Integration of CdSe/CdSe x Te 1 'x Type-II Heterojunction Nanorods into Hierarchically Porous TiO 2 Electrode for Efficient Solar Energy Conversion

Semiconductor sensitized solar cells, a promising candidate for next-generation photovoltaics, have seen notable progress using 0-D quantum dots as light harvesting materials. Integration of higher-dimensional nanostructures and their multi-composition variants into sensitized solar cells is, however, still not fully investigated despite their unique features potentially beneficial for improving performance. Herein, CdSe/CdSe x Te 1 'x type-II heterojunction nanorods are utilized as novel light harvesters for sensitized solar cells for the first time. The CdSe/CdSe x Te 1 'x heterojunction-nanorod sensitized solar cell exhibits ∼33% improvement in the power conversion efficiency compared to its single-component counterpart, resulting from superior optoelectronic properties of the type-II heterostructure and 1-octanethiol ligands aiding facile electron extraction at the heterojunction nanorod-TiO 2 interface. Additional ∼32% enhancement in power conversion efficiency is achieved by introducing percolation channels of large pores in the mesoporous TiO 2 electrode, which allow 1-D sensitizers to infiltrate the entire depth of electrode. These strategies combined together lead to 3.02% power conversion efficiency, which is one of the highest values among sensitized solar cells utilizing 1-D nanostructures as sensitizer materials.