Influence of photo-luminescent CdSe/CdS core shell quantum dots in solar cell efficiency

We report the synthesis and characterization of CdSe/CdS core-shell quantum dots (CdSe/CdS-QDs) that exhibit absorption in the UV range of the solar spectrum and emit photons with wavelengths centered around 625 nm, a wavelength that is well suited for silicon absorption and electron-hole pair generation. We also report the fabrication and characterization of single crystal silicon (c-Si) solar cells with and without the aforementioned photo luminescent, down-shifting CdSe/CdS- QDs. The incorporation of these nanostructures triggered improvements in the performance of the devices, particularly in the open circuit voltage (V_oc) and short circuit current density (J_sc) for which the measured values showed an increase from 543 to 546 mV and from 32.5 to 37.0 mA/cm², respectively. The combined effect of the improved values led to an increment in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 12.01 to 13.54%. This increase represents a 12.7% improvement in the PCE of the fabricated devices. The effort described herein is considered a good fit to the generalized trend to improve the efficiency of solar cells with mass-compatible techniques that could serve to promote their widespread utilization.