Scientists develop first-of-its-kind ink process that transforms how we power our homes: ‘

May 19, 2025

Solar panels are invaluable to our clean energy transition, and researchers are exploring a variety of novel techniques to improve their efficiency and lower costs.

Quantum-dot photovoltaics offer some advantages in their design, such as a tunable bandgap, greater flexibility, and solution processing, according to a report by Tech Xplore, but there are still significant limitations to overcome.

Colloid quantum dots are tiny semiconductor particles that are synthesized in a colloid, or liquid solution. They’re created by breaking down bulk materials through chemical and physical processes that can be quite complex.

A group of international researchers recently published a study in Nature Energy showcasing their new method of synthesizing CQD films that could help make the material more commercially viable for use in solar cells.

They offer “extremely attractive size-dependent quantum properties as well as the compatibility with low-cost solution-based fabrication methods, which open up exciting possibilities for next-generation semiconductor materials especially in printable solar cells and optoelectronic devices,” Guozheng Shi and Zeke Liu, co-authors of the paper, told Tech Xplore.

“However, these potential applications are often overshadowed by the complex and expensive synthesis and manufacturing processes required to produce conductive CQD films.”

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As the report explained, their work was to facilitate the use of CQDs for large-area and efficient solar cells by introducing a new ink engineering approach to fabrication.

The particles need to be uniformly and tightly stacked to preserve quantum effects, Liu explained, and the current hot-injection techniques used were too expensive and complex for scalability.

Instead, they opted for a direct synthesis technique to prepare CQD inks using a polar solvent that replaced the previously complex synthesis process.

They controlled the “chemical environment of the ink, utilizing a solution chemistry engineering strategy for precise tuning of ionic configurations and functionality,” according to Liu.

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Previously, CQD layer costs ranged from $0.25 to $0.84 per watt-peak of power output, making them impractical for commercialization, the report noted.

Now, their new process resulted in “stable CQD inks with fewer defects, enabling the large-scale fabrication of quantum dot thin films and photovoltaic devices, all at a cost of less than $0.06/Wp.”

“These advances are crucial as they address the scalability and cost challenges that have long limited the widespread use of CQD solar cells,” Liu added.

Solar energy is an essential component in reducing reliance on burning dirty fuels, and it’s also a way to reduce energy costs for everyone, from utilities to homeowners.

According to the United Nations, about 29% of global electricity comes from renewable sources, and there’s potential for them to provide up to 90% of the world’s electricity by 2050.

Solar expansion already accounted for 42% of global renewable energy capacity in 2024, and the segment is estimated to surpass hydropower to become the largest renewable source of electricity by 2029.

The development of affordable, large-scale photovoltaics will be key in achieving those numbers, and this research is part of that quest.

“We will explore adapting the technology for various quantum dots, including low-toxicity variants, and flexible electronics,” added Liu. “Ultimately, our goal is to scale this technology for commercial production, reducing both costs and the environmental impact of quantum dot electronics.”

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