Efficient inorganic solar cells from aqueous nanocrystals: the impact of composition on carrier dynamics

Abstract

Solution-processed thin-film solar cells based on aqueous nanocrystals (NCs) are attractive due to their environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness. Furthermore, nanoscale heterostructures can be formed upon annealing which is beneficial for prolonged carrier lifetime and effective carrier transport. Herein, we demonstrate that the carrier dynamics can be controlled by adjusting the composition of heterostructure NCs. Efficient thin-film solar cells are fabricated based on aqueous CdTe NCs and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.73% which is a record for thin-film solar cells fabricated from aqueous materials. This work should be instructive for application of aqueous NCs in thin-film solar cells.