The Effect of Semiconductor Materials on Solar Cell Efficiency

The purpose of this project was to increase the efficiency of solar cells through the use of quantum dots and nanoparticles. These substances would increase the efficiency of the semiconductor. The research hypothesis stated that if lead iodide was applied to the semiconductor, then the average voltage, amperage, power, and efficiency of the solar cells would increase. The procedure for this project involved creating a lead iodide and titanium dioxide mixture with dimethylformamide, ethanol, acetylacetone, and Triton X-100 in an autoclave. Then, two milliliters of each solution were applied to cadmium selenide quantum dots to make four different solutions. Each material was tested on three solar panels with the use of a voltmeter to measure voltage and amperage. Power was calculated by multiplying the amperage by voltage, and efficiency was calculated by putting the volts generated by the panels over the volts applied by the light. The data were analyzed with ANOVA which showed little significance of adding in materials with p-values higher than 0.90. T-tests were conducted between the lead iodide and control which showed significance by the t-value being lower than the t-critical (two-tailed). It was found that the lead iodide supported the amperage and power sections of the hypothesis, but not the hypothesis as a whole. The control dominated voltage and efficiency, but the lead iodide was more consistent. However, as a whole, the use of lead iodide did not support the hypothesis.