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<p>Flexible photovoltaic devices based on lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are attracting growing interest as compact, lightweight energy-harvesting platforms for wearable electronics and off-grid applications. The solution-processable nature of PbS QDs and their size-tunable bandgap spanning the near-infrared region make them particularly suited to thin-film photovoltaic energy conversion. However, interface instability in flexible device architectures limits long-term energy conversion performance under both mechanical stress and ambient exposure. In this study, a dual interfacial stabilization strategy was employed to simultaneously enhance the bending durability and ambient stability of PbS QD-based flexible solar cells with a PET/ITO/ZnO/PbS/PbS-EDT/Au architecture. This was achieved by inserting an atomic layer deposition (ALD)-processed ZnO<sub>x</sub> interlayer between the indium tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) layers, and a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) interlayer between the PbS-1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) and gold (Au) top electrode. The ALD-ZnO<sub>x</sub> layer resolved the issue of incomplete coverage of ZnO nanoparticles caused by morphological non-uniformity and poor wettability, where the nanoparticles failed to conformally coat the geometric features of the patterned ITO. As a result, pinhole formation at the ITO|ZnO interface was effectively suppressed, thereby strengthening the interfacial adhesion. Consequently, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) retention of approximately 96% was achieved after 1,000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 5&#xa0;mm, demonstrating significantly superior mechanical durability compared to the device without the ZnO<sub>x</sub> interlayer. Furthermore, by exploiting the hydrophobic characteristics of the MWNT layer, device degradation induced by moisture and oxygen exposure under ambient conditions was effectively mitigated, yielding a PCE retention of approximately 95% after 30 days of storage. These results demonstrate that a targeted dual-interface engineering strategy-combining ALD-derived conformal oxide interlayers with hydrophobic carbon nanotube networks-offers a practical route to maintaining reliable photovoltaic energy conversion performance in flexible PbS QD devices under both mechanical and environmental stress, advancing their suitability for wearable and portable energy-harvesting applications.</p>

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Dual-Interface Stabilization Enables Mechanically Robust and Air-Stable Flexible PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月20日

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  • Hyung Cheoul Shim

摘要

Flexible photovoltaic devices based on lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are attracting growing interest as compact, lightweight energy-harvesting platforms for wearable electronics and off-grid applications. The solution-processable nature of PbS QDs and their size-tunable bandgap spanning the near-infrared region make them particularly suited to thin-film photovoltaic energy conversion. However, interface instability in flexible device architectures limits long-term energy conversion performance under both mechanical stress and ambient exposure. In this study, a dual interfacial stabilization strategy was employed to simultaneously enhance the bending durability and ambient stability of PbS QD-based flexible solar cells with a PET/ITO/ZnO/PbS/PbS-EDT/Au architecture. This was achieved by inserting an atomic layer deposition (ALD)-processed ZnOx interlayer between the indium tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) layers, and a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) interlayer between the PbS-1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) and gold (Au) top electrode. The ALD-ZnOx layer resolved the issue of incomplete coverage of ZnO nanoparticles caused by morphological non-uniformity and poor wettability, where the nanoparticles failed to conformally coat the geometric features of the patterned ITO. As a result, pinhole formation at the ITO|ZnO interface was effectively suppressed, thereby strengthening the interfacial adhesion. Consequently, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) retention of approximately 96% was achieved after 1,000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 5 mm, demonstrating significantly superior mechanical durability compared to the device without the ZnOx interlayer. Furthermore, by exploiting the hydrophobic characteristics of the MWNT layer, device degradation induced by moisture and oxygen exposure under ambient conditions was effectively mitigated, yielding a PCE retention of approximately 95% after 30 days of storage. These results demonstrate that a targeted dual-interface engineering strategy-combining ALD-derived conformal oxide interlayers with hydrophobic carbon nanotube networks-offers a practical route to maintaining reliable photovoltaic energy conversion performance in flexible PbS QD devices under both mechanical and environmental stress, advancing their suitability for wearable and portable energy-harvesting applications.