Issue 13, 2022

Mixed AgBiS2 nanocrystals for photovoltaics and photodetectors

Abstract

Heavy-metal-free colloidal nanocrystals are gaining due attention as low-cost, semiconducting materials for solution-processed optoelectronic applications. One common limitation of such materials is their limited carrier transport and trap-assisted recombination, which impede the performance of thick photoactive layers. Here we mix small-size and large-size AgBiS2 nanocrystals to judiciously favour the band alignment in photovoltaic and photodetector devices. The absorbing layer of these devices is fabricated in a gradient fashion in order to maximise charge transfer and transport. We implement this strategy to fabricate mixed AgBiS2 thin film solar cells with a power conversion of 7.3%, which significantly surpasses the performance of previously reported devices based on single-batch AgBiS2 nanocrystals. Additionally, this approach allows us to fabricate devices using thicker photoactive layers that show lower dark currents and external quantum efficiencies exceeding 40% over a broad bandwidth – covering the visible and near infrared range beyond 1 μm, thus unleashing the potential of colloidal AgBiS2 nanocrystals in photodetector applications.

Graphical abstract: Mixed AgBiS2 nanocrystals for photovoltaics and photodetectors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Jan 2022
Accepted
02 Mar 2022
First published
03 Mar 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 4987-4993

Mixed AgBiS2 nanocrystals for photovoltaics and photodetectors

I. Burgués-Ceballos, Y. Wang and G. Konstantatos, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 4987 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR00589A

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