Highly Functional TNTs with Superb Photocatalytic, Optical, and Electronic Performance Achieving Record PV Efficiency of 10.1% for 1D‐Based DSSCs

Qadir, Muhammad Bilal; Li, Yuewen; Sahito, Iftikhar Ali; Arbab, Alvira Ayoub; Sun, Kyung Chul; Mengal, Naveed; Memon, Anam Ali; Jeong, Sung Hoon

doi:10.1002/smll.201601058

Cited by 34 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(116 reference statements)

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“…The utilization of solar energy, which is a powerful, affordable, and renewable energy source, for energy production and pollutant elimination, is regarded as the best solution to these critical problems . Therefore, much effort has been devoted toward converting solar energy into an applicable energy medium through various technologies, such as photocatalysis, solar cells, photoelectrochemical cells, and so on . Among them, photocatalysis has emerged as one of the most promising photoconversion technologies because of its ability to directly utilize solar energy for producing solar fuels such as hydrogen (H 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), methanol (CH 3 OH), formic acid (HCOOH), and formaldehyde (CH 2 O), and alleviating environmental pollution .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

et al. 2017

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Recently, great attention has been paid to fabricating direct Z‐scheme photocatalysts for solar‐energy conversion due to their effectiveness for spatially separating photogenerated electron–hole pairs and optimizing the reduction and oxidation ability of the photocatalytic system. Here, the historical development of the Z‐scheme photocatalytic system is summarized, from its first generation (liquid‐phase Z‐scheme photocatalytic system) to its current third generation (direct Z‐scheme photocatalyst). The advantages of direct Z‐scheme photocatalysts are also discussed against their predecessors, including conventional heterojunction, liquid‐phase Z‐scheme, and all‐solid‐state (ASS) Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems. Furthermore, characterization methods and applications of direct Z‐scheme photocatalysts are also summarized. Finally, conclusions and perspectives on the challenges of this emerging research direction are presented. Insights and up‐to‐date information are provided to give the scientific community the ability to fully explore the potential of direct Z‐scheme photocatalysts in renewable energy production and environmental remediation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

et al. 2017

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“…[1] However, the majority of PV cell types, such as Si, [2] CuIn x Ga 1−x Se y S 1−y (CIGS), [3] Cu 2 ZnSnS 4−x Se x (CZTS), [4] GaAs, [5] CdTe, [6] dye-sensitized (DSSC), [7] perovskite, [8] and organic solar cells, [9] still suffer from low external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the UV wavelength region due to surface and direct bandgap with facile and wide tunability. [1] However, the majority of PV cell types, such as Si, [2] CuIn x Ga 1−x Se y S 1−y (CIGS), [3] Cu 2 ZnSnS 4−x Se x (CZTS), [4] GaAs, [5] CdTe, [6] dye-sensitized (DSSC), [7] perovskite, [8] and organic solar cells, [9] still suffer from low external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the UV wavelength region due to surface and direct bandgap with facile and wide tunability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enhancing energy conversion efficiency is one of the most important issues in today's global solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in which great effort and research have been made toward achieving higher conversion efficiency at lower production cost . However, the majority of PV cell types, such as Si, CuIn x Ga 1− x Se y S 1− y (CIGS), Cu 2 ZnSnS 4− x Se x (CZTS), GaAs, CdTe, dye‐sensitized (DSSC), perovskite, and organic solar cells, still suffer from low external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the UV wavelength region due to surface reflection, scattering, and thermalization losses, which limit conversion efficiency . These losses are mostly caused by the energy difference between the incident UV photons (>3.2 eV) and bandgap of PV cells (1.0–1.6 eV) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One‐Pot Gram‐Scale, Eco‐Friendly, and Cost‐Effective Synthesis of CuGaS₂/ZnS Nanocrystals as Efficient UV‐Harvesting Down‐Converter for Photovoltaics

