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P-N junction

P-N junction

A p-n junction is formed when p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are joined together. At the interface of the p-n junction, holes from the p-side and electrons from the n-side begin to diffuse into the opposite sides due to the concentration gradient. This diffusion of carriers leads to a region around the junction where there are no free charge carriers, known as the depletion region. The charge density within the depletion region for the n-side and p-side can be described by the...

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Synergistic Surface Copassivation of PbS Colloidal Quantum Dot Films for Efficient Inverted Solar Cells.

Noor Zaman^1,2, Jing Zhou², Yiqun Li^1,2

¹School of Energy Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P.R. China.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

|June 23, 2026

Summary

A new surface copassivation strategy using mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI) boosts inverted lead sulfide colloidal quantum dot (PbS CQD) solar cell efficiency to 11.15%. This method effectively reduces defects and enhances performance.

Keywords:

PbS quantum dots defect suppression interfacial engineering inverted solar cells surface passivation

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Well-aligned Vertically Oriented ZnO Nanorod Arrays and their Application in Inverted Small Molecule Solar Cells

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Published on: April 25, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Renewable Energy

Background:

Inverted p-i-n lead sulfide colloidal quantum dot (PbS CQD) solar cells offer processing advantages but lag in efficiency compared to conventional n-i-p structures.
High surface-to-volume ratios in PbS CQDs lead to performance limitations due to surface defects and interfacial recombination.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a synergistic surface copassivation strategy to mitigate defects and improve the efficiency of inverted PbS CQD solar cells.
To enhance surface coordination and interface passivation effects in PbS CQDs.

Main Methods:

In situ passivation with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) during PbS CQD synthesis.
Postdeposition treatment with 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI).
Spectroscopic analysis, electrical characterization, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

The synergistic copassivation strategy effectively passivates surface and interfacial defects in PbS CQDs.
Optimized inverted PbS CQD solar cells achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.15%, an improvement over control devices (10.41%).
Simultaneous enhancements in open-circuit voltage and fill factor were observed.

Conclusions:

Complementary surface copassivation is an effective approach to suppress defect-induced losses in inverted PbS CQD solar cells.
This simplified processing route advances the performance of PbS CQD solar cells, making them more competitive.