Synthesis of colloidal InAs/ZnSe quantum dots and their quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) application

• Type-I structured InAs/ZnSe core/shell QDs were fabricated.
• The poor coverage of InAs QDs on TiO2 layer are improved clearly.
• InAs/ZnSe QD based solar cell exhibit the cell efficiency of 2.7%.

We report the synthesis of colloidal InAs/ZnSe core/shell quantum dots (QDs) by the hot injection method. InAs nanocrystals have a narrow band gap of 0.38 eV, a high absorption coefficient, and multiple exciton generation; hence, they are promising candidates for application in solar cells. However, poor coverage of the titania layer causes a low solar efficiency of ∼1.74%. We synthesized type-I InAs/ZnSe core/shell QDs as an effective solution; they are expected to have enhanced solar cell efficiency because of the different wettability of the ZnSe shell and their superior stability as compared to that of the unstable InAs core. We characterized the QDs by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and absorption and emission spectroscopy. The particle size increased from 2.6 nm to 5 nm, whereas the absorption and emission spectra exhibited a slight red shift, which is typical of type-I structured core/shell QDs. We then fabricated QD-based solar cells and investigated the cell properties, obtaining an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.51 V, a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 12.4 mA/cm2, and a fill factor (FF) of 44%; the efficiency of 2.7% shows an improvement of more than 50% as compared to the values in previous reports.

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