Fabrication and characterization of CdTe nanorod/conjugated polymer solar cells

Vertically aligned CdTe nanorods were fabricated by electrodeposition and were applied for the active layer of solar cells after being combined with poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT), a conjugated polymer. The fabrication of CdTe nanorods was confirmed by various methods such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and optical absorption measurement. The CdTe nanorods had the zinc blende structure. The electrodeposited CdTe showed an n-type behavior with the electric resistivity and the electron density of 2×10⁶Ωcm, 1.3×10¹⁰cm^-3, respectively. Quantum efficiency curve of the hybrid solar cells exhibited a peak at the same wavelength as the optical absorption for CdTe nanorods. The hybrid solar cells demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 1.06%, whereas the efficiency was only 0.0006% without the nanorods.