ROHS-compatible Low-cost Narrow bandgap Colloidal Nanocrystals for Infrared Photovoltaics and Photodetectors (CIRPH2)

Solution-processed photovoltaics and photodetectors have attracted significant attention in the last decades as a result of their ease of manufacturing and low cost. Colloidal nanocrystals form a special group of materials that can be utilized in the production of solution-processed devices thanks to their tunable bandgap, high absorption coefficient, composition tunability and their ability to form nanoheterostructures. Although this technology is very promising in terms of cost effectiveness and large-scale production of consumer goods, its wide-spread utilization in devices that operate in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum is hindered due to the lack of environmentally-friendly materials with narrow bandgap. Current attempts typically employ lead- and mercury-containing semiconductors as the light-absorber, which complicates their utilization in large-scale applications as these materials do not comply with the European directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). This project aims at developing narrow bandgap colloidal nanocrystals that will be used in the productions of RoHS-compliant photovoltaics and photodetectors. Within this project we are going to implement: i) a facile synthesis method for colloidal nanocrystals that do not contain any lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) or mercury (Hg), ii) deposition and characterization of photovoltaics quality thin films of these colloidal nanocrystals via solution-processing methods and iii) fabrication and characterization of low-cost solution-processed photovoltaics and photodetectors based on these environmentally-friendly nanocrystals.