Advanced Quantum Dot Intermediate Band Solar Cells
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2020) | Viewed by 4663
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
One of the inherent losses that limit the efficiency of conventional single-gap cells is their inability to absorb sub-bandgap photons, whose energy is lost before photovoltaic conversion. Although a variety of absorbing sub-bandgap cells have been proposed, these approaches have failed because they increase the current at the expense of reducing the output voltage. The intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) aims to overcome this problem by (1) generating a higher current (thanks to the extra, two-step absorption of sub-bandgap photons via a half-filled, electrically isolated intermediate band (IB) located within the semiconductor gap), which is injected (2) at a high voltage (limited by the bandgap and not by any of the two sub-gaps the IB divides it).
Quantum dots (QDs) are one of the approaches used to implement the IBSC concept. They are nanostructures in which carriers are confined to the three spatial directions and exhibit discrete energy levels separated from the conduction and valence bands by gaps with zero-density of states. A dense array of QDs makes the energy levels become an IB. This approach, called quantum dot intermediate band solar cell (QD-IBSC), has been recently used to experimentally prove, at room temperature, the physical principles (1) and (2) the operation that IBSC is based on.
This Special Issue aims to enhance our knowledge of QD-IBSCs. In an effort to improve the practical operation of these advanced, new generation photovoltaic devices, we welcome high-quality papers on novel scientific and technological approaches, reviews, and case studies.
Prof. Dr. Lucas Cuadra
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Intermediate band solar cells
- quantum dots
- new generation photovoltaics
- solar cell characterization
