Study on the photovoltaic characteristics of solar cells based on PbS quantum dots and carbon counter electrode

Abstract

Lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) with their customizable and precise energy levels, have emerged as highly promising photosensitizers in quantum dots sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). This research focuses on fabricating high-performance QDSSCs anchored on PbS QDs sensitized mesoporous titania coated FTO electrodes. The PbS QDs were grown on mesoporous TiO2 through the Successive Ionic Layer Absorption and Reaction (SILAR) method. The optical properties were analyzed using UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, revealing that the SILAR cycles impacted the size and band gap of the PbS QDs. By analyzing the absorption data and the hyperbolic band model (HBM), the size of the PbS QDs were estimated to be 1.65 nm, 2.126 nm, 2.326 nm, 2.5692 nm, and 3.048 nm for 1 to 5 SILAR cycles, respectively. The effect of SILAR cycles was investigated, demonstrating a direct correlation between the number of SILAR cycles and the photovoltaic performance of the device. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 2.07 % was attained using 2 SILAR cycles, in contrast to 1.33 % and 1.63 % obtained with one and three SILAR cycles, respectively. Furthermore, impedance spectroscopy (IS), (Cs-V) (Rs-V) was employed at different frequencies, highlighting lowest series resistance for 2 SILAR cycles confirming its highest photovoltaic performance. Moreover, The utilization of a low-cost polysulfide electrolyte and carbon electrode has yielded superior or comparable outcomes compared to previously reported data.