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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Fabrication of Fully Solution Processed Inorganic Nanocrystal Photovoltaic Devices
Published on: July 8, 2016
Chloride Passivation of ZnO Electrodes Improves Charge Extraction in Colloidal Quantum Dot Photovoltaics
Jongmin Choi1, Younghoon Kim1, Jea Woong Jo1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4, Canada.
Abstract:
The tunable bandgap of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) makes them an attractive material for photovoltaics (PV). The best present-day CQD PV devices employ zinc oxide (ZnO) as an electron transport layer; however, it is found herein that ZnO's surface defect sites and unfavorable electrical band alignment prevent devices from realizing their full potential. Here, chloride (Cl)-passivated ZnO generated from a solution of presynthesized ZnO nanoparticles treated using an organic-solvent-soluble Cl salt is reported. These new ZnO electrodes exhibit decreased surface trap densities and a favorable electronic band alignment, improving charge extraction from the CQD layer and achieving the best-cell power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.6% and an average PCE of 11.4 ± 0.2%.
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