Formation of HgTe Nanodisks Embedded in PbTe Matrix by Precipitation Phenomena

Abstract

We report findings related to the HgTe nanodots fabricated from the precipitation phenomenon in the HgTe−PbTe quasi-binary system. With homogeneous nucleation and growth of HgTe phase, a well defined nanostructure is obtained, where the nanodots are three-dimensionally dispersed within the PbTe matrix. The nanodots prefer to take disk shape to relax a strong strain energy that resulted from the formation of disordered HgTe phase. With this facile and effective technique, the nanodots with various morphologies can be realized within any form of matrix, such as powder, bulk, or thin film, providing a new way to tailor the properties of the nanodots.

Efficient HgTe colloidal quantum dot-sensitized near-infrared photovoltaic cells

“…This is because the bandgap of bulk HgTe is almost zero owing to its semi-metallic characteristics with a bulk exciton Bohr radius of 39.5 nm. 3 Since Gr€ atzel et al reported a solid-state dye-sensitized photovoltaic (PV) cell, 4 intensive studies have been done to improve the power conversion efficiency and recently, an efficient solid-state dye-sensitized PV cell with $6% of power conversion efficiency with newly designed dye absorbing over the whole visible light has been developed. 5 To further improve the device efficiency, it is strongly required to extend the photoresponse of sensitizers into the NIR region because such NIR responsive sensitizer can generate more electricity through rationally designed architectures such as panchromatic or cascade or tandem structures for devices.…”