rapidly improved to 14.0%. In this review, the development of the PTE method is briefly reviewed for lead chalcogenide CQD ink preparation, film assembly, and device construction. Particularly, the key roles of lead halides and additional additives are emphasized for defect passivation and charge transport improvement. In the end, several potential directions for future research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohan Yuan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Xia Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
| | - Jungang He
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
| | - Kanghua Li
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Boxiang Song
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Huicheng Hu
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Liang Gao
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Xinzheng Lan
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Chao Chen
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Jiang Tang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China
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5
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Xing M, Wang L, Wang R. A Review on the Effects of ZnO Nanowire Morphology on the Performance of Interpenetrating Bulk Heterojunction Quantum Dot Solar Cells. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 12:nano12010114. [PMID: 35010064 PMCID: PMC8746555 DOI: 10.3390/nano12010114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Interpenetrating bulk heterojunction (IBHJ) quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) offer a direct pathway for electrical contacts to overcome the trade-off between light absorption and carrier extraction. However, their complex three-dimensional structure creates higher requirements for the optimization of their design due to their more difficult interface defect states control, more complex light capture mechanism, and more advanced QD deposition technology. ZnO nanowire (NW) has been widely used as the electron transport layer (ETL) for this structure. Hence, the optimization of the ZnO NW morphology (such as density, length, and surface defects) is the key to improving the photoelectric performance of these SCs. In this study, the morphology control principles of ZnO NW for different synthetic methods are discussed. Furthermore, the effects of the density and length of the NW on the collection of photocarriers and their light capture effects are investigated. It is indicated that the NW spacing determines the transverse collection of electrons, while the length of the NW and the thickness of the SC often affect the longitudinal collection of holes. Finally, the optimization strategies for the geometrical morphology of and defect passivation in ZnO NWs are proposed to improve the efficiency of IBHJ QDSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ruixiang Wang
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-29-82668738; Fax: +86-29-82668725
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6
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Alishah HM, Choi FPG, Kuruoglu F, Erol A, Gunes S. Improvement of fill factor by the utilization of Zn-doped PEDOT:PSS hole-transport layers for p-i-n planar type of perovskite solar cells. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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7
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Zhang Y, Wu G, Liu F, Ding C, Zou Z, Shen Q. Photoexcited carrier dynamics in colloidal quantum dot solar cells: insights into individual quantum dots, quantum dot solid films and devices. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:49-84. [PMID: 31825404 DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00560a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) record of colloidal quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) has considerably improved from below 4% to 16.6% in the last few years. However, the record PCE value of QDSCs is still substantially lower than the theoretical efficiency. So far, there have been several reviews on recent and significant achievements in QDSCs, but reviews on photoexcited carrier dynamics in QDSCs are scarce. The photovoltaic performances of QDSCs are still limited by the photovoltage, photocurrent and fill factor that are mainly determined by the photoexcited carrier dynamics, including carrier (or exciton) generation, carrier extraction or transfer, and the carrier recombination process, in the devices. In this review, the photoexcited carrier dynamics in the whole QDSCs, originating from individual quantum dots (QDs) to the entire device as well as the characterization methods used for analyzing the photoexcited carrier dynamics are summarized and discussed. The recent research including photoexcited multiple exciton generation (MEG), hot electron extraction, and carrier transfer between adjacent QDs, as well as carrier injection and recombination at each interface of QDSCs are discussed in detail herein. The influence of photoexcited carrier dynamics on the physiochemical properties of QDs and photovoltaic performances of QDSC devices is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaohong Zhang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
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8
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Consonni V, Briscoe J, Kärber E, Li X, Cossuet T. ZnO nanowires for solar cells: a comprehensive review. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 30:362001. [PMID: 31051478 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab1f2e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
As an abundant and non-toxic wide band gap semiconductor with a high electron mobility, ZnO in the form of nanowires (NWs) has emerged as an important electron transporting material in a vast number of nanostructured solar cells. ZnO NWs are grown by low-cost chemical deposition techniques and their integration into solar cells presents, in principle, significant advantages including efficient optical absorption through light trapping phenomena and enhanced charge carrier separation and collection. However, they also raise some significant issues related to the control of the interface properties and to the technological integration. The present review is intended to report a detailed analysis of the state-of-the-art of all types of nanostructured solar cells integrating ZnO NWs, including extremely thin absorber solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, organic and hybrid solar cells, as well as halide perovskite-based solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Consonni
