About this Research Topic
The current energy crisis in the world has made great attention to photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion technology. The available photovoltaic, for instance, Si-based solar technology is presently the most established in manufacturing. The traditional processes of fabricating the first generation of solar cells are expensive and sophisticated setting commercial limitations to their application. Thereby, the third-generation of solar cells including dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, tandem solar cells, organic solar cells, and currently emerging hybrid perovskite solar cells is the most representative and shows great potential for high-performance solar cells. Integrating the new nanostructured metal oxide materials in the third generation of solar cells are the biggest challenge for scientists due to their unique characteristics at nano dimensions compared to those of bulk or single particle species. Based on these problems, the development of new nanostructured oxide materials with p-type and n-type conduction, having different morphologies such as spherical, triangular, star, nanowires, nanotubes, nanorods, etc., obtained through different sintering methods and integrated in the third-generation of solar cells is considered one of the most promising approaches.
Among the various energy harvesting ways, solar cell technology has gained attractive attention due to its key role in global energy transformations. For this purpose, various metal oxide-based nanostructured materials have been utilized in the development of third-generation solar cells over first and second-generation solar cells. Starting from the disadvantages of each class of solar cells that are part of the third generation, (e.g. perovskite solar cells are instability in water and incompetent performance in a humid environment, quantum dot solar cells can be easily destabilized in the presence of photons, which diminishes the overall performance under ambient air and dye-sensitized solar cells are limited to materials with limited dye loading capability and low long-term stability of dyes, etc), development of new metal oxide based nanostructured materials for low-cost and highly efficient solar cells using different synthesis methods with different morphologies can be the key that leads to a new dimension in the fabrication of future-generation solar cells. The goal of this Research Topic will focus on the recent developments and prospects toward metal-oxide nanomaterial synthesis and applications based on theoretical and experimental studies. We hope that this may provide avenues and directions for the future advancement of high-performance and low-cost third-generation photovoltaic solar cells.
This Research Topic is aimed to demonstrate the latest progress using a different method for the fabrication and characterization of nanostructured metal oxide materials, followed by the demonstration of their innovative applications in third-generation of photovoltaic solar cells (e.g. dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, tandem solar cells, organic solar cells, and hybrid perovskite solar cells). Furthermore, it is intended to create an open space for debate and invites the whole community of academic and industrial researchers involved in both fundamental studies and applied solutions to share recent findings, views, and expectations in this challenging field of research of metal oxide materials and their integration in third-generation of photovoltaic solar cells. The more specific research areas of interest include but are not limited to:
• Advances in the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured metal oxides
• Design and fabrication of metal oxide heterostructures
• Charge Transport/ Oxygen vacancy engineering in Metal Oxide Interfaces
• New methods for deposition of thin film nanostructured metal oxides
• Study of electro-chemical properties of metal oxide interfaces nanostructured materials
Among the various energy harvesting ways, solar cell technology has gained attractive attention due to its key role in global energy transformations. For this purpose, various metal oxide-based nanostructured materials have been utilized in the development of third-generation solar cells over first and second-generation solar cells. Starting from the disadvantages of each class of solar cells that are part of the third generation, (e.g. perovskite solar cells are instability in water and incompetent performance in a humid environment, quantum dot solar cells can be easily destabilized in the presence of photons, which diminishes the overall performance under ambient air and dye-sensitized solar cells are limited to materials with limited dye loading capability and low long-term stability of dyes, etc), development of new metal oxide based nanostructured materials for low-cost and highly efficient solar cells using different synthesis methods with different morphologies can be the key that leads to a new dimension in the fabrication of future-generation solar cells. The goal of this Research Topic will focus on the recent developments and prospects toward metal-oxide nanomaterial synthesis and applications based on theoretical and experimental studies. We hope that this may provide avenues and directions for the future advancement of high-performance and low-cost third-generation photovoltaic solar cells.
This Research Topic is aimed to demonstrate the latest progress using a different method for the fabrication and characterization of nanostructured metal oxide materials, followed by the demonstration of their innovative applications in third-generation of photovoltaic solar cells (e.g. dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, tandem solar cells, organic solar cells, and hybrid perovskite solar cells). Furthermore, it is intended to create an open space for debate and invites the whole community of academic and industrial researchers involved in both fundamental studies and applied solutions to share recent findings, views, and expectations in this challenging field of research of metal oxide materials and their integration in third-generation of photovoltaic solar cells. The more specific research areas of interest include but are not limited to:
• Advances in the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured metal oxides
• Design and fabrication of metal oxide heterostructures
• Charge Transport/ Oxygen vacancy engineering in Metal Oxide Interfaces
• New methods for deposition of thin film nanostructured metal oxides
• Study of electro-chemical properties of metal oxide interfaces nanostructured materials
Keywords: Metal Oxides, Nanostructures, Thin films, Third-generation solar cell, Photovoltaic performance
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
