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Design, Synthesis and Applications of One-Dimensional Chalcogenide Hetero-Nanostructures pp 95–111Cite as

Integration of Sulfides Enables Enhanced Full-Spectrum Solar Energy Absorption and Efficient Charge Separation

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Abstract

The full harvest of solar energy by semiconductor in light conversion requires such a material to simultaneously absorb diverse spectrum ranges of solar radiation and collect photo-generated electrons and holes separately. Through colloidal chemical transformation, we for the first time integrate ZnS, CdS and Cu2-xS semiconductor sulfides one by one in a single nanocrystal, synthesizing a unique ternary multi-node sheath ZnS-CdS-Cu2-xS heteronanorod so as to realize full-spectrum absorption of solar energy. Here the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of nonstoichiometric copper sulfide Cu2-xS nanostructures enables effective NIR absorption. More significantly, the construction of pn heterojunction between Cu2-xS and CdS forms staggered gaps, as verified by first-principles simulations. Such band alignment enables well-steered photo-generated carriers flow for electron-hole separation in the ternary system and hence efficient solar energy conversion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Dr. Tao-Tao Zhuang

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  1. Dr. Tao-Tao Zhuang
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Correspondence to Tao-Tao Zhuang .

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Zhuang, TT. (2018). Integration of Sulfides Enables Enhanced Full-Spectrum Solar Energy Absorption and Efficient Charge Separation. In: Design, Synthesis and Applications of One-Dimensional Chalcogenide Hetero-Nanostructures. Springer Theses. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0188-9_5

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