Energy management in hybrid organic-silicon nanostructured solar cells by downshifting using CdZnS/ZnS and CdZnSe/ZnS quantum dots

Management of the solar spectrum by downshifting has been a key theme in broadband solar cell research over the last few years. The absorption of high-energy photons that exceed the bandgap edge of Si causes thermalization of charge carriers, which is a major loss mechanism by which collected energy is underutilized in silicon solar cells. The spectral response of Si also falls in the UV region. Progress in overcoming these effects achieved by modifying the input spectrum will dramatically enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein we report the application of highly luminescent CdZnS/ZnS and CdZnSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) as downshifting materials for nanostructured silicon. The applied QDs show major potential for shifting the high energy in the ultraviolet region to low energy, which is then transferred to the underlying silicon nanostructures via radiative and nonradiative energy transfer. This energy transfer dramatically improves the cell efficiency from 10.4% to 13.5%, showing this approach to be a reliable solution for improving solar cell properties. A Novel hybrid organic/inorganic silicon nanotips solar cell employing CdZnS/ZnS QDs as a downshifting layer which exhibits a drastic enhancement in the cell characteristics due to the radiative and nonradiative energy transfer (RET & NRET) from the QDs to underlying silicon nanostructure. [Display omitted] •Highly emissive CdZnS/ZnS and CdZnSe/ZnS core/shell QDs were prepared by hot injection in two growth steps.•Silicon nanowires were fabricated by metal-catalyzed chemical etching and modified to tapered nanotip structure.•The current QDs show high potential for downshifting in hybrid silicon solar cells and improve the PCE to 13.49%.