Single-crystal nanowires and liquid junction solar cells
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsXinjian Feng, Karthik Shankar, Craig A. Grimes
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Abstract
A method of making semiconducting oxide nanowire arrays on such as rutile is disclosed wherein a substrate is heated in the presence of a reaction mixture of non-polar solvent, semi-conductor metal oxide precursor source and strong acid to produce a nanowire array of a semiconducting oxide on the substrate. Dye sensitized solar cells that employ these nanowire arrays also are disclosed.
Claims19
A method of making semiconducting oxide nanowire arrays on a conducting oxide substrate comprising,
- loading a conducting oxide substrate into a reactor in the presence of a reaction mixture of one or more non-polar solvents, one or more semi-conductor metal oxide precursor sources and one or more strong acids, and
- heating the reactor to produce a nanowire array of a semiconducting oxide on the substrate wherein the semiconducting oxide is selected from the group consisting of TiO2, WO3, CuO, ZnO, SnO2, V2O5, NiO, Nb2O5, Ta2O5 and mixtures thereof.
A method of making rutile TiO2 nanowire arrays on a conducting oxide substrate comprising,
- loading a conducting oxide substrate into a sealed reactor in the presence of a reaction mixture of one or more non-polar solvents, one or more Ti4+ sources and one or more strong acids, and heating the reactor at about 1° C./min to about 30° C./min to a reaction temperature of about 150° C. to about 250° C. and holding at the reaction temperature for about 30 min to about 48 hours to produce a nanowire array of TiO2 on the substrate.
A method of making coated TiO2 nanowire arrays comprising
- immersing a SiO2:F coated glass substrate into an aqueous Ti4+ precursor solution for about 2 to about 24 hours to yield a wetted substrate,
- drying the wetted substrate at about 400° C. to about 500° C. for about 0.5 hrs to about 4 hrs to yield a TiO2 coated substrate,
- immersing the TiO2 coated substrate into a reaction mixture that includes one or more nonpolar solvents, one or more Ti4+ sources and one or more strong acids,
- heating the reaction mixture at about 1° C./min to about 30° C./min to a reaction temperature of about 150° C. to about 250° C.,
- holding at the reaction temperature for about 30 min to about 48 hours to produce a TiO2 nanowire array on the TiO2 coated substrate,
- immersing the TiO2 coated substrate bearing the TiO2 nanowires into a solution of a Group VB metal to produce wetted TiO2 nanowires on the substrate, and
- drying the wetted nanowires at about 400° C. to about 500° C. for about 0.5 hr to about 4 hrs to yield TiO2 nanowires having a coating thereon on the substrate.
A method of manufacture of a dye sensitized, liquid Junction solar cell comprising,
- treating a substrate bearing an array of dense packed semiconductor nanowires with a solution of an exciton acceptor dye to produce an array of exciton acceptor dye coated semiconductor nanowires,
- infiltrating the array of acceptor dye coated semiconductor nanowires with a redox electrolyte that includes an electron donor dye,
- attaching a counter-electrode to the array of coated semiconductor nanowires,
- wherein the exciton acceptor dye and the exciton donor dye have a Forster radius there between, and
- wherein spacings between the nanowires is about ±28% of the Forster radius.
A dye sensitized, liquid junction solar cell comprising,
- a substrate bearing an array of dense packed exciton acceptor dye coated semiconductor nanowires,
- a redox electrolyte that includes an electron donor dye interspersed between and in contact with the nanowires,
- a counter-electrode attached to the array of coated semiconductor nanowires having an electron donor dye interspersed between and in contact with the nanowires,
- the exciton acceptor dye and the exciton donor dye having a Forster radius there between, and
- wherein spacings between the nanowires is about ±28% of the Forster radius between exciton acceptor dye and the exciton donor dye.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.