A Simple Approach Low-Temperature Solution Process for Preparation of Bismuth-Doped ZnO Nanorods and Its Application in Hybrid Solar Cells

Abstract

A simple low-temperature solution processed bismuth-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs) and poly­(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were used as electron acceptor and donor, respectively, in a hybrid inorganic–organic photovoltaic system. Controlling Bi precursor concentration via solution processing (hydrothermal method) plays an important role in altering the morphology, structure, and intrinsic defects of ZnO NRs. Interstitial doping of Bi–Bi2O3 into ZnO (BiZO) NRs results in simultaneous improvement of the open circuit voltage and short circuit current density primarily due to prolonged charge carrier recombination lifetime, increased donor–acceptor interfacial areas with efficient exciton dissociation, and charge carrier mobility. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of the 2 wt % BiZO NRs-P3HT device was significantly enhanced by 55% compared with that of the pristine device. Overall, our study highlighted the immense potential of BiZO NRs as an excellent electron acceptor for fabrication of hybrid optoelectronic devices.

Engineering Vacancies in Bi2S3yielding Sub‐Bandgap Photoresponse and Highly Sensitive Short‐Wave Infrared Photodetectors

“…The main peaks located at 158.4 and 163.7 eV are attributed to Bi 4f 7/2 and Bi 4f 5/2 of Bi 3+ states, respectively . The accompanying weak Bi 4f doublet at lower energy (157.1 and 162.4 eV for Bi 4f 7/2 and Bi 4f 5/2 , respectively) are assigned to under‐coordinated and reduced Bi species with lower valency, Bi 2+ according to previous reports, suggesting the existence of sulphur vacancies in pristine samples. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) (Figure S1a, Supporting Information) also shows the nonstoichiometric characteristics of this crystal with atomic percentages of 48.6% and 52% for Bi and S, respectively.…”

Biocompatible Fluorescent Core-Shell Nanoconjugates Based on Chitosan/Bi2S3 Quantum Dots

“…Figure 4a shows typical XPS spectra obtained directly at the surface of the Bi 2 S 3 /chitosan nanoconjugate. The peaks at 158.9 and 164.2 eV correspond to the Bi 4f 7/2 and Bi 4f 5/2 levels, respectively, which are generally assigned to Bi–S bonding in Bi 2 S 3 [ 28 , 29 ]. After etching (Fig.…”

“…4c , Ar + , 1 cycle, 60 s, emission current 10 mA, and beam voltage 0.5 kV), the Bi 4f 7/2 consisted of two binding energies of 156.6 and 158.9 eV, whereas the binding energies values for Bi 4f 5/2 were centered at 161.9 and 164.2 eV. The peaks at 156.6 and 161.9 eV were assigned to bismuth under-coordinated and reduced species due to the etching by argon ion beam [ 28 , 29 ]. The peaks at 158.9 and 164.2 eV indicate the presence of Bi 3+ in the Bi 2 S 3 phase, as already observed at the surface prior to etching.…”

Heterostructured NiO/ZnO Nanorod Arrays with Significantly Enhanced H2S Sensing Performance

“…Nanowires [1,2,3], nanorods (NRs) [4,5], nanobelts [6,7], and nanotubes [8] have shown good electronic or optoelectronic properties due to their special nanostructures, excellent crystallinities and oriented growth, significant quantum size effect, and optical non-linearity [9]. Among these, zinc oxide (ZnO) NRs are widely applied in the fields of sensors [4,10,11,12,13,14], photocatalysis [13], solar cells [15,16], UV photodetectors [17,18], and field emission devices [19] due to their wide band gap (3.37 eV), high binding exciton energy (60 meV), excellent electricity properties, and low cost [20,21]. Compared with bulk ZnO materials, ZnO nanorod arrays have a large specific surface area and strong electronic transmission capability [22].…”