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LMGP, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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9
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Ding C, Zhang Y, Liu F, Nakazawa N, Huang Q, Hayase S, Ogomi Y, Toyoda T, Wang R, Shen Q. Recombination Suppression in PbS Quantum Dot Heterojunction Solar Cells by Energy-Level Alignment in the Quantum Dot Active Layers. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:26142-26152. [PMID: 28862833 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b06552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Using spatial energy-level gradient engineering with quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes to increase the generated carrier collection at the junction of a QD heterojunction solar cell (QDHSC) is a hopeful route for improving the energy-conversion efficiency. However, the results of current related research have shown that a variable band-gap structure in a QDHSC will create an appreciable increase, not in the illumination current density, but rather in the fill factor. In addition, there are a lack of studies on the mechanism of the effect of these graded structures on the photovoltaic performance of QDHSCs. This study presents the development of air atmosphere solution-processed TiO2/PbS QDs/Au QDHSCs by engineering the energy-level alignment (ELA) of the active layer via the use of a sorted order of differently sized QD layers (four QD sizes). In comparison to the ungraded device (without the ELA), the optimized graded architecture (containing the ELA) solar cells exhibited a great increase (21.4%) in short-circuit current density ( Jsc). As a result, a Jsc value greater than 30 mA/cm2 has been realized in planar, thinner absorption layer (∼300 nm) PbS QDHSCs, and the open-circuit voltage ( Voc) and power-conversion efficiency (PCE) were also improved. Through characterization by the light intensity dependences of the Jsc and Voc and transient photovoltage decay, we find that (i) the ELA structure, serving as an electron-blocking layer, reduces the interfacial recombination at the PbS/anode interface, and (ii) the ELA structure can drive more carriers toward the desirable collection electrode, and the additional carriers can fill the trap states, reducing the trap-assisted recombination in the PbS QDHSCs. This work has clearly elucidated the mechanism of the recombination suppression in the graded QDHSCs and demonstrated the effects of ELA structure on the improvement of Jsc. The charge recombination mechanisms characterized in this work would be able to shed light on further improvements of QDHSCs, which could even benefit other types of solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Ding
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
- China Scholarship Council, Level 13, Building A3, No.9 Chegongzhuang Avenue , Beijing 100044 , China
| | - Yaohong Zhang
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
| | - Feng Liu
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
| | - Naoki Nakazawa
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
| | - Qingxun Huang
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
| | - Shuzi Hayase
- Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering , Kyushu Institute of Technology , 2-4 Hibikino , Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu , Fukuoka 808-0196 , Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho , Kawaguchi , Saitama 332-0012 , Japan
| | - Yuhei Ogomi
- Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering , Kyushu Institute of Technology , 2-4 Hibikino , Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu , Fukuoka 808-0196 , Japan
| | - Taro Toyoda
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho , Kawaguchi , Saitama 332-0012 , Japan
| | - Ruixiang Wang
- Beijing Engineering Research Centre of Sustainable Energy and Buildings , Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture , No.15 Yongyuan Road , Huangcun, Daxing, Beijing 102616 , China
| | - Qing Shen
- Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering , The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka , Chofu , Tokyo 182-8585 , Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 4-1-8 Honcho , Kawaguchi , Saitama 332-0012 , Japan
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10
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Ding C, Zhang Y, Liu F, Kitabatake Y, Hayase S, Toyoda T, Wang R, Yoshino K, Minemoto T, Shen Q. Understanding charge transfer and recombination by interface engineering for improving the efficiency of PbS quantum dot solar cells. NANOSCALE HORIZONS 2018; 3:417-429. [PMID: 32254129 DOI: 10.1039/c8nh00030a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In quantum dot heterojunction solar cells (QDHSCs), the QD active layer absorbs sunlight and then transfers the photogenerated electrons to an electron-transport layer (ETL). It is generally believed that the conduction band minimum (CBM) of the ETL should be lower than that of the QDs to enable efficient charge transfer from the QDs to the collection electrode (here, FTO) through the ETL. However, by employing Mg-doped ZnO (Zn1-xMgxO) as a model ETL in PbS QDHSCs, we found that an ETL with a lower CBM is not necessary to realize efficient charge transfer in QDHSCs. The existence of shallow defect states in the Zn1-xMgxO ETL can serve as additional charge-transfer pathways. In addition, the conduction band offset (CBO) between the ETL and the QD absorber has been, for the first time, revealed to significantly affect interfacial recombination in QDHSCs. We demonstrate that a spike in the band structure at the ETL/QD interface is useful for suppressing interfacial recombination and improving the open-circuit voltage. By varying the Mg doping level in ZnO, we were able to tune the CBM, defect distribution and carrier concentration in the ETL, which play key roles in charge transfer and recombination and therefore the device performance. PbS QDHSCs based on the optimized Zn1-xMgxO ETL exhibited a high power conversion efficiency of 10.6%. Our findings provide important guidance for enhancing the photovoltaic performance of QD-based solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Ding
