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Plasmonic Cu(x)In(y)S2 quantum dots make better photovoltaics than their nonplasmonic counterparts
J Scott Niezgoda1, Eugene Yap, Joseph D Keene
1Departments of Chemistry, ‡Interdisciplinary Materials Science, §Physics and Astronomy, ∥Pharmacology, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and ⊥Vanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States.
Abstract:
A synthetic approach has recently been developed which results in Cu(x)In(y)S2 quantum dots (QDs) possessing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes in the near-infrared (NIR) frequencies.1 In this study, we investigate the potential benefits of near-field plasmonic effects centered upon light absorbing nanoparticles in a photovoltaic system by developing and verifying nonplasmonic counterparts as an experimental control. Simple QD-sensitized solar cells (QD-SSCs) were assembled which show an 11.5% relative increase in incident photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) achieved in the plasmon-enhanced devices. We attribute this increase in IPCE to augmented charge excitation stemming from near-field "antenna" effects in the plasmonic Cu(x)In(y)S2 QD-SSCs. This study represents the first of its kind; direct interrogation of the influence of plasmon-on-semiconductor architectures with respect to excitonic absorption in photovoltaic systems.
