Dye and Quantum Dot Sensitization of Single Crystal Metal Oxide Semiconductors
Spectral sensitization of single crystal semiconducting metal oxides offer an ideal platform for investigating the fundamental processes that occur in the operation of dye or quantum dot sensitized solar cells, which are based on a complex mesoporous metal oxide film. The single crystal platform offers a reproducible atomically flat surface for adsorption of up to a monolayer of sensitizer. A sensitized surface can be probed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the nature of binding (coverage, aggregation, etc.) and then can be correlated to its photoelectrochemical spectral response, typically in the form of incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE).