Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T18:27:23.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Colloidal CuInS2 Based Nanocrystals /TiO2 Nanotube Arrays Composite Solar Cells Fabrication and Testing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2012

Vanga R. Reddy ,
William Wilson ,
Rick Eyi ,
Jiang Wu ,
M. O. Manasreh ,
John Dixion  and
Andrew Wang
Vanga R. Reddy
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, 3217 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas- Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
William Wilson
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, 3217 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas- Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Rick Eyi
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, 3217 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas- Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Jiang Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, 3217 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas- Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
M. O. Manasreh
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, 3217 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas- Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
John Dixion
Affiliation:
Ocean Nanotech, 2143 Worth Ln, Springdale, AR, 72764, U.S.A.
Andrew Wang
Affiliation:
Ocean Nanotech, 2143 Worth Ln, Springdale, AR, 72764, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

To develop alternative and low cost photovoltaic technologies we have synthesized CuInS2 nanocrystals with tunable optical properties and characterization was carried out thoroughly with TEM, SEM, EDAX and XRD. Furthermore large self-organized arrays of TiO2 nanotubes were fabricated on Ti foil followed by simple electrochemical anodization technique and characterized their structure by SEM and then for the first time coupled both the nanocrystals and nanotubes to form a p-n junction type photovoltaic device. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of photovoltaic cells were measured to test the proof of concept. Some preliminary experiments showed that device generates some current upon illumination. However, in our case we fabricated a device without sandwiching any buffer or barrier layers in between nanocrystals and nanotube arrays. We have been optimizing our solar cells efficiency by improving quality of nanotubes and nanocrystals. Some of the interesting finding are presented and discussed.

Keywords

chemical synthesiscrystal growthphotovoltaic
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1409: Symposium CC – Functional Semiconductor Nanocrystals and Metal-Hybrid Structures , 2012 , mrsf11-1409-cc05-18
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Nanu, M., Schoonman, J., and Goossens, A., Nanocomposite three-dimensional solar cells obtained by chemical spray deposition Nano Lett. 5, 1716, (2005)Google Scholar
2. Nanu, M., Schoonman, J., and Goossens, A., Inorganic nanocomposites of n- and p-type semiconductors: a new type of three dimensional solar cells Adv. Mater. 16, 453, (2004)Google Scholar
3. Nanu, M., Schoonman, J., and Goossens, A., Solar-energy conversion in TiO2 / CuInS2 nanocomposites Adv. Funct. Mater. 15, 95(2005)Google Scholar
4. Kuo, K. T., Liu, D.M., Chen, S. Y., Lin, C. C., Core-shell CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots assembled on short ZnO nanowires with enhanced photo-conversion efficiency, J. Mater. Chem., 19, 6780. (2009)Google Scholar
5. Courtel, F. M., Paynter, R. W., Marsan, B., Morin, M. Synthesis, characterization, and growth mechanism of n-type CuInS2 colloidal particles, Chem. Mater., 21, 3752, (2009)Google Scholar
6. Controlled Synthesis and Optical Properties of Colloidal Ternary Chalcogenide CuInS2 Nanocrystals, Zhong, H., Zhou, Y., Ye, M., He, Y., Ye, J., He, C., Yang, C., Li, Y., Chem. Mater., 20, 6434, (2008)Google Scholar
7. Highly Luminescent CuInS2/ZnS Core/Shell Nanocrystals: Cadmium-Free Quantum Dots for In Vivo Imaging, Chem. Mater., 21, 2422, (2009) Google Scholar
8. Zhong, H., Lo, S. S., Mirkovic, T., Li, Y., Ding, Y., Li, Y., Scholes, G. D., Noninjection gram-scale Synthesis of mondisperse pyramidal CuInS2 nanocrystals and their size-dependent properties, ACS Nano, 9, 5253, (2010)Google Scholar
9. Sonication-Assisted Synthesis of CdS Quantum-Dot-Sensitized TiO2 Nanotube Arrays with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Activity, Xie, Y., Ali, G., Yoo, S. H., and Cho, S. O., ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2, 2910, (2010)Google Scholar
10. Modified TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTAs): progressive strategies towards visible light responsive photoanode, a review, A. E. Mohamed, S. Rohani, Energy & Environ. Scien., 4, 1065, (2011) Google Scholar
11. Anodic Growth of Highly Ordered TiO2 Nanotube Arrays to 134 μm in Length, Paulose, M., Shankar, K., Yoriya, S., Prakasam, H. E., Varghese, O. K., Mor, G. K., Latempa, T. A., Fitzgerald, A., Grimes, C. A., J. Phys. Chem B, 110, 16179, (2006)Google Scholar