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
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11
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Dworak L, Roth S, Scheffer MP, Frangakis AS, Wachtveitl J. A thin CdSe shell boosts the electron transfer from CdTe quantum dots to methylene blue. NANOSCALE 2018; 10:2162-2169. [PMID: 29327031 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr08287h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
CdTe core and CdTe/CdSe core/shell quantum dots (QD) are investigated with steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods. The coating of the CdTe core with a 0.7 nm thick CdSe shell shifts the lowest exciton absorption band to the red by more than 70 nm making the CdTe/CdSe QD an interesting candidate for application in solar energy conversion. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements are applied to study the photoinduced electron transfer (ET) to the molecular acceptor methylene blue (MB). ET times after single excitation of the QD are determined for different MB : QD ratios. The ET reaction is significantly faster in the case of the MB-CdTe/CdSe QD complexes, indicative of an altered charge distribution in the photoexcited heterostructure with a higher electron density in the CdSe shell. As a result of the efficient absorption of incoming light and the faster ET reaction, the amount of reduced MB in the time resolved experiments is higher for CdTe/CdSe QD compared to CdTe QD.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Dworak
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 7, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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12
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Reza KM, Mabrouk S, Qiao Q. A Review on Tailoring PEDOT:PSS Layer for Improved Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.11605/j.pnrs.201802004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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13
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Gao W, Zhai G, Zhang C, Shao Z, Zheng L, Zhang Y, Yang Y, Li X, Liu X, Xu B. Towards understanding the initial performance improvement of PbS quantum dot solar cells upon short-term air exposure. RSC Adv 2018; 8:15149-15157. [PMID: 35541328 PMCID: PMC9080000 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra01422a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
An initial improvement in performance of PbS quantum dot solar cells composed of one thick layer of PbS quantum dots (QDs) treated with tetrabutylammonium iodide (PbS–TBAI) and one thin layer of PbS QDs capped with 1,2-ethanedithiol (PbS–EDT) over short-term air exposure is widely observed. However, the underlying mechanisms still remain elusive. In the work, we sought to understand the mechanisms as well as their physicochemical origins using a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and various electronic measurements. It is found that the PbS–TBAI film plays a dominant role in the initial device performance improvement compared with the PbS–EDT film. The PbS–TBAI film is compensation doped upon short-term air exposure (one to three days) owing to the increase of Pb–O and/or Pb–OH species, enabling its energy band to align better with the electron transport layer for more efficient charge extraction. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the short-term air exposure is capable of reducing defects in the devices and improving the diode quality, resulting in an initial increase in device performance. This work contributes to the fundamental understanding of the surface chemistry changes of PbS quantum dots treated by different ligands over air-exposure and the role of surface chemistry of quantum dots in optimizing their photovoltaic performance. The mechanism at play that underpins the effect of short-term air exposure on the initial performance improvement of quantum dot solar cells is investigated.![]()
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14
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Pradhan S, Stavrinadis A, Gupta S, Konstantatos G. Reducing Interface Recombination through Mixed Nanocrystal Interlayers in PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:27390-27395. [PMID: 28787128 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b08568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The performance of ZnO/PbS colloidal quantum dot (CQD)-based heterojunction solar cells is hindered by charge carrier recombination at the heterojunction interface. Reducing interfacial recombination can improve charge collection and the photocurrent of the device. Here we report the use of a mixed nanocrystal (MNC) buffer layer comprising zinc oxide nanocrystals and lead sulfide quantum dots at the respective heterojunction interface. Remote trap passivation of the PbS CQDs taking place within this MNC layer reduces interfacial recombination and electron back transfer which in turn improves charge collection efficiency. Upon the addition of the MNC layer, the overall power conversion efficiency increases from 9.11 to 10.16% and Short-circuit current density (JSC) increases from 23.54 to 25.23 mA/cm2. Optoelectronic characterization of the solar cells confirms that the effects underlying device improvement are reduced trap density and improved charge collection efficiency due to the presence of the MNC buffer layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Pradhan
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Alexandros Stavrinadis
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Shuchi Gupta
