Core/Shell Quantum-Dot-Based Solar-Driven Photoelectrochemical Cells

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are promising for a variety of optoelectronic applications due to their size/shape/composition optical properties. Among various QDs, the core/shell QDs have demonstrated improved optical properties and enhanced photo-/chemical stability with respect to the bare QDs. Specifically, the band structure of the core/shell QDs can be tailored by choosing the appropriate core and shell material, changing the chemical composition, or varying the shell thickness. In this chapter, we review the recent advances of the synthetic approaches, optical properties engineering, and charge dynamics of core/shell QDs with type I, type II, and quasi-type II band structure and highlight their application in solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. The device performance of these core/shell QD-based PEC cells is discussed in detail and their prospective developments toward future device optimizations and commercialization are proposed as well.