Plasmonic Nanostructures for Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Lead sulfide quantum dot solar cell structure and method that enhances photoelectric conversion efficiency through an optimized electron transport layer. The cell architecture incorporates a zinc oxide film with an engineered optical wrinkle structure as the electron transport layer, which enables efficient light utilization by the photoactive layer. This unique layer design enables improved absorption and utilization of incident light, thereby increasing short-circuit current density.

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Heterojunction PbS quantum dot solar cell with enhanced light absorption and charge collection through nanostructured PN junction layers. The cell features a stacked glass substrate with a nano-patterned PbS quantum dot layer, followed by a PN junction layer with ZnO nanoparticles as optical antennas. The ZnO nanoparticles serve as efficient light-harvesting materials while maintaining electronic inertness, enabling improved charge collection and filling factor. The nanostructured architecture enables efficient light absorption and carrier transport through the PbS quantum dot layer, while the PN junction layer enhances charge collection at the contact interface.

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Silver telluride-zinc sulfide core-shell structure quantum dots for enhanced solar concentrator performance. The dots achieve high near-infrared emission while maintaining environmental safety through the use of silver telluride and zinc sulfide. The core-shell structure provides improved stability and photoluminescence quantum yield compared to conventional quantum dots. The preparation method enables the synthesis of these quantum dots through a controlled thermal treatment process that preserves their photoluminescent properties.

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Nanocomposite material of near-infrared localized surface plasmon resonance nanocrystals and quantum dots for efficient solar energy conversion. The nanocomposite material combines near-infrared localized surface plasmon resonance nanocrystals with quantum dots, achieving enhanced fluorescence quantum efficiency and near-infrared absorption through controlled energy transfer processes. The material's unique composition enables optimal resonance energy transfer between nanocrystals and quantum dots, while maintaining chemical stability and environmental sustainability. This nanocomposite material can be used as a building block for translucent luminescent solar concentrators that can concentrate energy in the near-infrared spectrum.

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An integrated system for efficient and environmentally friendly solar energy conversion using quantum dot-based devices. The system combines quantum dot solar cells, quantum dot solar concentrators, and quantum dot detectors to improve light absorption, electron collection, and stability compared to conventional solar modules. The quantum dots are made from non-toxic materials like copper aluminum sulfur/zinc sulfide, copper aluminum sulfur/zinc selenide, and manganese-copper indium sulfur/zinc sulfide. The quantum dot solar cells have higher light absorption in the solar spectrum, while the quantum dot solar concentrators and quantum dot detectors enable efficient light extraction and electron collection. The integrated system allows optimized light utilization and stable operation compared to conventional solar modules.

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Multi-intermediate band quantum dot solar cell with improved efficiency by using multiple quantum dot layers with different bandgaps to absorb a broader range of low-energy photons. The cell has a stack of quantum dot layers on an N-type semiconductor, each layer having a different bandgap. This allows absorption of sub-bandgap photons that cannot be absorbed by a single intermediate band. The layers are sandwiched between N-type and P-type semiconductors to form a solar cell.

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Transparent solar cells that maximize the utilization of short-wavelength light in solar cells. The cells employ a quantum dot-based photovoltaic layer that absorbs and converts short-wavelength radiation, while simultaneously emitting longer wavelengths through excited state conversion. This dual-function layer enables efficient conversion of both visible and ultraviolet light, thereby increasing overall solar cell efficiency. The transparent cathode layer is optimized for maximum absorption of the absorbed short-wavelength light, while the encapsulation layer provides reflective protection for the excited quantum dot material.

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Inorganic semiconductor quantum dots with pyridine-based ligands that enhance photoelectric conversion efficiency in solar cells. The pyridine ligands are incorporated into the quantum dots' surface, enabling improved light absorption and electron transfer properties. The pyridine ligands form a stable, monomolecular conjugate with metal oxide particles, effectively adsorbing the quantum dots onto the surface. This conjugate-based adsorption mechanism enables efficient light absorption and charge collection, leading to enhanced solar cell performance.

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A solar cell that achieves high open-circuit voltage (VOC) and short-circuit current (JSC) through the integration of quantum dots with different bandgaps in a solution-processed semiconductor matrix. The matrix enables the formation of a composite film with optimized optical absorption properties, specifically tailored to the infrared spectrum. By engineering the density of states in the quantum dots, the matrix achieves improved quasi-Fermi level splitting and increased VOC, while maintaining charge transport properties. This approach enables the realization of solar cells with significantly higher VOC and JSC than conventional Si-based solar cells, approaching the theoretical limit of 6% power conversion efficiency.

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Quantum dots for efficient solar energy harvesting through luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). The dots are synthesized using a novel zinc-based shell that enhances optical efficiency while maintaining biocompatibility. The zinc-based shell is derived from zinc stearate, which is prepared in an inert atmosphere. The zinc stearate solution is then used to synthesize the copper-doped InP/ZnSe quantum dots, which are encapsulated in a light-emitting device. The device is fabricated using a polymer matrix, with the zinc-based shell serving as the active component. The resulting LSCs achieve high optical efficiency comparable to state-of-the-art biocompatible quantum dots.