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Gerasimos Konstantatos
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
- ICREA-Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats , Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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15
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Zhang X, Santra PK, Tian L, Johansson MB, Rensmo H, Johansson EMJ. Highly Efficient Flexible Quantum Dot Solar Cells with Improved Electron Extraction Using MgZnO Nanocrystals. ACS NANO 2017; 11:8478-8487. [PMID: 28763616 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b04332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have high potential for realizing an efficient and lightweight energy supply for flexible or wearable electronic devices. To achieve highly efficient and flexible CQD solar cells, the electron transport layer (ETL), extracting electrons from the CQD solid layer, needs to be processed at a low-temperature and should also suppress interfacial recombination. Herein, a highly stable MgZnO nanocrystal (MZO-NC) layer is reported for efficient flexible PbS CQD solar cells. Solar cells fabricated with MZO-NC ETL give a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.4% and 9.4%, on glass and flexible plastic substrates, respectively. The reported flexible CQD solar cell has the record efficiency to date of flexible CQD solar cells. Detailed theoretical simulations and extensive characterizations reveal that the MZO-NCs significantly enhance charge extraction from CQD solids and diminish the charge accumulation at the ETL/CQD interface, suppressing charge interfacial recombination. These important results suggest that the low-temperature processed MZO-NCs are very promising for use in efficient flexible solar cells or other flexible optoelectronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoliang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pralay Kanti Santra
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lei Tian
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Malin B Johansson
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Håkan Rensmo
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik M J Johansson
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry and ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Uppsala University , 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
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16
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Zhang Y, Wu G, Mora-Seró I, Ding C, Liu F, Huang Q, Ogomi Y, Hayase S, Toyoda T, Wang R, Otsuki J, Shen Q. Improvement of Photovoltaic Performance of Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells Using Organic Small Molecule as Hole-Selective Layer. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:2163-2169. [PMID: 28447790 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b00683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A novel organic small molecule bis-triphenylamine with spiro(fluorene-9,9'-xanthene) as the conjugated system, named BTPA-4, is successfully synthesized and employed as the hole-selective layer (HSL) in colloidal quantum dots solar cells (CQDSCs). The introduction of BTPA-4 layer can significantly prolong effective carrier lifetime (τeff), increase charge recombination resistance (Rrec), and thus diminish the interfacial charge recombination at the PbS-QDs/Au electrode interface. The effect of BTPA-4 as HSL in the device performance is especially significant for the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE), with a ∼ 10% and 15% enhancement respectively, comparing with those of device without the HSL. Furthermore, the PbS CQDSCs with BTPA-4 possessed a noticeably stable property for over 100 days of storage under ambient atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaohong Zhang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Guohua Wu
- College of Science and Technology, Nihon University , 1-8-14 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan
| | - Iván Mora-Seró
- Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM), Universitat Jaume I , Avenida de Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n 12006 Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Chao Ding
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Feng Liu
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Qingxun Huang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
| | - Yuhei Ogomi
- Faculty of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology , 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan
| | - Shuzi Hayase
- Faculty of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology , 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Taro Toyoda
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Ruixiang Wang
- Beijing Engineering Research Centre of Sustainable Energy and Buildings, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture , No.15 Yongyuan Road, Huangcun, Daxing, Beijing 102616, China
| | - Joe Otsuki
- College of Science and Technology, Nihon University , 1-8-14 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308, Japan
| | - Qing Shen
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
- CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
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17
