Recent Developments in the Photophysics of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Their Use as Active and Passive Material Elements in Thin Film Photovoltaics

Abstract

The search for environmentally clean energy sources has spawned a wave of research into the use of carbon nanomaterials for photovoltaic applications. In particular, research using semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes has undergone dramatic transformations due to the availability of high quality samples through colloidal separation techniques. This has led to breakthrough discoveries on how energy and charge transport occurs in these materials and points to applications in energy harvesting. We present a review of the relevant photophysics of carbon nanotubes that dictate processes important for integration as active and passive material elements in thin film photovoltaics. Fundamental processes ranging from light absorption and internal conversion to exciton transport and dissociation are discussed in detail from both a spectroscopic and a device perspective. We also give a perspective on the future of these fascinating materials to be used as active and passive material elements in photovoltaics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA597446

Entities

People

  • Aditya D Mohite
  • Hagen Telg
  • Jared J Crochet
  • Jeffrey L. Blackburn
  • Juan G. Duque
  • Michael S Arnold
  • Stephen K Doorn

Organizations

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Band Gaps
  • Band Structures
  • Carbon Nanotubes
  • Chemistry
  • Energy Bands
  • Fullerenes
  • Materials
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Optical Properties
  • Optoelectronic Devices
  • Quantum Yields
  • Scattering
  • Semiconductors
  • Solar Cells
  • Spectroscopy

Readers

  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.
  • Solar Photovoltaics and Thermoelectric Devices.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics