| Popis: |
Solar cells based on the combination of conjugated polymers and fullerenes are among the most promising devices for low-cost solar energy conversion. Significant improvements in the efficiency have been accomplished, but some bottlenecks still persist. The substitution of fullerenes by inorganic semiconductor nanoparticles, especially CdSe and CdS, has been investigated as a promising alternative. In this work, we highlight two aspects to be considered in the pursuit of more efficient devices. By comparing different polymer/CdSe systems, we show how the polymer structure can be used to tune the charge transfer from the polymer to CdSe. Even if this process is efficient, the charges will be trapped in the inorganic phase if the charge carrier transport of the nanoparticles is poor. An elegant way to improve the electron hopping is to form an electrically integrated network of nanoparticles. The use of chalcogenide aerogels is a new alternative which may be interesting for applications requiring maximal transport of charge and is also discussed here. |
