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US 2015/0318119 A1Published application
Cation-exchanged quantum dot photoanodes and solar cells
AssigneesLos Alamos National Security, LLC, Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHunter MCDANIEL, Nobuhiro FUKE, Victor I. KLIMOV
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Abstract
Embodiments of photoanodes and quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) comprising colloidal, cation-exchanged quantum dots are disclosed. The quantum dots include a core and an outer cation-exchanged layer having a cation composition that differs from a cation composition of the core. Methods of making the quantum dots, photoanodes, and QDSSCs also are disclosed.
Claims49
A photoanode, comprising:
- an electrically conducting substrate;
- a porous metal oxide film on the electrically conducting substrate;
- and
- a plurality of colloidal, cation-exchanged quantum dots on the metal oxide film, wherein the quantum dots comprise a core, an outer cation-exchanged layer having a cation composition that differs from a cation composition of the core, and a plurality of capping ligands having a formula RNH2 where R is C2-C6 alkyl.
1 more element
A device, comprising:
- a photoanode comprising
- an electrically conductive fluorinated tin oxide-coated glass substrate,
- a TiO2 film comprising a layer of mesoporous TiO2 on the substrate, and
- a plurality of colloidal, cation-exchanged quantum dots on the TiO2 film,
- wherein the quantum dots comprise (a) a core comprising CuInSexS2-x, where 1.3≦x≦1.7, (b) an outer cation-exchanged layer comprising Cd or Zn, (c) and t-butylamine capping ligands;
- a counter electrode comprising CuyS/fluorinated tin oxide-coated glass wherein 0.5<y<2;
- and
- a polysulfide electrolyte in contact with both the photoanode and the counter electrode.
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A method for making a device, the method comprising:
- synthesizing colloidal quantum dots;
- exposing the colloidal quantum dots to a cation solution to produce cation exchange in an outer layer of the colloidal quantum dots thereby forming colloidal, cation-exchanged quantum dots having a core and an outer cation-exchanged layer;
- capping the colloidal, cation-exchanged quantum dots with a C2-C6 primary amine to form colloidal capped cation-exchanged quantum dots;
- providing a porous metal oxide film on an electrically conducting substrate;
- and
- exposing the porous metal oxide film to the colloidal capped cation-exchanged quantum dots to produce a quantum-dot sensitized metal oxide film, thereby forming a photoanode.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.