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Mohammadpour A, Wiltshire BD, Zhang Y, Farsinezhad S, Askar AM, Kisslinger R, Ren Y, Kar P, Shankar K. 100-fold improvement in carrier drift mobilities in alkanephosphonate-passivated monocrystalline TiO 2 nanowire arrays. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:144001. [PMID: 28273048 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa628e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Single crystal rutile titania nanowires grown by solvothermal synthesis are actively being researched for use as electron transporting scaffolds in perovskite solar cells, in low detection limit ultraviolet photodetectors, in photoelectrochemical water-splitting, and in chemiresistive and electrochemical sensing. The electron drift mobility (μ n ) in solution-grown TiO2 nanowires is very low due to a high density of deep traps, and reduces performance in optoelectronic devices. In this study, the effects of molecular passivation of the nanowire surface by octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA), on carrier transport in TiO2 nanowire ensembles, were investigated using transient space charge limited current measurements. Infrared spectroscopy indicated the formation of a highly ordered phosphonate monolayer with a high likelihood of bidentate binding of ODPA to the rutile surface. We report the hole drift mobility (μ p ) for the first time in unpassivated solvothermal rutile nanowires to be 8.2 × 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1 and the use of ODPA passivation resulted in μ p improving by nearly two orders of magnitude to 7.1 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1. Likewise, ODPA passivation produced between a 2 and 3 order of magnitude improvement in μ n from ∼10-5-10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1 to ∼10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1. The bias dependence of the post-transit photocurrent decays in ODPA-passivated nanowires indicated that minority carriers were lost to trapping and/or monomolecular recombination for small values of bias (<5 V). Bimolecular recombination was indicated to be the dominant recombination mechanism at higher bias values.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mohammadpour
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, 9211-116 St, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada
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Chang J, Ogomi Y, Ding C, Zhang YH, Toyoda T, Hayase S, Katayama K, Shen Q. Ligand-dependent exciton dynamics and photovoltaic properties of PbS quantum dot heterojunction solar cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:6358-6367. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp06561a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Surface ligand effects on the exciton dynamics and photovoltaic properties of PbS QDHSCs were systematically investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Chang
- Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (KLOFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM)
- Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials (SICAM)
- Nanjing Tech University
- Nanjing 211816
- China
| | - Yuhei Ogomi
- Faculty of Life Science and Systems Engineering
- Kyushu Institute of Technology
- Kitakyushu
- Japan
- CREST
| | - Chao Ding
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering
- The University of Electro-Communications
- Chofu
- Japan
| | - Yao Hong Zhang
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering
- The University of Electro-Communications
- Chofu
- Japan
| | - Taro Toyoda
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering
- The University of Electro-Communications
- Chofu
- Japan
- CREST
| | - Shuzi Hayase
- Faculty of Life Science and Systems Engineering
- Kyushu Institute of Technology
- Kitakyushu
- Japan
- CREST
| | - Kenji Katayama
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Chuo University
- Tokyo
- Japan
| | - Qing Shen
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering
- The University of Electro-Communications
- Chofu
- Japan
- CREST
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19
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Qiao K, Cao Y, Yang X, Khan J, Deng H, Zhang J, Farooq U, Yuan S, Song H. Efficient interface and bulk passivation of PbS quantum dot infrared photodetectors by PbI2 incorporation. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ra10422g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A simple passivation method based on PbI2 was developed, which can effectively suppress the heterojunction interface and PbS QD surface defects by interface and ligand passivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Qiao
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Yulin Cao
- Physics Laboratory
- Industrial Training Center
- Shenzhen Polytechnic
- Shenzhen
- People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaokun Yang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Jahangeer Khan
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Hui Deng
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Umar Farooq
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Shengjie Yuan
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
| | - Haisheng Song
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
- Wuhan
- China
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20
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Zhao H, Huang F, Hou J, Liu Z, Wu Q, Cao H, Jing Q, Peng S, Cao G. Efficiency Enhancement of Quantum Dot Sensitized TiO 2/ZnO Nanorod Arrays Solar Cells by Plasmonic Ag Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:26675-26682. [PMID: 27648815 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b06386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A high efficiency quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSC) based on Ag nanoparticles (NPs) decorated TiO2/ZnO nanorod arrays (NAs) photoelectrode has been constructed. The incorporation of Ag NPs to TiO2/ZnO NAs photoelectrode not only increases light harvesting efficiency and facilitates exciton dissociation but also decreases surface charge recombination and prolongs electron lifetime, which collectively contribute to improving the Jsc of the CdS/CdSe QDs cosensitized solar cells. The direct contact of Ag NPs with TiO2 NPs is undergoing Fermi level alignment; thus, the apparent Fermi level is supposed to trigger an upward shift of more negative potential, which results in an increase the Voc of the QDSCs. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of the QDSCs with Ag NPs decorated TiO2/ZnO NAs photoelectrode reached 5.92%, which is about 22% enhancement of the efficiency for the solar cells without Ag NPs (4.80%).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fei Huang
- Department of Materials and Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195-2120, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Shanglong Peng
- Department of Materials and Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195-2120, United States
