Organic−Inorganic Nanocomposites by Placing Conjugated Polymers in Intimate Contact with Quantum Rods

Abstract

Recent advances in the synthesis [ 1 ] and assembly [ 2 ] of nanocrystals (NCs) provide unique opportunities to exploit NCs for the development of next generation organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells as one of the most promising alternatives to Si solar cells to deliver effi cient energy conversion with inexpensive fabrication. [ 1 , 2 ] These conjugated polymer-based photovoltaic devices capitalize on the advantages peculiar to conjugated polymers (CPs), such as light weight, fl exibility, processability, roll-to-roll production, low cost, and large area, in conjunction with the high electron mobility and tunable optical properties of inorganic NCs. Of the organic/inorganic hybrids, poly(3-hexylthiopene) (P3HT) is one of the most extensively utilized CPs due to its excellent solution processability, environmental stability, high charge carrier mobility, and tailorable electrochemical properties. [ 3 , 4 ] CdSe quantum dots (QDs) are the most commonly investigated NCs because of their quantum-confi ned nature and well-matched energy level with P3HT. [ 5–11 ]