Excitonic solar cells-including organic, hybrid organic-inorganic and dye-sensitized cells (DSCs)-are promising devices for inexpensive, large-scale solar energy conversion. The DSC is currently the most efficient and stable excitonic photocell. Central to this device is a thick nanoparticle film that provides a large surface area for the adsorption of light-harvesting molecules. However, nanoparticle DSCs rely on trap-limited diffusion for electron transport, a slow mechanism that can limit device efficiency, especially at longer wavelengths. Here we introduce a version of the dye-sensitized cell in which the traditional nanoparticle film is replaced by a dense array of oriented, crystalline ZnO nanowires. The nanowire anode is synthesized by mild aqueous chemistry and features a surface area up to one-fifth as large as a nanoparticle cell. The direct electrical pathways provided by the nanowires ensure the rapid collection of carriers generated throughout the device, and a full Sun efficiency of 1.5% is demonstrated, limited primarily by the surface area of the nanowire array.

We report ultra-efficient multiple exciton generation (MEG) for single photon absorption in colloidal PbSe and PbS quantum dots (QDs). We employ transient absorption spectroscopy and present measurement data acquired for both intraband as well as interband probe energies. Quantum yields of 300% indicate the creation, on average, of three excitons per absorbed photon for PbSe QDs at photon energies that are four times the QD energy gap. Results indicate that the threshold photon energy for MEG in QDs is twice the lowest exciton absorption energy. We find that the biexciton effect, which shifts the transition energy for absorption of a second photon, influences the early time transient absorption data and may contribute to a modulation observed when probing near the lowest interband transition. We present experimental and theoretical values of the size-dependent interband transition energies for PbSe QDs. We present experimental and theoretical values of the size-dependent interband transition energies for PbSe QDs, and we also introduce a new model for MEG based on the coherent superposition of multiple excitonic states.

Since the first report of ultraviolet lasing from ZnO nanowires, [1] substantial effort has been devoted to the development of synthetic methodologies for one-dimensional ZnO nanostructures. Among the various techniques described in the literature, evaporation and condensation processes are favored for their simplicity and high-quality products, but these gas-phase approaches generally require economically prohibitive temperatures of 800-900 8C.[2] Despite recent MOCVD schemes that reduced the deposition temperature to 450 8C by using organometallic zinc precursors, [3] the commercial potential of gas-phase-grown ZnO nanowires remains constrained by the expensive and/or insulating (for example, Al 2 O 3 ) substrates required for oriented growth, as well as the size and cost of the vapor deposition systems. A low-temperature, large-scale, and versatile synthetic process is needed before ZnO nanowire arrays find realistic applications in solar energy conversion, light emission, and other promising areas.Solution approaches to ZnO nanowires are appealing because of their low growth temperatures and good potential for scale-up. In this regard, Vayssieres et al. developed a hydrothermal process for producing arrays of ZnO microrods and nanorods on conducting glass substrates at 95 8C. [4,5] Recently, a seeded growth process was used to make helical ZnO rods and columns at a similar temperature.[6] Here we expand on these synthetic methods to produce homogeneous and dense arrays of ZnO nanowires that can be grown on arbitrary substrates under mild aqueous conditions. We present data for arrays on four-inch (ca. 10 cm) silicon wafers and two-inch plastic substrates, which demonstrate the ease of commercial scale-up. The simple two-step procedure yields oriented nanowire films with the largest surface area yet reported for nanowire arrays. The growth process ensures that a majority of the nanowires in the array are in direct contact with the substrate and provide a continuous pathway for carrier transport, an important feature for future electronic devices based on these materials.Well-aligned ZnO nanowire arrays were grown using a simple two-step process. In the first step, ZnO nanocrystals (5-10 nm in diameter) were spin-cast several times onto a four-inch Si(100) wafer to form a 50-200-nm thick film of crystal seeds. Between coatings, the wafer was annealed at 150 8C to ensure particle adhesion to the wafer surface. The ZnO nanocrystals were prepared according to the method of Pacholski. [7] A NaOH solution in methanol (0.03 m) was added slowly to a solution of zinc acetate dihydrate (0.01m) in methanol at 60 8C and stirred for two hours. The resulting nanoparticles are spherical and stable for at least two weeks in solution. After uniformly coating the silicon wafer with ZnO nanocrystals, hydrothermal ZnO growth was carried out by suspending the wafer upside-down in an open crystallizing dish filled with an aqueous solution of zinc nitrate hydrate (0.025 m) and methenamine or diethylenetriamine (0.025 m) at 90 8C. R...

