UC Irvine

Current global energy usage is largely dependent on non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. Research is expanding into alternative, renewable energy sources such as solar energy. Of specific focus is research into the use of metal chalcoginide semiconductor nanoparticles as a cost-efficient platform for future use in solar applications. These semiconductor nanoparticles have size-dependent electronic band gaps within the solar spectrum and can be deposited into thin films from colloidal solutions. To date, most electronic studies have focused on thin films with disordered morphologies, where the dominant inter-nanoparticle charge transport mechanism is hopping. Highly spatially ordered metal chalcoginide nanoparticle films may have the ability to form extended Bloch states, thereby resulting in more efficient charge transport. This work focuses on fabricating both highly spatially ordered and highly disordered PbSe nanoparticle thin films to compare their electronic properties and elucidate charge transport mechanisms.