Morphology-Controlled Organic Solar Cells Improved by a Nanohybrid System of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Sensitized by PbS Core/Perovskite Epitaxial Ligand Shell Quantum Dots

In the present work, a new solution processed nanohybrid system comprising of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) loaded by PbS quantum dots (QD) capped with an epitaxial ligand shell of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite clusters (MA4PbI6) is designed and fabricated. Attachment of PbS/PbI6 QDs on the surface of SWCNT is followed and evidenced by performing Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. The steady state and dynamic photoluminescence results reveal efficient charge transfer from photo-excited PbS/PbI6 to SWCNTs. Very low amount (0.3 wt.%) of the as-synthesized PbS/PbI6-SWCNT is further incorporated into a polymeric solar cell containing P3HT and PC61BM and exhibits a power conversion efficiency improvement of around 15% compared to the P3HT:PC61BM bulk heterojunction reference solar cell. Significantly, loading perovskite capped PbS QDs on the surface of SWCNT works more efficient rather than incorporating PbS/PbI6 or SWCNT separately onto the composition of the photoactive layer. While PbS/PbI6 broaden the absorption window of photoactive layer and enhance the photon harvesting, their loading on the SWCNT has a significant influence on the faster exciton splitting by efficient electron transfer as well as keeping the desired crystallinity and nanoscale morphology of host matrix upon addition of QDs.