Recent Progress in Solar Cells Based on Nanomaterials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Solar Energy and Solar Cells".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 April 2025 | Viewed by 1675

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
2. Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182–8585, Japan
Interests: quantum dots; solar cell; carrier dynamics; perovskite solar cell; photodetector; LED

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Guest Editor Assistant
School of Physics and Electronic Information, Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
Interests: perovskite solar cell; quantum dot solar cell; photophysical properties of quantum dots

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solar cells are devices that convert sunlight into electricity, and they are widely regarded as a promising renewable energy source. However, their cost and efficiency still need to be improved to become more competitive and accessible. Nanomaterials, which are materials with at least one dimension in the nanometer range, offer new possibilities to enhance the performance of solar cells by exploiting their unique physical and chemical properties. Nanomaterials can be used to improve the light absorption, charge transport, charge separation, and stability of solar cells, as well as to create novel device architectures and concepts.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent progress in solar cells based on nanomaterials, covering various types of nanomaterials, such as metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanowires, nanotubes, graphene, perovskites, and organic nanomaterials, as well as various types of solar cells, such as silicon, thin-film, dye-sensitized, organic, and hybrid solar cells. The Special Issue will also highlight the challenges and opportunities for the future development of nanomaterial-based solar cells, such as the synthesis, characterization, integration, and optimization of nanomaterials; the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and phenomena; the scaling-up and fabrication of devices; and the environmental and economic impacts of nanomaterials.

The Special Issue welcomes original research articles, review articles, and perspective articles that report the latest advances, discoveries, and insights in the field of nanomaterial-based solar cells. The Special Issue also encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative research that bridges the gap between nanoscience, materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, and energy. The Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers, scientists, engineers, and practitioners to share their knowledge, experience, and vision on nanomaterial-based solar cells, and to inspire new ideas, innovations, and applications in this emerging and exciting field.

Dr. Chao Ding
Guest Editor

Dr. Hua Li
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • nanostructure
  • photovoltaics
  • solar cells
  • carrier dynamics
  • light harvesting
  • light management
  • interface engineering
  • surface chemistry

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2541 KiB  
Article
An Optimization Path for Sb2(S,Se)3 Solar Cells to Achieve an Efficiency Exceeding 20%
by Xiaoyong Xiong, Chao Ding, Bingfeng Jiang, Guanggen Zeng and Bing Li
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(17), 1433; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14171433 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1244
Abstract
Antimony selenosulfide, denoted as Sb2(S,Se)3, has garnered attention as an eco-friendly semiconductor candidate for thin-film photovoltaics due to its light-absorbing properties. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells has recently increased to 10.75%, but [...] Read more.
Antimony selenosulfide, denoted as Sb2(S,Se)3, has garnered attention as an eco-friendly semiconductor candidate for thin-film photovoltaics due to its light-absorbing properties. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells has recently increased to 10.75%, but significant challenges persist, particularly in the areas of open-circuit voltage (Voc) losses and fill factor (FF) losses. This study delves into the theoretical relationship between Voc and FF, revealing that, under conditions of low Voc and FF, internal resistance has a more pronounced effect on FF compared to non-radiative recombination. To address Voc and FF losses effectively, a phased optimization strategy was devised and implemented, paving the way for Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells with PCEs exceeding 20%. By optimizing internal resistance, the FF loss was reduced from 10.79% to 2.80%, increasing the PCE to 12.57%. Subsequently, modifying the band level at the interface resulted in an 18.75% increase in Voc, pushing the PCE above 15%. Furthermore, minimizing interface recombination reduced Voc loss to 0.45 V and FF loss to 0.96%, enabling the PCE to surpass 20%. Finally, by augmenting the absorber layer thickness to 600 nm, we fully utilized the light absorption potential of Sb2(S,Se)3, achieving an unprecedented PCE of 26.77%. This study pinpoints the key factors affecting Voc and FF losses in Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells and outlines an optimization pathway that markedly improves device efficiency, providing a valuable reference for further development of high-performance photovoltaic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Solar Cells Based on Nanomaterials)
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