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Preparing a Si-based solar cell by utilizing Ag/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots for improving the spectral conversion of a solar cell. The preparation includes using the plasmon effect of Ag nanoparticles as raw materials, taking ZnSe nano particles as raw materials and taking Zn (AC)2Dropwise adding the mixed alkali solution of MPA and the mixed alkali solution of MPA into the aqueous solution of ZnSe, cooling after heating reaction, and obtaining ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots with a core-shell structure through centrifugation and alcohol washing.

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Solar concentrator using CuGaS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots for efficient direct conversion of solar energy. The concentrator employs CuGaS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots as luminescent materials, which exhibit superior photochemical stability compared to traditional semiconductor materials. The quantum dots are grown through a thermal injection method followed by epitaxial growth of a ZnS shell layer. This architecture enables precise control over absorption and emission spectra through stoichiometric adjustments of the metal precursors. The CuGaS2/ZnS core-shell quantum dots are used as a luminescent material to guide absorbed solar photons to the edge of the solar cell, where they excite the photovoltaic material through total reflection. The ZnS shell layer enhances the concentrator's optical efficiency by suppressing self-absorption loss. This concentrator design offers a non-toxic alternative to traditional cadmium-based materials while maintaining high efficiency.

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Core-shell quantum dots for luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) that achieve high efficiency and stability through a novel InAs-InP shell structure. The core-shell design enables efficient absorption of silicon solar cell light by the InAs core while the InP shell enhances emission through resonance energy transfer. The shell layers are formed through continuous injection synthesis, maintaining low precursor concentrations to prevent nucleation. The resulting quantum dots exhibit improved photostability and quantum yield compared to conventional cadmium-based materials, enabling large-area solar concentrator applications.

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Quantum dot solar cells with enhanced light conversion efficiency through optimized zinc oxide nanoparticle synthesis and surface treatment. The solar cells achieve 9.29% light conversion efficiency by using heat-treated zinc oxide nanoparticles with reduced oxygen vacancies, which enables efficient charge carrier collection. The heat treatment process, performed at temperatures below 200°C, selectively fills oxygen vacancies in the nanoparticles while maintaining their structural integrity. The solar cells employ a novel lead sulfide quantum dot-based hole absorption layer with EDT ligand, which improves charge carrier mobility and stability. The solar cells feature a transparent indium tin oxide electrode, an electron transport layer made of heat-treated zinc oxide nanoparticles, and a light-absorbing layer comprising lead sulfide quantum dots with EDT ligand. The anode is formed by thermally depositing gold.

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A method for enhancing the efficiency of solar cells by using a layer-by-layer self-assembly ZnSe/ZnS core-shell structure with quantum dots. The method involves depositing ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots with negative surface charge and ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots with positive surface charge through a spin-coating process at low speeds. These core-shell structures are then assembled through layer-by-layer self-assembly to form a fluorescence down transfer layer. The core-shell structure enables efficient transfer of energy from ultraviolet photons to the solar cell's p-n junction, thereby improving spectral response and overall efficiency.

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Aluminum/zinc-copper-indium selenium quantum dot sensitizer for solar cells with improved surface defect reduction and enhanced absorption range. The sensitizer is prepared through a novel method that combines the synthesis of copper-indium-selenium alloy quantum dots with a specific ligand chemistry approach. The resulting sensitizer exhibits reduced surface defect states compared to conventional copper-indium-selenium quantum dots, leading to improved charge carrier lifetimes and reduced recombination rates in solar cells.

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All-solid-state solar cells based on simultaneous deposition of quantum dots and a novel preparation method achieve high efficiency, low cost, and stability through a novel device architecture. The solar cells employ quantum dots as light-absorbing materials, which are deposited simultaneously with the photovoltaic layer through a novel deposition process. This approach eliminates the need for organic solvents and high-temperature processing, while maintaining the quantum dot's inherent properties. The device architecture enables efficient charge carrier collection and transport, resulting in improved photovoltaic performance compared to conventional quantum dot solar cells.

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A CuGaS2/CdS core-shell quantum dot material with enhanced optical properties for solar energy conversion applications. The material comprises a CuGaS2 core with CdS shell, where the core is encapsulated by a CdS shell. The CdS shell enhances the material's absorption across the visible spectrum, while the CuGaS2 core provides the necessary light trapping capabilities for efficient solar energy conversion. The CdS shell also improves the material's stability and durability compared to traditional CdS-based quantum dots.

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Nanostructures exhibiting enhanced Stokes shift through controlled inner shell thickness and composition, particularly in quantum dots. The nanostructures feature a nanocrystal core with a thin inner shell layer, where the shell thickness ranges from 0.01 nm to 0.35 nm. This composition enables the nanostructures to achieve Stokes shifts of 25 nm to 125 nm, significantly improving photoluminescence quantum yield compared to conventional quantum dots.

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Quantum dot-based solar cells with enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) and improved manufacturing process. The solar cells employ a novel organic hole transport layer on a transparent conductive electrode, followed by a quantum dot layer containing inorganic semiconductor quantum dots, and an electron transport layer comprising metal oxide quantum dots. The solar cells achieve PCEs of 1.5 times or more compared to conventional silicon-based solar cells, with the electron transport layer and quantum dot layer thicknesses optimized to achieve efficient charge separation.

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