Epitaxially Aligned Cuprous Oxide Nanowires for All-Oxide, Single-Wire Solar Cells

As a p-type semiconducting oxide that can absorb visible light, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is an attractive material for solar energy conversion. This work introduces a high-temperature, vapor-phase synthesis that produces faceted Cu2O nanowires that grow epitaxially along the surface of a lattice-matched...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2014-08, Vol.14 (8), p.4665-4670
Main Authors: Brittman, Sarah, Yoo, Youngdong, Dasgupta, Neil P, Kim, Si-in, Kim, Bongsoo, Yang, Peidong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Materials science
Nanocrystalline materials
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Natural energy
Photovoltaic conversion
Physics
Quantum wires
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As a p-type semiconducting oxide that can absorb visible light, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is an attractive material for solar energy conversion. This work introduces a high-temperature, vapor-phase synthesis that produces faceted Cu2O nanowires that grow epitaxially along the surface of a lattice-matched, single-crystal MgO substrate. Individual wires were then fabricated into single-wire, all-oxide diodes and solar cells using low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO2 and ZnO films to form the heterojunction. The performance of devices made from pristine Cu2O wires and chlorine-exposed Cu2O wires was investigated under one-sun and laser illumination. These faceted wires allow the fabrication of well-controlled heterojunctions that can be used to investigate the interfacial properties of all-oxide solar cells.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl501750h