1
|
Manjunatha C, Rastogi CK, Manmadha Rao B, Girish Kumar S, Varun S, Raitani K, Maurya G, Karthik B, Swathi C, Sadrzadeh M, Khosla A. Advances in Hierarchical Inorganic Nanostructures for Efficient Solar Energy Harvesting Systems. CHEMSUSCHEM 2024; 17:e202301755. [PMID: 38478710 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The urgent need to address the global energy and environmental crisis necessitates the development of efficient solar-power harvesting systems. Among the promising candidates, hierarchical inorganic nanostructures stand out due to their exceptional attributes, including a high specific surface area, abundant active sites, and tunable optoelectronic properties. In this comprehensive review, we delve into the fundamental principles underlying various solar energy harvesting technologies, including dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), photocatalytic, photoelectrocatalytic (water splitting), and photothermal (water purification) systems, providing a foundational understanding of their operation. Thereafter, the discussion is focused on recent advancements in the synthesis, design, and development of hierarchical nanostructures composed of diverse inorganic material combinations, tailored for each of these solar energy harvesting systems. We meticulously elaborate on the distinct synthesis methods and conditions employed to fine-tune the morphological features of these hierarchical nanostructures. Furthermore, this review offers profound insights into critical aspects such as electron transfer mechanisms, band gap engineering, the creation of hetero-hybrid structures to optimize interface chemistry through diverse synthesis approaches, and precise adjustments of structural features. Beyond elucidating the scientific fundamentals, this review explores the large-scale applications of the aforementioned solar harvesting systems. Additionally, it addresses the existing challenges and outlines the prospects for achieving heightened solar-energy conversion efficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Manjunatha
- Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Department of Chemistry, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - B Manmadha Rao
- Department of Physics, VIT-AP University, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - S Girish Kumar
- Centre for Nanomaterials and Devices, Department of Chemistry, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | - S Varun
- Department of Chemical Engineering, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | - Karthik Raitani
- Centre for Advanced Studies, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, India
| | - Gyanprakash Maurya
- Centre for Advanced Studies, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, India
| | - B Karthik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | - C Swathi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India
| | - Mohtada Sadrzadeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Water Research Lab (AWRL), University of Alberta, Canada
| | - Ajit Khosla
- School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang D, Li Y, Ding Y, Jia X, Zhong D, Zhang X, Zhao J, Fang Y. Facile Synthesis of a Multifunctional SnO 2 Nanoparticles/Nanosheets Composite for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:44578-44585. [PMID: 38046349 PMCID: PMC10688124 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c04472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Synthesizing SnO2 composite nanostructures via a facile one-step method has been proven to be a great challenge. By adjusting operating variables, such as the reaction solution's pH and solvent type, several SnO2 nanostructures, in particular, a function-matching SnO2 hybrid structure composed of irregular zero-dimensional nanoparticles (NPs) and two-dimensional nanosheets (NSs), could be created. The as-prepared SnO2 composites were then characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to determine their physical properties. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) constructed with the resultant multifunctional SnO2 NPs/NSs composite exhibited the highest overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.16% among all products with a corresponding short-circuit current density of 18.6 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage of 0.626 V. The improved performance can be attributed to the combined effects of each component in the composite, i.e., the intentionally introduced nanosheets provide desired electron transport and enhanced light scattering capability, while the nanoparticles retain their large surface area for efficient dye absorption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dongting Wang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Yuchen Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Yimin Ding
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Xiangchen Jia
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Daopeng Zhong
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Xianxi Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Jinsheng Zhao
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory
of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | | |
Collapse
|