Photovoltaic devices fabricated from nanostructured template
First Claim
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1. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
- a nanostructured template made from an n-type first charge transfer-material, the nanostructured template having template elements between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter with a template element density of between about 1012 elements/m2 and about 1016 elements/m2;
a second charge-transfer material conformally coating one or more walls of the template elements leaving additional space, wherein the first charge-transfer material is n-type and the second charge-transfer is p-type; and
a third material in the additional space, wherein the third material is a p-type or conducting material that volumetrically interdigitates with the second charge-transfer material, wherein a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) or conduction band of the first charge-transfer material differs from a LUMTO or conduction band of the second charge-transfer material by less than about 1 eV, wherein a light absorbance of at least one charge transfer material is greater than about 103/cm at the peak of the absorption spectrum.
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Abstract
Photovoltaic devices, such as solar cells, and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. A device may be characterized by an architecture having a nanostructured template made from an n-type first charge transfer material with template elements between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter with about 1012 to 1016 elements/m2. A p-type second charge-transfer material optionally coats the walls of the template elements leaving behind additional space. A p-type third charge-transfer material fills the additional space volumetrically interdigitating with the second charge transfer material.
253 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
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a nanostructured template made from an n-type first charge transfer-material, the nanostructured template having template elements between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter with a template element density of between about 1012 elements/m2 and about 1016 elements/m2;
a second charge-transfer material conformally coating one or more walls of the template elements leaving additional space, wherein the first charge-transfer material is n-type and the second charge-transfer is p-type; and
a third material in the additional space, wherein the third material is a p-type or conducting material that volumetrically interdigitates with the second charge-transfer material, wherein a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) or conduction band of the first charge-transfer material differs from a LUMTO or conduction band of the second charge-transfer material by less than about 1 eV, wherein a light absorbance of at least one charge transfer material is greater than about 103/cm at the peak of the absorption spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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- 15. The device of claim 15 wherein the first charge-transfer material includes titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
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32. A photovoltaic device, comprising:
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a base electrode;
a top electrode;
a nanostructured template disposed between the base electrode and top electrode, wherein the nanostructured template in made of an n-type material, the nanostructured template having template elements between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter with a template element density of between about 1012 elements/m2 and about 1016 elements/m2;
a p-type material coating on one or more walls of the template elements in a way that leaves additional space; and
a charge-transfer material in the additional space, wherein the charge-transfer material volumetrically interdigitates with the p-type material.
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33. A method for making a photovoltaic device, comprising the steps of:
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forming a nanostructured template from a first charge-transfer material, the nanostructured template having template elements between about 1 nm and about 500 nm in diameter with a template element density of between about 1012 elements/m2 and about 1016 elements/m2;
coating one or more walls of the template elements with a second charge-transfer material in a way that leaves additional space, wherein the second charge-transfer material has complementary charge-transfer properties with respect to the first charge-transfer material; and
filling the additional space with a third charge-transfer material. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification