Transition Metal Doped Quantum Dots for Photovoltaic Applications

In recent years, semiconductor zinc sulfide (ZnS) quantum dots have been considerably studied for various applications such as light emitting diodes, flat panel display, UV sensor and solar cell application. We discuss herein the optical and transport properties of the transition metal doped quantum dots and optimize them for better photovoltaics. Zinc sulfide has an excellent optical and electronic performances due to its wide band gap. In addition, cobalt-nickel doped zinc sulfide brings a versatility of the band gap energy. This is corresponding to an enhancement in the photo-to-current efficiency of doped quantum dots in sensitized solar cell. In this study, we explore how the different dopants lead changes in the band gap and discuss the characteristic of these doped quantum dots. The absorption data shows that cobalt-nickel doped ZnS has the highest absorbance the visible range out of all the single and co-doped and tri-doped quantum dots which made it the best candidate for optoelectronic device fabrication.