Advances in Novel Solar Energy Nanomaterials and Technical Applications: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Solar Energy and Solar Cells".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editors
2. Centre of Excellence in Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Processes of the Institute of New Technologies, CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: functional nanomaterials; paper electronics; advanced functional materials; thin film solar cells; nanotechnologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: materials; photovoltaics; thin-film silicon; perovskites; microfluidics; SERS; biosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We warmly invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue titled "Advances in Novel Solar Energy Nanomaterials and Technical Applications: 2nd Edition".
Micro- and nanostructured materials have played a fundamental role in the increase in photovoltaic solar cells' efficiency in recent years. Examples include plasmonic enhancement, reflection enhancement, light scattering, and enhanced carrier collection efficiency, among others. One reason for this is that micro- and nanostructures can significantly enhance light harvesting in the near-infrared and infrared regions of the solar spectrum. On the other hand, the incorporation of nanoparticles in solar cells has led to the development of several novel cell concepts with disruptive importance in the PV field, such as perovskite solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, intermediate band solar cells, epitaxial solar cells, nanowire solar cells, organic heterojunction solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dots, and up- and down-converters. Additionally, solution-processed solar cells incorporating nanostructures have improved performance and enabled flexible cells that can be mass-produced via roll-to-roll techniques.
This Special Issue aims to present a comprehensive collection of works on improving the performance of photovoltaic solar cells through the application of micro- and nanostructures and micro/nanomaterials in solar cell fabrication. We invite authors to contribute original research and review articles covering recent progress in solar cell development.
Topics of interests include, but are not limited to, the following:
Solar Cell Technologies:
- quantum dot solar cells and photonic devices
- perovskite solar cells and devices
- dye-sensitized solar cells
- nanowire solar cells
- epitaxial solar cells
- hybrid solar cells
- thin film solar cells, including thin film silicon, and compound solar cells based on nanostructures
- nanostructured crystalline silicon solar cells
- tandem/multi-junction solar cells incorporating novel nanomaterials
- solution processed solar cells
Light Management and Enhancement:
- light-harvesting and -trapping enhancers
- up- and down-converters
Stability and Degradation:
- nanomaterial strategies for enhanced device stability and lifetime
- encapsulation and degradation mechanisms in nanostructured solar cells
Characterization and Theoretical Studies:
- advanced characterization techniques for nanoscale photovoltaic materials (e.g., in situ TEM, ultrafast spectroscopy)
- computational modeling and AI-driven design of novel solar nanomaterials
Integration and Technical Applications:
- integration of nanostructured solar cells into buildings (BIPV), vehicles, and wearable electronics
- novel applications of nanostructured photovoltaic devices beyond traditional energy generation
Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Martins
Dr. Hugo Aguas
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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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.
Keywords
- photovolatics
- solar cells
- nanomaterials
- nanostructures
- light harvesting
- light management
- plasmonic
- interface engineering
- carrier multiplication
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