title: High-efficiency aqueous-solution-processed hybrid solar cells based on P3HT dots and CdTe nanocrystals.
abstract: Without using any environmentally hazardous organic solution, we fabricated hybrid solar cells (HSCs) based on the aqueous-solution-processed poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) dots and CdTe nanocrystals (NCs). As a novel aqueous donor material, the P3HT dots are prepared through a reprecipitation method and present an average diameter of 2.09 nm. When the P3HT dots are mixed with the aqueous CdTe NCs, the dependence of the device performance on the donor-acceptor ratio shows that the optimized ratio is 1:24. Specifically, the dependence of the device performance on the active-layer thermal annealing conditions is investigated. As a result, the optimized annealing temperature is 265 °C, and the incorporation of P3HT dots as donor materials successfully reduced the annealing time from 1 h to 10 min. In addition, the transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements demonstrate that the size of the CdTe NCs increased as the annealing time increased, and the annealing process facilitates the formation of a smoother interpenetrating network in the active layer. Therefore, charge separation and transport in the P3HT dots:CdTe NCs layer are more efficient. Eventually, the P3HT dots:CdTe NCs solar cells achieved 4.32% power conversion efficiency. The polymer dots and CdTe NCs based aqueous-solution-processed HSCs provide an effective way to avoid a long-time thermal annealing process of the P3HT dots:CdTe NCs layer and largely broaden the donor materials for aqueous HSCs.
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shiyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaolai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fenghong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiaxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lulin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: ‡College of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: §State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shanpeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: §State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: †State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tian
keywords: aqueous-solution-processed; hybrid solar cells; inorganic nanocrystals; polymer dots