Self-assembly of CdTe Nanowires for Solar Cells Under a 550 nm Wavelength Light

The incorporation of cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanowire photovoltaics offers the possibility to overcome energy loss in solar cells associated with minority carrier recombination, and to increase optical efficiency by reducing reflection. In this study, CdTe nanowires (NWs) were synthesized from individual nanoparticles encapsulated with thioglycolic acid (TGA) and 1-thioglycerol (TGC) via self-assembly under illumination by a 550 nm wavelength light. This wavelength resulted in the self-assembly of nanoparticles into nanowires. TGA-stabilized CdTe NWs (TGA-NWs) and TGC-stabilized CdTe NWs (TGC-NWs) that made up the self-assembly were different crystalline structures. Most of the produced nanowires were straight and varied in length from 1.2 to 3.9 µm. The oxidation of Te2− in CdTe nanoparticles under a 550 nm wavelength light resulted in the assembly of nanowires consisting of several layers of individual nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to characterize the synthesized nanostructures. Photoluminescence analysis showed that the wavelength of the nanostructures was slightly blue-shifted.