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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
11:06
Fabrication of Fully Solution Processed Inorganic Nanocrystal Photovoltaic Devices
Published on: July 8, 2016
Schottky solar cells based on colloidal nanocrystal films
Joseph M Luther1, Matt Law, Matthew C Beard
1National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA.
Nano Letters
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Researchers developed a simple, all-inorganic photovoltaic cell using lead selenide (PbSe) nanocrystals (NCs). This novel solar cell achieves a high photocurrent and efficiency without complex fabrication steps.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Nanocrystal (NC) based solar cells offer tunable properties for efficient light harvesting.
- Achieving high performance in NC solar cells often requires complex processing like sintering or ordered superlattices.
- Developing simple, cost-effective fabrication methods for high-performance NC solar cells remains a key challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a simple, all-inorganic photovoltaic (PV) cell utilizing a metal/nanocrystal/metal sandwich structure.
- To investigate the photovoltaic performance, particularly photocurrent generation, of this novel device architecture.
- To explore the potential of layer-by-layer (LbL) dip coating for fabricating efficient NC films for solar cells.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of an all-inorganic photovoltaic cell using a sandwich structure of metal/PbSe NC/metal.
- Deposition of PbSe NC film via layer-by-layer (LbL) dip coating.
- Characterization of the PV cell's performance, including short-circuit photocurrent, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and power conversion efficiency (PCE).
Main Results:
- The fabricated PV cell achieved an exceptionally large short-circuit photocurrent exceeding 21 mA cm(-2) due to a Schottky junction.
- The PbSe NC film exhibited an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 55-65% in the visible and up to 25% in the infrared spectrum.
- A spectrally corrected AM1.5G power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.1% was achieved without sintering, superlattice order, or separate charge transport phases.
Conclusions:
- A simple, all-inorganic metal/NC/metal PV cell architecture is feasible and highly effective.
- LbL dip coating is a viable method for fabricating efficient NC films for photovoltaic applications.
- This NC device demonstrates one of the largest short-circuit currents among nanostructured solar cells, highlighting its potential for low-cost, high-performance solar energy conversion.
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