Hybrid Nanorod-Polymer Solar Cells

TLDR

The study demonstrates that semiconductor nanorods can be combined with polymers to fabricate readily processed and efficient hybrid solar cells. The authors control nanorod length and radius to tune electron transport distance and band gap, optimizing the overlap between the cell’s absorption spectrum and the solar emission spectrum. The assembled CdSe nanorod/polymer device achieved an external quantum efficiency above 54 % and a monochromatic power conversion efficiency of 6.9 % at 515 nm, and a 1.7 % power conversion efficiency under AM 1.5G conditions.

Abstract

We demonstrate that semiconductor nanorods can be used to fabricate readily processed and efficient hybrid solar cells together with polymers. By controlling nanorod length, we can change the distance on which electrons are transported directly through the thin film device. Tuning the band gap by altering the nanorod radius enabled us to optimize the overlap between the absorption spectrum of the cell and the solar emission spectrum. A photovoltaic device consisting of 7-nanometer by 60-nanometer CdSe nanorods and the conjugated polymer poly-3(hexylthiophene) was assembled from solution with an external quantum efficiency of over 54% and a monochromatic power conversion efficiency of 6.9% under 0.1 milliwatt per square centimeter illumination at 515 nanometers. Under Air Mass (A.M.) 1.5 Global solar conditions, we obtained a power conversion efficiency of 1.7%.