| | - Guozhong Cao
- Department of Materials and Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195-2120, United States
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21
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Scheunemann D, Wilken S, Parisi J, Borchert H. Charge carrier loss mechanisms in CuInS2/ZnO nanocrystal solar cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:16258-65. [PMID: 27250665 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp01015f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Heterojunction solar cells based on colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have shown remarkable improvements in performance in the last decade, but this progress is limited to merely two materials, PbS and PbSe. However, solar cells based on other material systems such as copper-based compounds show lower power conversion efficiencies and much less effort has been made to develop a better understanding of factors limiting their performance. Here, we study charge carrier loss mechanisms in solution-processed CuInS2/ZnO NC solar cells by combining steady-state measurements with transient photocurrent and photovoltage measurements. We demonstrate the presence of an extraction barrier at the CuInS2/ZnO interface, which can be reduced upon illumination with UV light. However, trap-assisted recombination in the CuInS2 layer is shown to be the dominant decay process in these devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Scheunemann
- Energy and Semiconductor Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 9-11, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.
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22
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Tan F, Wang Z, Qu S, Cao D, Liu K, Jiang Q, Yang Y, Pang S, Zhang W, Lei Y, Wang Z. A CdSe thin film: a versatile buffer layer for improving the performance of TiO2 nanorod array:PbS quantum dot solar cells. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:10198-204. [PMID: 27124650 DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01658h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
To fully utilize the multiple exciton generation effects in quantum dots and improve the overall efficiency of the corresponding photovoltaic devices, nanostructuralizing the electron conducting layer turns out to be a feasible strategy. Herein, PbS quantum dot solar cells were fabricated on the basis of morphologically optimized TiO2 nanorod arrays. By inserting a thin layer of CdSe quantum dots into the interface of TiO2 and PbS, a dramatic enhancement in the power conversion efficiency from 4.2% to 5.2% was realized and the resulting efficiency is one of the highest values for quantum dot solar cells based on nanostructuralized buffer layers. The constructed double heterojunction with a cascade type-II energy level alignment is beneficial for promoting photogenerated charge separation and reducing charge recombination, thereby responsible for the performance improvement, as revealed by steady-state analyses as well as ultra-fast photoluminescence and photovoltage decays. Thus this paper provides a good buffer layer to the community of quantum dot solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Furui Tan
- Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Department of Physics and Electronics, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, PR China.
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23
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Qiao K, Deng H, Yang X, Dong D, Li M, Hu L, Liu H, Song H, Tang J. Spectra-selective PbS quantum dot infrared photodetectors. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:7137-43. [PMID: 26965641 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr09069e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Traditional photoconductive photodetectors (PDs) commonly respond to higher energy photons compared with the bandgaps of PD active materials. Different from the wide detection spectra of traditional PDs, the present reported PbS quantum dot (QD) PDs can detect the spectra-selective light source. Spectra-selective PDs (ss-PDs) of perovskite/QDs and QD/QDs were respectively implemented by integrating two functional layers. The top layer (facing the light) was utilized to filter the non-target spectra and the bottom layer was used for detection. The response spectrum wavelength and the range of ss-PDs can be conveniently tailored by tuning the QD size. The obtained selectivity factor and normalized detectivity ratio from target and non-target illumination can reach at least 10. A narrow detection range with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) ∼100 nm was applied by typical QD/QD based ss-PDs. The prototype ss-PDs were successfully applied in identifying an unknown light source. The convenient tuning and identification capabilities of the present QD based ss-PDs may provide a versatile route to obtain highly spectrum-selective PDs in order to meet the demands for special fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Qiao
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Hui Deng
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Xiaokun Yang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Dongdong Dong
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Min Li
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Long Hu
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Huan Liu
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Haisheng Song
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Jiang Tang
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
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24
