A fluorescent quenching performance enhancing principle for carbon nanodot-sensitized aqueous solar cells

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Author(s)
Zhang, Haimin
Wang, Yun
Liu, Porun
Li, Yibing
Yang, Hua Gui
An, Taicheng
Wong, Po-Keung
Wang, Dan
Tang, Zhiyong
Zhao, Huijun
Year published
2015
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We report a fluorescent quenching principle capable of markedly enhancing the conversion efficiency of carbon nanodots (CNDs)-sensitized aqueous solar cells (CNDs-ASCs). A conversion efficiency of 0.529%, over 4-times of the best conversion efficiency reported for CNDs-sensitized solar cells, is achieved with a cell constructed using CNDs as the sensitizer and aqueous I−/I3− electrolyte serving a dual-function as the recombination blocker (fluorescent quencher) and redox mediator. The results confirm that the significantly enhanced utilization efficiency of the photo-excited electrons resulting from the efficiently quenched ...
View more >We report a fluorescent quenching principle capable of markedly enhancing the conversion efficiency of carbon nanodots (CNDs)-sensitized aqueous solar cells (CNDs-ASCs). A conversion efficiency of 0.529%, over 4-times of the best conversion efficiency reported for CNDs-sensitized solar cells, is achieved with a cell constructed using CNDs as the sensitizer and aqueous I−/I3− electrolyte serving a dual-function as the recombination blocker (fluorescent quencher) and redox mediator. The results confirm that the significantly enhanced utilization efficiency of the photo-excited electrons resulting from the efficiently quenched fluorescent emission of CNDs sensitizer by I− is responsible for the markedly improved conversion efficiency of CNDs-ASCs. The findings of this work validate a principle that could be widely applicable for enhancing the performance of solar cells employing other fluorescent quantum dots/nanodots sensitizers.
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View more >We report a fluorescent quenching principle capable of markedly enhancing the conversion efficiency of carbon nanodots (CNDs)-sensitized aqueous solar cells (CNDs-ASCs). A conversion efficiency of 0.529%, over 4-times of the best conversion efficiency reported for CNDs-sensitized solar cells, is achieved with a cell constructed using CNDs as the sensitizer and aqueous I−/I3− electrolyte serving a dual-function as the recombination blocker (fluorescent quencher) and redox mediator. The results confirm that the significantly enhanced utilization efficiency of the photo-excited electrons resulting from the efficiently quenched fluorescent emission of CNDs sensitizer by I− is responsible for the markedly improved conversion efficiency of CNDs-ASCs. The findings of this work validate a principle that could be widely applicable for enhancing the performance of solar cells employing other fluorescent quantum dots/nanodots sensitizers.
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Journal Title
Nano Energy
Volume
13
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.
Subject
Macromolecular and materials chemistry
Macromolecular and materials chemistry not elsewhere classified
Materials engineering
Nanotechnology