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Improving the Power Conversion Efficiency of Organic Solar Cell by Blending with CdSe/ZnS Core–Shell Quantum Dots

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Abstract

We have blended poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with CdSe/ZnS core–shell quantum dots (QDs) as the active layer to produce organic solar cells (OSC). The size of the CdSe/ZnS core–shell QDs was determined to be about 4 nm using transmission electron microscopy. The OSC were characterized by measuring the absorption spectra, current–voltage characteristics, and external quantum efficiency (EQE) spectra. The samples doped with 0.5 wt.% CdSe/ZnS core–shell QDs exhibited higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) than samples doped with other concentrations of QDs. The PCE of the OSC increases from 2.10% to 2.38% due to an increase of the short circuit current density (J sc) from 6.00 mA/cm2 to 6.25 mA/cm2. The open circuit voltage (V oc) was kept constant when comparing OSC that were undoped and doped with 0.5 wt.% CdSe/ZnS core–shell QDs. These CdSe/ZnS core–shell QDs can increase optical absorption as well as provide extra exciton dissociation and additional electric pathways in hybrid OSC.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the National Science Council of Taiwan for financially supporting this research under Grant NSC 102-2221-E-168-037.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Kun Shan University, Tainan City, 71003, Taiwan

    Shang-Chou Chang & To-Sing Li

  2. National Nano Device Laboratories, Tainan City, 74147, Taiwan

    Yu-Jen Hsiao

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  1. Shang-Chou Chang
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  2. Yu-Jen Hsiao
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  3. To-Sing Li
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Correspondence to Shang-Chou Chang.

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Chang, SC., Hsiao, YJ. & Li, TS. Improving the Power Conversion Efficiency of Organic Solar Cell by Blending with CdSe/ZnS Core–Shell Quantum Dots. J. Electron. Mater. 43, 3077–3081 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3187-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3187-1

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