Semiconductor quantum dots offer new opportunities to develop next generation solar cells. The bench top design of these solar cells offer the convenience of developing transformative photovoltaic technology. Of particular interest are the metal chalcogenides (CdS, CdSe, PbS and PbSe) which offer significant advantage in achieving charge separation when coupled together with TiO2 in a band energy matching (type II) fashion or integrated with a hole conductor. Manipulation of photoinduced charge separation in semiconductor quantum dots and their transport across the interface dictates the performance of QDSC.  Several new approaches such as multiple electron generation, plasmonic effect, sensitization with infrared dyes and use of ternary compound semiconductors, have emerged to boost the efficiency of QDSC in recent years. These new approaches will not only provide  ways to increase the photoconversion efficiency, but they will also pave the way towards a fundamental understanding of new phenomena related to excited state dynamics at various interfaces of hybrid assemblies.

Emergence of quantum dot solar cells as next generation photovoltaics

246th National Meeting (2013)

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