ABSTRACT
Solar cells incorporating semiconductor quantum dots and organic polymers may provide a lightweight, flexible, and cheaply produced alternative to conventional bulk semiconductor solar cells. We present here an overview of the advantageous properties of quantum dots and a review of the development of quantum dot–polymer composite and quantum dot sensitized photoelectrochemical cells. In these cell designs, quantum dots are employed as light absorbers and components of charge transport networks. Power conversion efficiencies in these devices are currently very low (less than 2% for quantum dots–polymer composite solar cells), with limitations arising mainly from charge transport inefficiencies. The primary sources of these losses and prospects for improvement in both types of devices are discussed. This chapter, along with the cited references, is intended to provide readers with a current picture of this rapidly expanding field of research and assist them in initiating quantum dot based solar cell research.
