A novel method for fabrication of CdS quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

In this report, a novel and facile in situ gas–solid reaction method has been developed for the deposition of CdS quantum-dots (QDs) on a mesoscopic TiO 2 film. In the approach, cadmium nitrate solution was first coated on mesoporous TiO 2 films, and subsequently transformed into CdS QDs (with size about 2–3 nm) by reaction with hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) gas generated in a closed container at room temperature. Different from the conventional solution techniques, this method offers new opportunities for rapid and facile deposition of CdS QD-coated TiO 2 films without the introduction of the by-products. With the CdS QDs-decorated TiO 2 active electrodes, the liquid and solid solar cells were fabricated with power conversion efficiencies ( PCEs ) of 1.90 and 0.80%, respectively.