Document Type
Grant
Publication Date
9-1-2013
Department
Chemistry
Abstract
Solar power is currently becoming a popular and viable source of energy in the world, but current photovoltaic cells have limitations that need to be overcome before becoming the main source of energy. A current objective is to produce cheap, efficient solar cells by incorporating highly absorbing semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) into the solar cell medium. In order for the NPs to prove effective in a solar cell, we must understand and tune the surface ligands on the NPs to maximize charge carrier transfer into the solar cell medium. The goal of this research is to fully characterize multiple ligand-PbS nanoparticle combinations and prove the ease and processing capability of ligand exchange reactions. In this experiment, various ligands were exchanged onto lead sulfide-oleic acid nanoparticles (PbS-OLA) using a biphasic ligand exchange reaction, a method which shows signs of easily attaching nanoparticle ligands. A variety of thiol ligands such as propanethiol (PT), hexanethiol (HT), and toluenethiol (TT) were investigated. When attached, analysis was run on the PbSligand combinations. Proton NMR spectra have shown successful ligand exchange for hexanethiol and toluenethiol to afford PbS-HT and PbSTT respectively.
Content Notes
Poster, Final Report Form
Unique Identifier
gspstugrants_2014_Schams_Andrew.pdf
First Advisor
Jennifer Zemke
