Abstract
Photovoltaic cells use semiconductors to convert sunlight into electrical current and are regarded as a key technology for a sustainable energy supply. Quantum dot-based solar cells have shown great potential as next generation, high performance, low-cost photovoltaics due to the outstanding optoelectronic properties of quantum dots and their multiple exciton generation (MEG) capability. This review focuses on QDs as light harvesters in solar cells, including different structures of QD-based solar cells, such as QD heterojunction solar cells, QD-Schottky solar cells, QD-sensitized solar cells and the recent development in organic-inorganic perovskite heterojunction solar cells. Mechanisms, procedures, advantages, disadvantages and the latest results obtained in the field are described. To summarize, a future perspective is offered.
Highlights
To date, more energy from sunlight strikes the Earth in one hour (4.3 × 1020 J) than all the energy consumed on the planet in a year (4.1 × 1020 J)
This limit was predicted by a thermodynamic calculation of Shockley and Queisser (S-Q) for a photovoltaic conversion of solar irradiance in an ideal two level system [1]
The second generation of Materials 2013, 6 solar cells included the use of amorphous-silicon, poly-crystalline-silicon or micro-crystalline-silicon (a-Si, p-Si and mc-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) or copper indium selenide/sulfide
Summary
More energy from sunlight strikes the Earth in one hour (4.3 × 1020 J) than all the energy consumed on the planet in a year (4.1 × 1020 J). Third generation solar cells are configured as thin-films (inorganic layers organic dyes and organic polymers), deposited on supporting substrates or as nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a supporting matrix in a “bottom-up” approach; (b) Third generation solar cells do not necessarily rely only on a traditional single p-n junction configuration for the separation of the photo-generated carriers Instead, this generation includes the use of tandem cells, composed of a stack of p-n junctions of low-dimensional semiconductor structures. Within the limit of an infinite stack of a cascade with various Eg, covering a wide range of the solar spectrum, the ultimate conversion efficiency at one sun intensity can increase to about 66%; (c) Third generation solar cells can be configured as donor-acceptor (D-A) hetero-junctions, with staggered electronic band alignment (named type-II configuration) These D-A devices include the photo-electrochemical cells, polymer solar cells and QD-solar cells.
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