Synthesis and characterization of PVP-capped CdSe nanoparticles embedded in PVA matrix for photovoltaic application

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) capped cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix are reported. PVP-CdSe nanoparticles are prepared by a non-aqueous method wherein cadmium chloride is used as the cadmium source and sodium selenate as the selenium source. The nanocomposites are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. XRD and TEM studies show the formation of cubic CdSe particles with an average size of 2.3 +/- 0.2 nm. The synthesized nanoparticles are dispersed in the PVA matrix and cast as self-standing flexible (PVP-CdSe)-PVA films. These films are characterized by optical absorption spectroscopy, by which optical band energy gaps as well as the average particle size of CdSe nanoparticles were calculated. The I-V characteristic curve of the (PVP-CdSe)-PVA film shows a photovoltaic cell-like behaviour. The electromotive force generated from the (PVP-CdSe)-PVA film as a function of light intensity was also studied.