Investigation of tin-based alternatives for cadmium in optoelectronic thin-film materials

Wakeham, Steven J.; Hawkins, Gary; Henderson, Graham; Carthey, Nicholas

doi:10.1364/ao.47.00c206

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Unfortunately, cadmium is a highly toxic element and has been classified as a potentially dangerous element for humans and for the environment. 3,4 It has been banned from electronic applications in Europe and soon to be in North America. 5 Over the past decade, attention has been given to other semiconducting nanoparticles with a low toxicity.…”

Section: Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Veinot and co-workers reported the thermal decomposition of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) producing oxide embedded silicon nanocrystals that were then etched using a hydrofluoric acid bath solution to obtain hydride surface-terminated silicon quantum dots. 4,5 Kauzlarich et al produced silicon nanocrystals through the decomposition of Zintl salts via solution processor microwave assisted reactions. 6,7 Korgel et al developed a silicon quantum dots synthesis using supercritical conditions.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Silicon Quantum Dotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This makes CZTS a more economic and environmentally friendly option compared to the more widely studied structural analogue CIS (CuInS(Se) 2 ) or CIGS (Cu 2 InGaS 4 ). 3,4 Additionally, diminishing resources of indium encourage research towards an efficient earth abundant replacement, such as CZTS. Thin film solar cells fabricated from CZTS obtained by sputtering or vapour deposition techniques were found to have high conversion efficiencies up to 6.8%.…”

Section: Czts Nanocrystals: Synthesis and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The larger Bohr radius allows GeQDs to reach the quantum confinement regime (and thus the photoluminescence properties) at larger particle size than in the case for silicon. 4,5 There is just a few reports of the influence of the surface passivation on the optical properties of germanium nanocrystals, so in this study it is proposed to investigate the optical properties of germanium nanocrystals capped with four different surface ligands.…”

Section: Germanium Tin and Tin/germanium Alloy Nanoparticlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This research was instigated by previous work with dye-sensitized solar cells using ZnO nanowires 8-10 and quantum dots-sensitized solar cells (usually lead or cadmium-based quantum dots) anchored to titanium dioxide or zinc oxide films. 4,[11][12] The effect of silicon quantum dots will be measured by comparing the optical absorption and emission of the composite in comparison that of bare ZnO nanowires. This research was conducted with the help of my co-supervisor Dr.…”

Section: Silicon Quantum Dots: Towards Their Use In Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Semiconductor Nanocrystals Based on Group IV Materials: Synthesis and Characterization towards Applications in Solar Cells

Faramus¹

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<p>Quantum dots have attracted a lot of interest in the past decade due to their physical and chemical properties. Quantum dots offer exciting possibilities for third generation photovoltaic devices. Light emitting quantum dots are stronger emitters than conventional organic dyes and are more resistant to degradation. This thesis focuses on the solution phase synthesis of semiconducting nanoparticles containing only easily available and relatively non-toxic materials, unlike cadmium containing nanoparticles. As an example, CdSe has been heavily studied for its outstanding optical properties. But the toxicity of cadmium encourage towards the use of other materials combining low toxicity with efficient emitting properties, such as silicon or germanium. We concentrate our research to silicon, germanium, tin, tin/germanium and Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles. Tin based nanocrystals are poor emitters but have great potential as light harvesters in solar cells due to great semiconducting properties. The potential applications, crystal structures and properties of the target materials are described in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 details the characterization techniques used to define the nanoparticles synthesized in this research. Size and shape of the nanocrystals was evaluated using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The crystals structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) or Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED). The surface termination of quantum dots was assessed via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Finally, the optical properties were determined using UV-Visible and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) exhibit strong blue photoluminescence. The emission phenomenon of silicon nanostructures is still heavily debated in the literature. Chapter 3 looks into the origin of this fluorescence. The quantum dots were synthesized following a chemical reduction method in the presence of a surfactant. We evaluate the influence of the nanoparticle size variation on the optical properties. Then we explore the role of the passivation molecule on the surface of the silicon quantum dots on the light absorption and emission phenomena. The synthesis of CZTS nanoparticles via a solution phase process is described in Chapter 4. The aim of this research was the production of small monodisperse particles. We investigate the influence of the solvent environment in high temperature decomposition syntheses, followed by the study of a novel chemical reduction method for CZTS nanocrystals. Chapter 5 regroups the research conducted on germanium and tin quantum dots, as well as the study on germanium/tin alloy. Germanium quantum dots, strong light emitters, were characterized optically in this study. The semiconducting phase of tin has great physical properties but is unstable in an ambient environment. So far reported tin nanoparticles synthesized via a solution process display only the metallic structure of tin. Presenting similar structural properties, germanium is expected to stabilize the quantum dot configuration when alloyed to tin. In Chapter 6 are described three different collaborative projects towards the application of silicon quantum dots in solar cells. First silicon quantum dots were anchored to zinc oxide nanowires arrays. Then we investigated the optical properties of SiQDs blended in a matrix of block copolymers. The third project looks into the effect of SiQDs spread over the surface of a working silicon solar cell. Finally, the last chapter presents an overall conclusion and summarizes the main findings of this study. It also introduces perspectives for future work with concepts on how to overcome the problems encountered in this research and ideas towards concrete industrial application of quantum dots.</p>

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Section: Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Synthesis Of Silicon Quantum Dotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Czts Nanocrystals: Synthesis and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Germanium Tin and Tin/germanium Alloy Nanoparticlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Silicon Quantum Dots: Towards Their Use In Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Semiconductor Nanocrystals Based on Group IV Materials: Synthesis and Characterization towards Applications in Solar Cells

Faramus¹

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Optical studies of SnTexSe1−x sintered films

Saini¹,

Kumar²,

Jain³

2009

Optical Materials

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Structural, thermal and optical investigation of tin sulfide nanoparticles for next-generation photovoltaic applications

Rafiq

Syed

Rifada

et al. 2018

Materials Science-Poland

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We report a simple approach for synthesizing monodispersed, crystalline and size-tunable tin sulfide nanoparticles for environment friendly next generation solar cell applications. Both SnS and SnS 2 nanoparticles could be a potential nanomaterial for solar cells. The structural, morphological, thermal and optical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD spectra revealed hexagonal and orthorhombic phases of SnS and SnS 2 nanoparticles, respectively, where the grains size ranged from 11 nm to 30 nm. The weight percentage as a function of temperature was determined using TGA analysis. Functional groups were observed by FT-IR. The energy bandgap was determined as 1.41 eV showing usefulness of the nanoparticles in next generation environmental friendly solar energy applications.

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Investigation of tin-based alternatives for cadmium in optoelectronic thin-film materials

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Semiconductor Nanocrystals Based on Group IV Materials: Synthesis and Characterization towards Applications in Solar Cells

Semiconductor Nanocrystals Based on Group IV Materials: Synthesis and Characterization towards Applications in Solar Cells

Optical studies of SnTexSe1−x sintered films

Structural, thermal and optical investigation of tin sulfide nanoparticles for next-generation photovoltaic applications

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