Jalalah

Al-Assiri

Park

2018

Advanced Energy Materials

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reflection, scattering, and thermalization losses, which limit conversion efficiency. [10] These losses are mostly caused by the energy difference between the incident UV photons (>3.2 eV) and bandgap of PV cells (1.0-1.6 eV). [11] If these photons are not surface reflected, their excess energy will be adversely dissipated in cells as heat via the nonradiative relaxation of the photoexcited electronhole pairs leading to further limitations and faster degradation of PV cells. [12] One of the most promising approaches to overcome these limitations is to implement the surfaces of PV devices with an energydownshift quantum-dot (EDS-QD) layer to harvest the wasted UV photons and reemit them at visible wavelengths absorbed more efficiently by PV cells. [13] Moreover, EDS-QDs have been well demonstrated as an effective layer that boosts the energy density, then the usage active area of PV cells could be reduced by the same percentage of enhancement in PV efficiency for a defined amount of power. Due to the enhanced efficiency along with the low cost of preparing EDS-QDs, the cost of PV electricity generation could be effectively minimized. [1d,14] For the abovementioned reasons, the concept of the EDS-QD layer was proposed for solar energy conversion for both increasing the efficiency and lessening the cost.Motivated by these purposes and attracted by their excellent optical properties, Cd-based core/shell QDs, such as CdSe/ CdS, [13c,15] CdSe/CdZnS, [16] CdSe/ZnS, [11b] and Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S/ ZnS [13b,17] QDs have been used recently as EDS layers. However, the relying on the Cd-based QDs in commercial solar cells has been limited due to two main reasons; the toxicity of Cd metal ions [18] and the self-reabsorption losses within their QDs. [13a] For the latter, Mn-doped Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S/ZnS QDs have been introduced more recently [13a,14a] as an excellent EDS-QD layer having free-self-reabsorption with large Stokes shift, yet with environmentally hazardous Cd material. [19] As a result, the quest for nontoxic high photoluminescence-quantum yield (PLQY) and the zero-self-reabsorption EDS-QD layer is a priority for their commercial applications.Alternatively, chalcogenide CIGS is one of the most promising semiconductor materials for EDS-QD layers due to its beneficial properties of large absorption coefficient (10 5 cm −1 ), [20] eco-friendly nature, [19,21] long-term stability, [22] It is presented for the first time nontoxic CuGaS 2 /ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with free-self-reabsorption losses and large Stokes shift (>190 nm) synthesized on an industrially gram-scale as an alternative for Cd-based energydownshift (EDS)-QD layers. The QDs exhibit a typical EDS that absorbs only UV light (<407 nm) and emits the whole range of visible light (400-800 nm) with a high photoluminescence-quantum yield of ≈76%. The straightforward application of these EDS-QDs on the front surface of a monocrystalline p-type silicon solar cell significantly enhances the short-circuit current density by ≈1.64 mA cm −2 (+4.20%); thereby, improving ...

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“…For instance, they possess enhanced light scattering and absorption because of the high length‐to‐diameter ratio. [ 67 ] In addition, the 1D geometry endows materials with more efficient ballistic charge transport along the axial direction than the diffusive transport in powdered materials, which can facilitate the transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. [ 68 ] Furthermore, 1D materials can also act as the spacers or substrates to prevent 2D nanosheets from restacking, thereby endowing large specific surface area and high stability.…”

Section: Rational Design Of Heterojunctions Based On 2d Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterojunction Photocatalysts Based on 2D Materials: The Role of Configuration

Yao

Hu³

et al. 2020

Advanced Sustainable Systems

158

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Semiconductor photocatalysis is currently attracting tremendous attention as it holds great potential to address the issues of energy shortage and environmental pollution. 2D materials are excellent candidates for photocatalysis owing to their attractive structural and electronic properties. However, practical applications of 2D materials are still hindered due to limitations, such as fast electron–hole recombination and poor redox ability, both of which lead to low efficiency of photocatalytic reactions. Constructing a heterojunction is the most widely used strategy to solve these problems. In particular, heterojunctions composed of 2D materials interfaced with other semiconductors of different dimensionalities can integrate the respective advantages and mitigate the drawbacks of each component. Hence, this review focuses on the recent developments in the rational design of 2D material‐based heterojunction photocatalysts with different configurations. The synthetic strategies, physicochemical properties, component functions, photocatalytic mechanisms, and applications of these heterojunctions are systematically summarized. Emphasis is placed on correlations between photocatalytic performance and heterojunction configuration. Finally, the ongoing challenges and potential directions for future development of 2D material‐based heterojunction photocatalysts are also proposed.

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Highly Functional TNTs with Superb Photocatalytic, Optical, and Electronic Performance Achieving Record PV Efficiency of 10.1% for 1D‐Based DSSCs

Cited by 34 publications

References 83 publications

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

One‐Pot Gram‐Scale, Eco‐Friendly, and Cost‐Effective Synthesis of CuGaS₂/ZnS Nanocrystals as Efficient UV‐Harvesting Down‐Converter for Photovoltaics

Heterojunction Photocatalysts Based on 2D Materials: The Role of Configuration

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Highly Functional TNTs with Superb Photocatalytic, Optical, and Electronic Performance Achieving Record PV Efficiency of 10.1% for 1D‐Based DSSCs

Cited by 34 publications

References 83 publications

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

One‐Pot Gram‐Scale, Eco‐Friendly, and Cost‐Effective Synthesis of CuGaS2/ZnS Nanocrystals as Efficient UV‐Harvesting Down‐Converter for Photovoltaics

Heterojunction Photocatalysts Based on 2D Materials: The Role of Configuration

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One‐Pot Gram‐Scale, Eco‐Friendly, and Cost‐Effective Synthesis of CuGaS₂/ZnS Nanocrystals as Efficient UV‐Harvesting Down‐Converter for Photovoltaics