Development and Syntheses of Transparent Conductive Electrode and Nano-Sized Semiconductor Materials for Quantum Dot Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

The objectives of this three year research project are to develop the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin film materials and the mesoporous semiconductor layers as well as their production methodologies for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) or quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QD-SSC) and to provide these materials and production methodologies to fulfill the goals of the joint research project to develop high efficiency and large area flexible QD-SSC and its production technologies. The goals to be achieved by the first year operation of this research project are to deposit different TCO thin films or composite TCO thin films on glass or soft plastic substrates, to evaluate the effects of sputtering conditions and thermal/chemical treatments on their optoelectronic and stability characteristics, to integrate these low temperature sputter-deposited TCO thin films into QD-SSC, and to study their effects on the performance of QD-SSC as well as to start preparation of nano-crystalline TCO powders by hydrothermal or solvothermal method. The goals to be achieved by the second year operation of this research project are to synthesize nano-crystalline TCO powders and conductive coating solutions of the TCO or composite TCO thin films materials that determined from first year operation, to evaluate the effects of coating process conditions and TCO material selection/combination on their optoelectronic and stability characteristics, to integrate these low temperature coating-deposited TCO thin films into QD-SSC, and to study their effects on the performance of QD-SSC as well as to start preparation of nano-crystalline semiconductor powders by hydrothermal or solvothermal method. The goals to be achieved by the second year operation of this research project are to synthesize nano-crystalline TCO powders and conductive coating solutions of the TCO or composite TCO thin films materials that determined from first year operation, to evaluate the effects of coating process conditions and TCO material selection/combination on their optoelectronic and stability characteristics, to integrate these low temperature coating-deposited TCO thin films into QD-SSC, and to study their effects on the performance of QD-SSC as well as to start preparation of nano-crystalline semiconductor powders by hydrothermal or solvothermal method. Finally, the goals to be achieved by the third year operation of this research project are to develop the materials and production technologies to prepare mesoporous semiconductor layer needed for QD-SSC application, to integrate the developed TCO thin films and mesoporous semiconductor layer into QD-SSC, and to fulfill to fulfill the goals of the joint research project to develop high efficiency and large area flexible QD-SSC and its production technologies.

Project ID:PB10108-2787
External Project ID:NSC101-2221-E182-019