Boosting the Open Circuit Voltage and Fill Factor of QDSSCs Using Hierarchically Assembled ITO@Cu2S Nanowire Array Counter Electrodes.
The key challenges in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) are efficiently achieving charge separation at the photoanode and improving the charge transfer, which is limited by the interface between the electrolyte and the counter electrode (CE). Here, hierarchically assembled ITO@Cu2S nanowire arrays with conductive single-crystalline ITO cores and Cu2S nanocrystal shells were designed as efficient QDSSCs CEs. These arrays not only provided an efficient three-dimensional charge transport network but also allowed for the effective deposition of more Cu2S nanocrystals as active sites to catalyze the electrolyte reaction. This design considerably reduced the sheet and charge transfer resistance of the CE, thus decreasing the series resistance and increasing the shunt resistance of the QDSSC. As a result, QDSSCs with this CE exhibited an unprecedentedly high Voc of 0.688 V, a fill factor of 58.39%, and a PCE of 6.12%, which is 21.2% higher than that of the conventional brass/Cu2S CE.
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Yan
Y
Jiang
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Bin-Bin
BB
Yu
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Jie
J
Liu
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Zhi-Hua
ZH
Li
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Jian-Kun
JK
Sun
‡Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Institute of Applied Chemistry, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
Xin-Hua
XH
Zhong
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Jin-Song
JS
Hu
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Wei-Guo
WG
Song
†Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 North First Street, Zhongguancun, Beijing 100190, China.
Li-Jun
LJ
Wan
Nanostructures; charge transfer; quantum dots; solar cells; three-dimensional