Balancing Electron Transfer and Surface Passivation in Gradient CdSe/ZnS Core–Shell Quantum Dots Attached to ZnO

Core–shell (CS) quantum dots (QDs) are promising light absorbers for solar cell applications mainly because of their enhanced photostability compared with bare QDs. Moreover, the superb photostability can be combined with a low number of defects by using CSQDs with a gradient composition change from the core to the shell. Here, we study electron injection from the gradient CSQDs to ZnO nanoparticles. We observe the typical exponential injection rate dependence on the shell thickness (β = 0.51 Å^–1) and discuss it in light of previously published results on step-like CSQDs. Despite the rapid drop in injection rates with shell thickness, we find that there exists an optimum thickness of the shell layer at ∼1 nm, which combines high injection efficiency (>90%) with a superior passivation of QDs.