Rational Design of Solar Cells for Efficient Solar Energy Conversion

Abstract

Preface Solar cell technology is a potential alternative to overcome the issues related to energy demand and environmental pollution caused by fossil fuels. Dye‐sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, polymer solar cells, perovskite solar cells, and quantum dot solar cells are promising next‐generation alternative renewable energy technology to substitute for fossil fuels and other energy sources due to their high performance, ease of fabrication, long‐term stability, and low manufacturing cost. This new book gathers and surveys a variety of novel ideas that have emerged in the fields of dye‐sensitized solar cells, organic solar cells, polymer solar cells, perovskite solar cells, and quantum dot solar cells from over forty experts in the interdisciplinary areas of chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering and widely explores the materials development and device fabrication in the field of solar cells to achieve higher solar energy conversion efficiency. This book presents a collection of twelve chapters written by researchers who are the leading experts in their fields of research and they explain the strategies needed to overcome the challenges in solar cell fabrication. The first chapter of this book is a succinct summary of the state of the art of the fabrication of plasmonic nanoparticles incorporated into photoanodes for dye‐sensitized solar cells. Chapters 2 and 3 focus more on the aspects of sensitization processes with cosensitizer and natural dyes, and their impact in dye‐sensitized solar cells. Chapters 4 and 5 explore the durability, stability, and performance enhancement strategies needed to adapt polymer and gel electrolytes for use in in dye‐sensitized solar cells. Chapters 6 and 7 discuss the details of replacing the expensive platinum counterelectrode with alternative electrocatalysts to minimize the fabrication cost of dye‐sensitized solar cells. Chapters 8–10 address the key challenges in the fabrication and possible strategies to improve the efficiency of the polymer solar cells with different approaches. Chapter 11 summarizes the possible methodologies to fabricate perovskite solar cells from laboratory scale to industrial scale. Chapter 12 presents the possible role of biomolecules and their charge transfer dynamics in quantum dot solar cells.