Effect of acid treatment and dipping time on the performance of CdS quantum dot solar cells

Abstract

Semiconductor quantum-dot-sensitized TiO 2 thin-film solar cells have been assembled by incorporating CdS quantum dots into the TiO 2 porous film. The influence of acid treatment on TiO 2 electrode, dipping time, and the effect of electrolytes on the performance of solar cells have been investigated. Two types of solar cells have been fabricated, one using a liquid electrolyte and the other one using a quasi-solid-state polymer electrolyte. It has been found that quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells exhibits better photovoltaic performance when the TiO 2 electrode was acid-treated. When the TiO 2 electrode was acid-treated, the short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor, efficiency, and even the amount of quantum dots absorbed by the TiO 2 film was found to increase appreciably. The quantum dot solar cells fabricated using liquid electrolyte were observed to exhibit better efficiency than the quasi-solid-state polymer-electrolyte-based solar cells.