Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Fabrication of High Contrast Gratings for the Spectrum Splitting Dispersive Element in a Concentrated Photovoltaic System

Fabrication of High Contrast Gratings for the Spectrum Splitting Dispersive Element in a Concentrated Photovoltaic System

Published on: July 18, 2015

High-Efficiency PbS Quantum-Dot Solar Cells with Greatly Simplified Fabrication Processing via "Solvent-Curing".

Kunyuan Lu¹, Yongjie Wang¹, Zeke Liu¹

¹Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, P. R. China.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|May 3, 2018

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Coupling Design in the Direct Synthesis of AgBiS<sub>2</sub> Nanocrystal Inks for Efficient and Eco-friendly Photovoltaics.

Nano letters·2026

Same author

Redefining PbS Quantum Dot Photovoltaics: p-i-n Devices with Superior Efficiency and Reproducibility.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2025

Same author

Anchoring and post-depositional growth enables matrix manipulation of PbS QD inks and efficient solar cells.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2025

Same author

Double-side Interfacial Engineering of Hole Transport Layer Enables Efficient and Operationally Stable Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2025

Same author

Direct Synthesis of Semiconductive AgBiS<sub>2</sub> NC Inks toward High-Efficiency, Low-Cost and Environmental-Friendly Solar Cells.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2024

Same author

Micronuclear battery based on a coalescent energy transducer.

Nature·2024

Researchers simplified lead sulfide (PbS) quantum-dot (QD) solar cell fabrication using acetonitrile (ACN) as a rinsing solvent. This method reduces steps and enhances efficiency to 11.21% for scalable, low-cost photovoltaics.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Photovoltaics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) offer potential for low-cost, solution-processed solar cells.
Current fabrication methods involve numerous deposition and rinsing steps, hindering scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

To simplify the fabrication process for PbS QD solar cells.
To improve the efficiency and scalability of QD solar cell manufacturing.

Main Methods:

Replaced methanol with acetonitrile (ACN) as the rinsing solvent during film deposition.
Utilized ACN's aprotic nature to minimize trap states and its solvent properties to cure film cracks.

Main Results:

Achieved thick, dense films with significantly fewer deposition steps (three for the active layer).

Keywords:

PbS quantum dots rinsing solvent solar cells solvent-curing

More Related Videos

Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization

Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization

Published on: January 29, 2017

Enhanced Electron Injection and Exciton Confinement for Pure Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes by Introducing Partially Oxidized Aluminum Cathode

Enhanced Electron Injection and Exciton Confinement for Pure Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes by Introducing Partially Oxidized Aluminum Cathode

Published on: May 31, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Fabrication of High Contrast Gratings for the Spectrum Splitting Dispersive Element in a Concentrated Photovoltaic System

Fabrication of High Contrast Gratings for the Spectrum Splitting Dispersive Element in a Concentrated Photovoltaic System

Published on: July 18, 2015

Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization

Printing Fabrication of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells and In Situ Morphology Characterization

Published on: January 29, 2017

Enhanced Electron Injection and Exciton Confinement for Pure Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes by Introducing Partially Oxidized Aluminum Cathode

Enhanced Electron Injection and Exciton Confinement for Pure Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes by Introducing Partially Oxidized Aluminum Cathode

Published on: May 31, 2018

Obtained a certified power conversion efficiency of 11.21%, the highest for PbS QD solar cells with solid-state ligand exchange.

Demonstrated a simplified processing technique suitable for scalable manufacturing.

Conclusions:

Acetonitrile is an effective solvent for simplifying PbS QD solar cell fabrication.
The simplified process leads to higher efficiency and offers a pathway for low-cost printing of optoelectronic devices.