Enhancement of the sub-band-gap photoconductivity in ZnO nanowires through surface functionalization with carbon nanodots
We report on the surface functionalization of ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays by attachment of carbon nanodots (C-dots) stabilized by polyethylenimine. The photoconductive properties of the ZnO NWs/C-dots devices were investigated under photoexcitation with photon energies below and above the ZnO band gap. The results indicate an increased photoresponse of the functionalized devices in the visible spectral range, as well as enhanced UV photoconductivity. This is attributed to the fast injection of photoexcited electrons from the C-dots into the conduction band of the ZnO NWs, and the subsequent slower desorption of molecular species from the NW surface, which reduces the surface depletion region i…
Fabrication and characterization of low cost Cu 2 O/ZnO:Al solar cells for sustainable photovoltaics with earth abundant materials
Abstract The low cost electrodeposition method was used to grow Cu2O thin films and experimentally determine the optimal absorber layer thickness. Raman scattering studies indicate the presence of solely crystalline Cu2O and SEM images show that the thin films consist of grains with a pyramidal shape. The influence of the thickness of the light absorbing Cu2O layer on the basic characteristic of the heterojunction and their properties have been investigated using reflectivity, current–voltage (J–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V) and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements. The depletion layer, the charge collection length of the minority carrier, and reflectivity are the main factors…