State-of-the-Art Nanomaterials for Solar Cells

Dear Colleagues,

The use of nanostructures in solar cells has become an attractive route for achieving efficiencies higher than the experimental values reported for devices without nanostructures. An important advantage of nanomaterials is that their electrical and optical properties can be tailored as a function of nanostructure size, shape, composition, etc., which can result in improved device performance. In this sense, the application of nanostructures into solar cells can result in higher photon absorption and thereby higher efficiencies. However, the introduction of nanostructures often results in the reduction in the open-circuit voltage of the device as a consequence of recombination losses due to carrier confinement, which means it is quite challenging to achieve the goal of solar cell efficiencies higher than 30% for a single junction. To date, new nanomaterials and their properties need to be explored for applications in solar cells. Consequently, experimental and theoretical research regarding the application of nanostructures to solar cells is currently being carried out. In order to provide the scientific community with interesting results related to the application of nanostructures to solar cells, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled “State-of-the-Art Nanomaterials for Solar Cells”. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts related to nanomaterials’ synthesis and the optimization of their properties for applications to solar cells, the processing of nanostructured solar cells, as well as the use of theoretical approaches which contribute to a better understanding of routes for nanostructured solar cell optimization and novel solar cell proposals.  

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Manuscripts can address the following topics (but are not limited to them):

• The application of nanostructures such as quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots to solar cells.
• The synthesis, characterization, and optimization of nanomaterials for solar cell processing.
• The fabrication of nanostructured solar cells via chemical and physical routes.
• Experimental and theoretical proposals of new nanomaterials that allow an intermediate band formation to promote the photon absorption of solar cells.
• Studies regarding the incorporation of semiconductor nanomaterials such as Perovskite, Kesterite, Chalcogenides, etc., on solar cells.
• The application of nanostructures to Intermediate-Band Solar Cells (IBSCs).
• Theoretical approaches for nanostructured solar cell simulation.
• Organic Solar Cells.
• Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
• Flexible and Thin-Film Solar Cells.

Prof. Dr. Maykel Courel
Dr. Soumyaranjan Routray
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials 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 2400 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.