Chapter 3: Fundamentals and Applications of Quantum-Confined Structures

The following sections are included: • Introduction • Quantisation effects in semiconductor nanostructures • Synthesis of semiconductor nanostructures • Quantum wells and superlattices • Colloidal quantum dots • Stranski-Krastanov epitaxial growth • Energy levels in quantum wells, superlattices and quantum dots • Quantum wells and superlattices • Quantum dots • Optical spectroscopy of quantum wells, superlattices and quantum dots • Quantum wells and superlattices • Quantum dots • Hot electron and hole cooling dynamics in quantum-confined semiconductors • Quantum wells and superlattices • Quantum dots • Experimental determination of cooling dynamics of phonon bottlenecks in QDs • High conversion efficiency via multiple exciton generation in quantum dots • Cooling dynamics in quantum dots • Electron-hole pair (exciton) multiplication in quantum dots • Theory of multiple exciton generation • Thermodynamic calculations of conversion efficiency in MEG QD solar cells • Detailed balance model • Single-bandgap PV cells • Tandem cells with two bandgaps for water splitting • Conclusions about conversion efficiencies with MEG solar cells • Quantum dot solar cell configurations • Photoelectrodes composed of quantum dot arrays • Quantum dot-sensitised nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cells • Quantum dots dispersed in organic semiconductor polymer matrices • Summary and conclusions • Acknowledgements • References.