Study on characteristics of CdS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction with different adsorption times

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) were adsorbed on a titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoporous film by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method with different adsorption times to study the influences of different SILAR adsorption times on CdS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). The optical properties of CdS sensitized TiO2 films were studied by scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy. The particle size of the CdS QDs was approximated using the effective mass approximation theory from the absorbance spectra. The photovoltaic characteristics of the CdS QDSCs were analyzed by I-V characteristics and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy under air mass 1.5 illumination. As a result, the particle size of the CdS QDs became larger and light harvesting was enhanced with increasing SILAR adsorption time. The maximum photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the CdS QDSCs (1.86%) was obtained at the SILAR adsorption time of 30 min with the highest short circuit current density and lowest charge transfer resistance.