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Efficiency enhancement of PbS quantum dots-sensitized nanocrystalline SnO2 thin film prepared by two-phase method

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Abstract

A novel two-phase method was employed to directly deposit PbS quantum dots (QDs) on nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films. In the two-phase method, the nanocrystalline SnO2 thin film with adsorption of Pb2+ ions was placed in an aqueous solution, and S2− ions were dissolved in an oil solution. As two solutions were contacted, S2− ions prefer to transfer to the aqueous solution and diffuse to the thin film surface with the adsorbed Pb2+ ions to homogeneously form monodispersed PbS QDs on the nanocrystalline thin film. The homogeneous monodispersed QDs-sensitized thin film was used as a photoelectrode to fabricate QDs-sensitized solar cell. The loaded amount of PbS QDs and the thickness of ZnS passivation layer were optimized to obtain the highest light-to-electric conversion efficiency of 1.01 % under the simulated AM 1.5 illumination, which is increased by 61 % compared with that of the PbS QDs-sensitized solar cell employing the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The solar cell with homogeneous sensitization of QDs generates a photocurrent density of 11.09 mA·cm−2, which is 2.4 times higher than that of the unhomogeneous one prepared by SILAR. The conversion efficiency enhancement mechanism due to the two-phase method was discussed in detail through the measurements of intensity-modulated photovoltage spectrum and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21273160 and 20873162), the Nature Science Foundation of Tianjin (Grant No. 14JCYBJC18000), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in University of Tianjin (TD12-5038).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Functional Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Structure and Performance for Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Ling Meng, Yingru Liu & Jingbo Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ling Meng, Shouli Bai, Ruixian Luo & Aifan Chen

  3. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Ling Meng & Yuan Lin

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  1. Ling Meng
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  2. Yingru Liu
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  3. Jingbo Zhang
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  4. Shouli Bai
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  5. Ruixian Luo
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  6. Aifan Chen
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  7. Yuan Lin
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Correspondence to Jingbo Zhang or Shouli Bai.

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Meng, L., Liu, Y., Zhang, J. et al. Efficiency enhancement of PbS quantum dots-sensitized nanocrystalline SnO2 thin film prepared by two-phase method. J Solid State Electrochem 20, 29–36 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-015-3000-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-015-3000-y

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