Plasma-based synthesis of low-cost and environmentally friendly quantum dots with tailored energy band structure

目前的光伏（PV）技术依赖于物理原理，从根本上限制了太阳能电池的最高效率，即第一代和第二代技术不能产生超过31%的效率。硅基和非硅器件都在以更低的成本提高稳定性和器件性能，逐步接近这一极限。因此，设备效率的显著提高只能通过部署依赖于新的物理原理的技术来实现，即所谓的第三代光伏；这在相关的英国和国际光伏路线图中已经得到了明确的强调。在第三代太阳能电池中，量子点（QDs）通常是一个重要的组成部分，因此需要生产低成本、无毒和环保的量子点的方法。目前，最高效的第三代太阳能电池使用的元素如铅（Pb）、镉（Cd）、硒（Se）和碲（Te），这些元素要么有毒，要么稀有，要么昂贵。该研究项目涉及从硅、氮、碳和一系列低成本、无毒和丰富的金属等元素的组合中合成和研究新型、低成本、无毒和可持续的量子点。此外，该研究将利用基于大气压等离子体的工艺生产量子点，这种工艺非常适合生产定制特性，并导致其他方法无法实现的材料成分。这些提出的等离子体工艺也可以很容易地集成到生产线上，用于生产完整的第三代太阳能电池。

Current photovoltaic (PV) technologies rely on physical principles that fundamentally limit the maximum solar cell efficiency, i.e. first and second generation technologies cannot produce efficiencies above ~31%. Both silicon-based and non-silicon devices are progressively approaching this limit with improved stability and device performance at reduced costs. It follows that significant improvement in device efficiency can be achieved only by deploying technologies that rely on new physical principles, so called third generation PV; this has been clearly highlighted in relevant UK and international PV roadmaps. In third generation solar cells quantum dots (QDs) often represent an important component and therefore methods to produce QDs that are low-cost, non-toxic and environmentally friendly are required. Currently the most efficient third generation solar cells use elements such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), Selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) which are either toxic or rare or expensive.This research program deals with the synthesis and study of novel, low-cost, non-toxic and sustainable QDs from a combination of elements such as silicon, nitrogen, carbon and a range of low-cost, non-toxic and abundant metals. Furthermore the research will produce QDs with processes based on atmospheric pressure plasmas that are highly suitable to produce tailored properties and lead to material compositions not achievable with other methods. These proposed plasma processes can also be easily integrated in manufacturing lines for the production of full third generation solar cells.