Hybrid Solar Cells Using HgTe Nanocrystals and Nanoporous TiO2 Electrodes

HgTe nanocrystals are demonstrated to increase the photon-harvesting efficiency of hybrid solar cells over a broad spectral region between 350 and 1500 nm. Devices combining two solar cell concepts, a solid-state nanocrystal-sensitized solar cell and a nanocrystal/polymer-blend solar cell, are described. These devices give incident photon to current efficiencies up to 10 % at around 550 nm monochromatic irradiation and short-circuit current densities of 2 mA cm -2 under simulated AM1.5 (100 mW cm -2 ) illumination (AM: air mass).

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