@article{70ae52707f0f4148bd52834cd308f11c,
title = "Air-stable n-type colloidal quantum dot solids",
abstract = "Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer promise in flexible electronics, light sensing and energy conversion. These applications rely on rectifying junctions that require the creation of high-quality CQD solids that are controllably n-type (electron-rich) or p-type (hole-rich). Unfortunately, n-type semiconductors made using soft matter are notoriously prone to oxidation within minutes of air exposure. Here we report high-performance, air-stable n-type CQD solids. Using density functional theory we identify inorganic passivants that bind strongly to the CQD surface and repel oxidative attack. A materials processing strategy that wards off strong protic attack by polar solvents enabled the synthesis of an air-stable n-type PbS CQD solid. This material was used to build an air-processed inverted quantum junction device, which shows the highest current density from any CQD solar cell and a solar power conversion efficiency as high as 8%. We also feature the n-type CQD solid in the rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of atmospheric NO2. This work paves the way for new families of electronic devices that leverage air-stable quantum-tuned materials. {\textcopyright} 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.",
author = "Zhijun Ning and Oleksandr Voznyy and Jun Pan and Hoogland, {Sjoerd H.} and Valerio Adinolfi and Jixian Xu and Min Li and Kirmani, {Ahmad R.} and Jonpaul Sun and Minor, {James C.} and Kemp, {Kyle W.} and Haopeng Dong and Rollny, {Lisa R.} and Labelle, {Andr{\'e} J.} and Carey, {Graham H.} and Sutherland, {Brandon R.} and Hill, {Ian G.} and Aram Amassian and Huan Liu and Jiang Tang and Osman Bakr and Sargent, {E. H.}",
note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledged KAUST grant number(s): KUS-11-009-21 Acknowledgements: This publication is based in part on work supported by Award KUS-11-009-21, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), by the Ontario Research Fund-Research Excellence Program, and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. We thank Angstrom Engineering, and Innovative Technology, for useful discussions regarding material deposition methods and control of the glovebox environment, respectively. Computations were performed using the BlueGene/Q supercomputer at the SciNet HPC Consortium provided through the Southern Ontario Smart Computing Innovation Platform (SOSCIP). The SOSCIP consortium is funded by the Ontario Government and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. H.D. would like to acknowledge financial support from the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The authors thank Larissa Levina for the assistance with CQDs synthesis, S. M. Thon, A. H. Ip and M. Adachi for helpful discussions, S. Masala and J. McDowell for measurement assistance, and E. Palmiano, R. Wolowiec and D. Kopilovic for their help during the course of study. We thank L. Goncharova for assistance with RBS measurements.",
year = "2014",
month = jun,
day = "8",
doi = "10.1038/nmat4007",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "13",
pages = "822--828",
journal = "Nature Materials",
issn = "1476-1122",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "8",
}