Plasmonic Cu_<i>x</i>In_<i>y</i>S₂ Quantum Dots Make Better Photovoltaics Than Their Nonplasmonic Counterparts

A synthetic approach has recently been developed which results in Cu_<i>x</i>In_<i>y</i>S₂ quantum dots (QDs) possessing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes in the near-infrared (NIR) frequencies. In this study, we investigate the potential benefits of near-field plasmonic effects centered upon light absorbing nanoparticles in a photovoltaic system by developing and verifying nonplasmonic counterparts as an experimental control. Simple QD-sensitized solar cells (QD-SSCs) were assembled which show an 11.5% relative increase in incident photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) achieved in the plasmon-enhanced devices. We attribute this increase in IPCE to augmented charge excitation stemming from near-field “antenna” effects in the plasmonic Cu_<i>x</i>In_<i>y</i>S₂ QD-SSCs. This study represents the first of its kind; direct interrogation of the influence of plasmon-on-semiconductor architectures with respect to excitonic absorption in photovoltaic systems