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One-step aqueous synthesis of thioglycolic acid-CdTe:Eu3+ quantum dots-sensitized TiO2 nanotube solar cells

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Abstract

CdTe- and Eu3+-doped CdTe quantum dot (QD)-sensitized TiO2 nanotube array (TiO2 NTA) photoelectrodes were prepared by using one-step aqueous synthesis. The effects of Eu3+ doping concentrations on the properties of CdTe QDs and CdTe/TiO2 NATs were systematically investigated. The absorption band of the sensitized TiO2 NTAs red shifted and broadened to the visible region when the CdTe- and Eu3+-doped CdTe QDs were deposited. The maximum incident photon of the current conversion efficiency (IPCE) value was 19.5% at 320 nm when the Eu3+ doping concentration was 2%. The photoconversion efficiency of CdTe:2% Eu3+/TiO2 NTAs increased to 1.09%, which was 28 times and 78 times that of CdTe/TiO2 NTAs and pure TiO2 NTAs, respectively. These results indicated the potential application of the prepared photoelectrode in QDs-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) and provided a basis for the development of QDSSCs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61664002); the Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (No. 2016GXNSFDA380036); and the Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Guangxi University (201610593040).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    Qian Chen, Chunyan Zhou, Xiaoshan Zhang, Fangfang Gao, Yingbin Meng, Chunying Yao, Haiman Pan, Haifeng Su & Liya Zhou

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  1. Qian Chen
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  2. Chunyan Zhou
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  3. Xiaoshan Zhang
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  4. Fangfang Gao
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  9. Liya Zhou
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Correspondence to Liya Zhou.

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Chen, Q., Zhou, C., Zhang, X. et al. One-step aqueous synthesis of thioglycolic acid-CdTe:Eu3+ quantum dots-sensitized TiO2 nanotube solar cells. J Appl Electrochem 48, 27–35 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-017-1131-9

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