A novel method for fabrication of CdS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

In this report, a novel and facile in situ gas–solid reaction method has been developed for the deposition of CdS quantum-dots (QDs) on a mesoscopic TiO2 film. In the approach, cadmium nitrate solution was first coated on mesoporous TiO2 films, and subsequently transformed into CdS QDs (with size about 2–3 nm) by reaction with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas generated in a closed container at room temperature. Different from the conventional solution techniques, this method offers new opportunities for rapid and facile deposition of CdS QD-coated TiO2 films without the introduction of the by-products. With the CdS QDs-decorated TiO2 active electrodes, the liquid and solid solar cells were fabricated with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 1.90 and 0.80%, respectively.