Nanostructure and nanocomposite based compositions and photovoltaic devices
First Claim
1. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
- a first electrode layer;
a second electrode layer; and
a first photoactive layer disposed between the first and second electrode layers, wherein the photoactive layer is disposed in at least partial electrical contact with the first electrode along a first plane, and in at least partial electrical contact with the second electrode along a second plane, and wherein the photoactive layer comprises material that exhibits a type II band offset energy profile, and comprises a first population of nanostructures each having at least one elongated section oriented predominantly normal to at least the first plane.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Nanocomposite photovoltaic devices are provided that generally include semiconductor nanocrystals as at least a portion of a photoactive layer. Photovoltaic devices and other layered devices that comprise core-shell nanostructures and/or two populations of nanostructures, where the nanostructures are not necessarily part of a nanocomposite, are also features of the invention. Varied architectures for such devices are also provided including flexible and rigid architectures, planar and non-planar architectures and the like, as are systems incorporating such devices, and methods and systems for fabricating such devices. Compositions comprising two populations of nanostructures of different materials are also a feature of the invention.
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Citations
165 Claims
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1. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
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a first electrode layer;
a second electrode layer; and
a first photoactive layer disposed between the first and second electrode layers, wherein the photoactive layer is disposed in at least partial electrical contact with the first electrode along a first plane, and in at least partial electrical contact with the second electrode along a second plane, and wherein the photoactive layer comprises material that exhibits a type II band offset energy profile, and comprises a first population of nanostructures each having at least one elongated section oriented predominantly normal to at least the first plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
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a first electrode layer;
a second electrode layer; and
,a first photoactive layer disposed between the first and second electrode layers, wherein the photoactive layer is disposed in at least partial electrical contact with the first electrode along a first plane and in at least partial electrical contact with the second electrode along a second plane, wherein the photoactive layer comprises a first inorganic material and a second inorganic material different from the first inorganic material, which first and second inorganic materials exhibit a type II band offset energy profile, and wherein the photoactive layer comprises a first population of nanostructures, which nanostructures comprise the first inorganic material, the second inorganic material, or a combination thereof. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A composition comprising:
- a first population of nanostructures and a second population of nanostructures, which first population comprises nanostructures comprising a first material, and which second population comprises nanostructures comprising a second material different from the first material.
- View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111)
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112. A method of producing a photovoltaic device, comprising:
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providing a first planar substrate having a first conductive layer disposed thereon;
coating the first substrate with a photoactive matrix that exhibits a type II band offset energy profile, and comprises at least a first population of elongated semiconductor nanostructures, the nanostructures comprising a longitudinal axis, to provide a photoactive layer;
orienting the semiconductor nanostructures such that their longitudinal axes are predominantly oriented normal to the first planar substrate; and
laminating a second conductive layer onto the photoactive layer. - View Dependent Claims (113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118)
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119. A method of producing a photovoltaic device, the method comprising:
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providing a first planar substrate having a first conductive layer disposed thereon;
coating the first substrate with a composition that comprises a population of nanostructures, which nanostructures comprise a core of a first material and a shell of a second material different from the first material, to provide a photoactive layer;
fusing, partially fusing, and/or sintering the nanostructures; and
laminating a second conductive layer onto the photoactive layer. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127)
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128. A method of producing a layered device comprising a first population of nanostructures and a second population of nanostructures, which first population comprises nanostructures comprising a first material, and which second population comprises nanostructures comprising a second material different from the first material, the method comprising:
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providing a first substrate; and
,coating the first substrate with a composition comprising the first population of nanostructures to provide a first layer. - View Dependent Claims (129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141)
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142. A system for fabricating a photovoltaic device, comprising:
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a source of a first substrate layer, having a first conductive surface;
a conveyor system for conveying the first substrate layer;
a source of a photoactive matrix fluidly coupled to a layer deposition system, the layer deposition system being at least partially disposed over the substrate conveyor system, to provide a layer of photoactive matrix on the first substrate layer; and
a source of a second conductive material coupled to the layer deposition system positioned over the substrate conveyor system for depositing a layer of the second conductive material onto a layer of photoactive matrix deposited on the first substrate layer. - View Dependent Claims (143, 144, 145, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155)
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146. A system for fabricating a layered device comprising a first population of nanostructures and a second population of nanostructures, which first population comprises nanostructures comprising a first material, and which second population comprises nanostructures comprising a second material different from the first material, the system comprising:
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a source of a first substrate layer;
a conveyor system for conveying the first substrate layer; and
,a source of a composition comprising the first and second populations of nanostructures, fluidly coupled to a layer deposition system, the layer deposition system being at least partially disposed over the substrate conveyor system, to provide a layer in which the nanostructures of the first and second populations are intermixed on the first substrate layer.
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156. A system for fabricating a layered device comprising a first population of nanostructures and a second population of nanostructures, which first population comprises nanostructures comprising a first material, and which second population comprises nanostructures comprising a second material different from the first material, the system comprising:
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a source of a first substrate layer;
a conveyor system for conveying the first substrate layer;
a source of a first composition comprising the first population of nanostructures fluidly coupled to a layer deposition system, the layer deposition system being at least partially disposed over the substrate conveyor system, to provide a first layer; and
,a source of a second composition comprising the second population of nanostructures fluidly coupled to the layer deposition system, the layer deposition system being at least partially disposed over the substrate conveyor system, to provide a second layer. - View Dependent Claims (157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165)
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Specification