Speaker
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD)?
PhD
Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution
Nosipho Moloto; Nosipho.Moloto@wits.ac.za; University of the Witwatersrand
Apply to be<br> consider for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
yes
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
Yes
Abstract content <br> (Max 300 words)
Photovoltaics based on semiconductor nanoparticles are said to surpass the working efficiency of traditional silicon cells while also reducing the production costs This can be attributed to their intrinsic properties. that arise from the quantum confinement effect as well as their processability. Properties of copper selenide have been intensively used as a primary reference for CIS and CIGS solar cells. Herein we report on the synthesis of copper selenide quantum dots (QDs) using a “one pot” colloidal method for application in photovoltaics. The effect of temperature, time and concentration on the properties of the nanocrystals was subsequently studied.
Copper selenide quantum dots have been synthesized and characterized on UV-Vis and TEM amongst other techniques. Results generally show that temperature, time of synthesis and concentration of precursors affect the yield and size of QDs. The synthesized quantum dots were found in hexagonal structure with the average diameter around 4.5 nm which confirmed the large blue shift observed. The positive impact of synthesized copper selenide quantum dots as well as their ternary and quaternary compounds in photovoltaic applications is proven.