This article surveys recent developments in the rational synthesis of single‐crystalline zinc oxide nanowires and their unique optical properties. The growth of ZnO nanowires was carried out in a simple chemical vapor transport and condensation (CVTC) system. Based on our fundamental understanding of the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) nanowire growth mechanism, different levels of growth controls (including positional, orientational, diameter, and density control) have been achieved. Power‐dependent emission has been examined and lasing action was observed in these ZnO nanowires when the excitation intensity exceeds a threshold (∼40 kW cm–2). These short‐wavelength nanolasers operate at room temperature and the areal density of these nanolasers on substrate readily reaches 1 × 1010 cm–2. The observation of lasing action in these nanowire arrays without any fabricated mirrors indicates these single‐crystalline, well‐facetted nanowires can function as self‐contained optical resonance cavities. This argument is further supported by our recent near‐field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) studies on single nanowires.

Introduction 6873 2. Synthesis of Colloidal Quantum Dots 6874 2.1. Solution Synthesis 6874 2.2. III-V Quantum Dots Grown via Vapor Phase Deposition 6877 3. Relaxation Dynamics of Photogenerated Carriers In QDs 6877 3.1. Experimental Determination of Relaxation/ Cooling Dynamics and a Phonon Bottleneck in Quantum Dots 6878 4. Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG) in Quantum Dots 6878 4.1. MEG in Si QDs 6880 5. Quantum Dot Arrays 6881 5.1. MEG in PbSe QD Arrays 6882 6. Applications: Quantum Dot Solar Cells 6884 6.1. Quantum Dot Solar Cell Configurations 6885 6.1.1. Photoelectrodes Composed of Quantum Dot Arrays 6885 6.1.2. Quantum Dot-Sensitized Nanocrystalline TiO 2 Solar Cells 6885 6.1.3. Quantum Dots Dispersed in Organic Semiconductor Polymer Matrices 6885 6.2. Schottky Junction and p-n Junction Solar Cells Based on Films of QD Arrays 6886 7. Conclusion 6887 8. Acknowledgments 6887 9. Note Added after ASAP Publication 6887 10. References 6887

There is much current interest in the optical properties of semiconductor nanowires, because the cylindrical geometry and strong two-dimensional confinement of electrons, holes and photons make them particularly attractive as potential building blocks for nanoscale electronics and optoelectronic devices, including lasersand nonlinear optical frequency converters. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor of much practical interest, because it is widely used in electrically pumped ultraviolet-blue light-emitting diodes, lasers and photodetectors. Recent progress in microfabrication techniques has allowed stimulated emission to be observed from a variety of GaN microstructures and films. Here we report the observation of ultraviolet-blue laser action in single monocrystalline GaN nanowires, using both near-field and far-field optical microscopy to characterize the waveguide mode structure and spectral properties of the radiation at room temperature. The optical microscope images reveal radiation patterns that correlate with axial Fabry-Perot modes (Q approximately 10(3)) observed in the laser spectrum, which result from the cylindrical cavity geometry of the monocrystalline nanowires. A redshift that is strongly dependent on pump power (45 meV microJ x cm(-2)) supports the idea that the electron-hole plasma mechanism is primarily responsible for the gain at room temperature. This study is a considerable advance towards the realization of electron-injected, nanowire-based ultraviolet-blue coherent light sources.

We report an alternative synthesis and the first optical characterization of colloidal PbTe nanocrystals (NCs). We have synthesized spherical PbTe NCs having a size distribution as low as 7%, ranging in diameter from 2.6 to 8.3 nm, with first exciton transitions tuned from 1009 to 2054 nm. The syntheses of colloidal cubic-like PbSe and PbTe NCs using a PbO "one-pot" approach are also reported. The photoluminescence quantum yield of PbTe spherical NCs was measured to be as high as 52 +/- 2%. We also report the first known observation of efficient multiple exciton generation (MEG) from single photons absorbed in PbTe NCs. Finally, we report calculated longitudinal and transverse Bohr radii for PbS, PbSe, and PbTe NCs to account for electronic band anisotropy. This is followed by a comparison of the differences in the electronic band structure and optical properties of these lead salts.

Although the electrical integration of chemically synthesized nanowires has been achieved with lithography, optical integration, which promises high speeds and greater device versatility, remains unexplored. We describe the properties and functions of individual crystalline oxide nanoribbons that act as subwavelength optical waveguides and assess their applicability as nanoscale photonic elements. The length, flexibility, and strength of these structures enable their manipulation on surfaces, including the optical linking of nanoribbon waveguides and other nanowire elements to form networks and device components. We demonstrate the assembly of ribbon waveguides with nanowire light sources and detectors as a first step toward building nanowire photonic circuitry.