The superior light extinction properties of plasmonic nanostructures make these materials attractive candidates for enhancing the performance of photovoltaic devices. Such enhancement is predicted to be particularly prominent in the case of small-diameter metal nanoparticles, where radiation modes are strongly confined. Unfortunately, the energy of surface plasmon (SP) emission becomes difficult to collect if the nanostructure size falls below 20 nm, as it efficiently couples to lattice phonons, resulting in the generation of heat. Here, we explore the feasibility of converting such near-field radiation of 5-nm Au nanoparticles through resonant coupling to an array of PbS semiconductor nanocrystals. We demonstrate that the key to an efficient conversion of the SP emission into photovoltaic energy lies in the judiciously designed architecture of nanoparticle solar cells that reduces carrier scattering on Au dopants and simultaneously improves the stability of heat-prone plasmonic films. The contribution of the near-field emission in Au nanoparticles towards the charge carrier generation was manifested through the observation of an enhanced short circuit current and improved power conversion efficiency of prototype (Au, PbS) solar cells, as measured relative to PbS-only devices.

Plasmonic nanocrystal solar cells utilizing strongly confined radiation

249th National Meeting (2015)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.