Synthesis and characterization of CuInS2 quantum dot in the presence of novel precursors and its application in dyes solar cells

In this work, CuInS2 (CIS) quantum dot was successfully synthesized with the aid of carminic acid-Cu(II) as a novel copper precursor and thioglycolic acid (TGA( as a capping agent, sulfide source, and reducing agent in order to reduce Cu2+ to Cu+ by a hydrothermal method. Carminic acid extracted from cochineal dye to synthesize copper precursor. Furthermore, in order to investigate the effect of different dyes and CIS-QDs on the solar cell yield, several experiments were performed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.