Special Issue "Solar Cells"

Guest Editor
Dr. Andrés G. Muñoz
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Department Solar Energy (SE5), Glienicker Str. 100, D-14109 Berlin, Germany
Website: http://www.hmi.de/pubbin/vkart.pl?v=yduqz
E-Mail:
Interests: photovoltaic; charge carrier transport dynamics; solid-state junctions; energy conversion; photovoltaic materials; silicon technology

The special issue Solar Cells is dedicated to recent advances made in basic research and technology of solar energy conversion systems. This issue compiles original and review papers covering a broad interdisciplinary spectrum on topics in solid state photodevices, charge carrier dynamics, new photovoltaic materials, quantum-dots based solar cells, nano-dimensioned photo-structures, mimetic systems, hydrogen photogeneration, organic and exiton solar cells and also innovative systems based on silicon technology.

Related Special Issues in other Journals

Solar Cells in Energies

Submission

All papers should be submitted to ijms@mdpi.org. To be published continuously until the deadline and papers will be listed together at the special issue website.

Submitted papers should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors is available on the Instructions for Authors page. The International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed monthly journal published by Molecular Diversity Preservation International.

Open Access publication fees are 800 CHF per paper. English correction fees and/or formatting fees (250 CHF) will be added in certain cases (1050 CHF per paper for those papers that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections).

• photovoltaic
• charge carrier transport dynamics
• solid-state junctions
• energy conversion
• photovoltaic materials
• silicon technology

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Acetylene-Based Materials in Organic Photovoltaics: A New Triple-Bond Conception
Authors: Fabio Silvestri ¹ and Assunta Marrocchi ^2,*
Affiliations: ¹ Department of Materials Science, University of Milan-Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, I-20125 Milan, Italy
² Department of Chemistry, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, I-60123 Perugia, Italy
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: assunta@unipg.it
Abstract: Fossil fuel alternatives, such as solar energy, are moving to the forefront in a variety of research field. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) systems hold the promise for a lightweight, flexible, cost-effective solar energy conversion platform, which could benefit from simple solution-processing of the active layer. The discovery of semiconductive polyacetylene by Heeger et al. in the late 1970s is a milestone towards the use of organic materials in electronics; the development of efficient protocols for the palladium-catalyzed alkynylation reactions, and the new conception of steric and conformational advantages of acetylenes have been recently focused the attention on conjugated triple-bond containing systems as a promising class of semiconductors for OPVs applications. We review here the latest achievements in this field.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Di Wei
Affiliations: NOKIA Research Centre c/o Nanoscience Centre,University of Cambridge, 11 JJ Thomson Av., CB3 0FF, Cambridge, UK.
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: di.wei@nokia.com
Abstract: Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is the only solar cell that can offer both the flexibility and transparency. Its efficiency is comparable to amorphous silicon solar cells but with a much lower cost. This review not only covers the fundaments of DSSC but also the related cutting-edge research and its development for industrial applications. Most recent research topics on DSSC, for example, nanostructured TiO2, ZnO electrodes, ionic liquid electrolytes, solid state DSSC are all included.