Review of roll-to-roll fabrication techniques for colloidal quantum dot solar cells

Abstract

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are of great interest for photovoltaic (PV) technologies as they possess the benefits of solution-processability, size-tunability, and roll-to-roll manufacturability, as well as unique capabilities to harvest near-infrared (NIR) radiation. During the last decade, lab-scale CQD solar cells have achieved rapid improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from ∼1% to 18%, which will potentially exceed 20% in the next few years and approach the performance of other PV technologies, such as perovskite solar cells and organic solar cells. In the meanwhile, CQD solar cells exhibit long lifetimes either under shelf storage or continuous operation, making them highly attractive to industry. However, in order to meet the industrial requirements, mass production techniques are necessary to scale up the fabrication of those lab devices into large-area PV modules, such as roll-to-toll coating. This paper reviews the recent developments of large-area CQD solar cells with a focus on various fabrication methods and their principles. It covers the progress of typical large-area coating techniques, including spray coating, blade coating, dip coating, and slot-die coating. It also discusses next steps and new strategies to accomplish the ultimate goal of the low-cost large-area fabrication of CQD solar cells and emphasizes how artificial intelligence or machine learning could facilitate the developments of CQD solar cell research.