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Xiong Z, Wang X, Wu W, Wang X, Peng L, Zhao Y, Yan D, Jiang T, Shen C, Zhan Z, Cao L, Li W. Photoelectron transport tuning of self-assembled subbands. NANOSCALE 2016; 8:4628-4634. [PMID: 26853784 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr07861j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Conventionally, electrical transport of quantum subbands occurs at very high electric fields, indicating that the medium is easy to break down. In the experiments and practical applications, the extreme condition is difficult to satisfy. For quantum information transmission, low power consumption and convenient implementation are what we expect. In this paper, we engineered a special quantum dot array (QDA) embedded in a single crystal matrix. By external optical field excitation, we found a series of subbands made of the self-assembled QDA discretely located in the matrix. Changing the spacing between the quantum dots leads to the variation of subband spacing. Artificially manipulating the microcosmic QDA system can bring interesting macroscopic effects, such as an enhanced absorption intensity in the ultraviolet range, a blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance peak and nonlinear absorption changed from two-photon absorption to saturated absorption. The intrinsic mechanism of the subband optical response was revealed due to the strong quantum confinement effect and dominant intraband transitions. The weak surface plasmon resonance absorption of Ni QDA gave an excellent figure of merit of the order of 10(-10). The composite films are expectation enough to become a prime candidate for nonlinear applications near 532 nm. Therefore with interplay of the weak optical field and subbands, we achieved a tunable photoelectron transport process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwei Xiong
- Joint Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, Southwest University of Science and Technology and Research Center of Laser Fusion, CAEP, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
| | - Xinmin Wang
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Weidong Wu
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Xuemin Wang
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Liping Peng
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Yan Zhao
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Dawei Yan
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Tao Jiang
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Changle Shen
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Zhiqiang Zhan
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
| | - Linhong Cao
- Joint Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, Southwest University of Science and Technology and Research Center of Laser Fusion, CAEP, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Science and Technology on Plasma Physics Laboratory, Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, P.O. Box 919-987-7, Mianyang 621900, China.
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Zhang X, Zhang J, Liu J, Johansson EMJ. Solution processed flexible and bending durable heterojunction colloidal quantum dot solar cell. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:11520-11524. [PMID: 26090891 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02617b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A flexible hybrid heterojunction PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cell, where the photoactive layers are deposited using a solution processed fabrication approach under ambient condition and at room temperature is presented. The bending stability of the obtained solar cell is evaluated. The results show that the solar cell exhibits high bending stability and even under the bent state the cell also maintains a high performance, which shows the potential of the quantum dot solar cell toward a lightweight, bendable power source with many possible applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoliang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Physical Chemistry, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Gonfa BA, Kim MR, Delegan N, Tavares AC, Izquierdo R, Wu N, El Khakani MA, Ma D. Towards high efficiency air-processed near-infrared responsive photovoltaics: bulk heterojunction solar cells based on PbS/CdS core-shell quantum dots and TiO2 nanorod arrays. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:10039-10049. [PMID: 25975363 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02371h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Near infrared (NIR) PbS quantum dots (QDs) have attracted significant research interest in solar cell applications as they offer several advantages, such as tunable band gaps, capability of absorbing NIR photons, low cost solution processability and high potential for multiple exciton generation. Nonetheless, reports on solar cells based on NIR PbS/CdS core-shell QDs, which are in general more stable and better passivated than PbS QDs and thus more promising for solar cell applications, remain very rare. Herein we report high efficiency bulk heterojunction QD solar cells involving hydrothermally grown TiO2 nanorod arrays and PbS/CdS core-shell QDs processed in air (except for a device thermal annealing step) with a photoresponse extended to wavelengths >1200 nm and with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 4.43%. This efficiency was achieved by introducing a thin, sputter-deposited, uniform TiO2 seed layer to improve the interface between the TiO2 nanorod arrays and the front electrode, by optimizing TiO2 nanorod length and by conducting QD annealing treatment to enhance charge carrier transport. It was found that the effect of the seed layer became more obvious when the TiO2 nanorods were longer. Although photocurrent did not change much, both open circuit voltage and fill factor clearly changed with TiO2 nanorod length. This was mainly attributed to the variation of charge transport and recombination processes, as evidenced by series and shunt resistance studies. The optimal PCE was obtained at the nanorod length of ∼450 nm. Annealing is shown to further increase the PCE by ∼18%, because of the improvement of charge carrier transport in the devices as evidenced by considerably increased photocurrent. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential of the PbS/CdS core-shell QDs for the achievement of high PCE, solution processable and NIR responsive QD solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belete Atomsa Gonfa
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC, Canada J3X 1S2.
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