Abstract
Schottky diodes and solar cells are statistically created in the contact area between two macroscopic films of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) at the junction of semiconducting and quasi-metallic bundles consisting of several high quality tubes. The n-doping of one of the films allows for photovoltaic action, owing to an increase in the built-in potential at the bundle-to-bundle interface. Statistical analysis demonstrates that the Schottky barrier device contributes significantly to the I-V characteristics, compared to the p-n diode. The upper limit of photovoltaic conversion efficiency has been estimated at ∼20%, demonstrating that the light energy conversion is very efficient for such a unique solar cell. While there have been multiple studies on rectifying SWNT diodes in the nanoscale environment, this is the first report of a macroscopic all-carbon nanotube diode and solar cell.
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Nasibulin, A.G., Funde, A.M., Anoshkin, I.V. et al. All-carbon nanotube diode and solar cell statistically formed from macroscopic network. Nano Res. 8, 2800–2809 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0785-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-015-0785-z