Colloidal silicon nanocrystallites for low-cost solar cell development

Abstract

Abstract In this letter a formation of solution based of bulk-heterojunction based on freestanding silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs) and conjugated ((poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer is demonstrated. Surfactant free Si-ncs prepared by low-cost electrochemical etching are applied for fabrication of bulk-heterojunction and photo-conductive blends. We show that the optimum blend performance is at 40 wt% nanocrystallites concentration within the P3HT polymer matrix. Furthermore, we illustrate that solar cell transport properties can be improved by nanosecond laser fragmentation of the nanocrystallites micrograins in ethanol. It argues that the Si-ncs/polymer blend with refine nanocrystaline structure may impact the development of low-cost solar cells by environmental- friendly mean.