The Frontiers of Nanomaterials (SnS, PbS and CuS) for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications: An Exciting New Infrared Material
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Department of Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
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Fort Hare Institute of Technology, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
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Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2019, 24(23), 4223; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24234223
Received: 7 October 2019
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Revised: 11 November 2019
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Accepted: 12 November 2019
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Published: 20 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Nanochemistry)
To date, extensive studies have been done on solar cells on how to harness the unpleasant climatic condition for the binary benefits of renewable energy sources and potential energy solutions. Photovoltaic (PV) is considered as, not only as the future of humanity’s source of green energy, but also as a reliable solution to the energy crisis due to its sustainability, abundance, easy fabrication, cost-friendly and environmentally hazard-free nature. PV is grouped into first, second and third-generation cells. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), classified as third-generation PV, have gained more ground in recent times. This is linked to their transparency, high efficiency, shape, being cost-friendly and flexibility of colour. However, further improvement of DSSCs by quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) has increased their efficiency through the use of semiconducting materials, such as quantum dots (QDs), as sensitizers. This has paved way for the fabrication of semiconducting QDs to replace the ideal DSSCs with quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). Moreover, there are no absolute photosensitizers that can cover all the infrared spectrum, the infusion of QD metal sulphides with better absorption could serve as a breakthrough. Metal sulphides, such as PbS, SnS and CuS QDs could be used as photosensitizers due to their strong near infrared (NIR) absorption properties. A few great dependable and reproducible routes to synthesize better QD size have attained much ground in the past and of late. The injection of these QD materials, which display (NIR) absorption with localized surface plasmon resonances (SPR), due to self-doped p-type carriers and photocatalytic activity could enhance the performance of the solar cell. This review will be focused on QDs in solar cell applications, the recent advances in the synthesis method, their stability, and long term prospects of QDSSCs efficiency.
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Keywords:
nanomaterials; metals sulphides; synthesis; near-infrared materials; DSSCs
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MDPI and ACS Style
Meyer, E.L.; Mbese, J.Z.; Agoro, M.A. The Frontiers of Nanomaterials (SnS, PbS and CuS) for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications: An Exciting New Infrared Material. Molecules 2019, 24, 4223. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24234223
AMA Style
Meyer EL, Mbese JZ, Agoro MA. The Frontiers of Nanomaterials (SnS, PbS and CuS) for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications: An Exciting New Infrared Material. Molecules. 2019; 24(23):4223. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24234223
Chicago/Turabian StyleMeyer, Edson L., Johannes Z. Mbese, and Mojeed A. Agoro. 2019. "The Frontiers of Nanomaterials (SnS, PbS and CuS) for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Applications: An Exciting New Infrared Material" Molecules 24, no. 23: 4223. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24234223
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