Large-Scale Synthesis
of PbS–TiO<sub>2</sub> Heterojunction Nanoparticles in a Single
Step for Solar Cell Application
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Abstract
The demand for low cost solar energy technology calls
for manufacturing processes using economic liquid- or gas-phase synthesis
of the corresponding materials. In this regard, manufacturing of quantum
dot-sensitized solar cells is particularly complicated through multiple-step
preparations. Material pairs such as TiO<sub>2</sub>–PbS heterojunctions
have shown high absorption of visible light and good electron transfer
properties. However, traditional solution processing requires extensive
surface functionalization or the use of surfactants to obtain well-defined
films. Such surfactants, unfortunately, often lower electron hopping/tunneling
in the system (surfactants are usually insulators) and therefore have
to be removed or exchanged before completing device fabrication. Similarly,
the so far presented processes to deposit PbS directly on TiO<sub>2</sub> are very time consuming. In this paper, we present a single-step,
large-scale, operable process to synthesize PbS–TiO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction particles by aerosol synthesis using reducing flame
spray pyrolysis. Nanopowders with different lead sulfide to titanium
dioxide ratios were produced and characterized. Thermodynamic equilibrium
calculations of the gaseous environment during the combustion process
show that the process is robust with regard to usual process changes
or fluctuations. We further showed how this approach allowed us to
vary the structure and size of the PbS–TiO<sub>2</sub> heterojunction
particles, as long as an excess of sulfur species (S/Pb = 2.5) was
applied during processing