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Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion
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Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 2997

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Si-Ming Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science WW4-LKO, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Martensstraße 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Interests: hierarchical structure; photocatalysis; photoelectrocatalysis; porous materials; energy conversion; semiconductors
Prof. Dr. Xiao-Yu Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: hierarchical materials; catalysis; self-assembly

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid increase in global energy consumption and the environmental impact of traditional energy resources pose serious challenges to human health, energy security, and environmental protection. An attractive route to solving these crises involves the conversion of solar energy into transportable chemical fuels, such as methanol, methane and hydrogen fuels. These processes would use sunlight, water and CO2. Nanostructured materials with well-defined properties have been widely used as catalysts for solar energy conversion. Additionally, significant interest has been devoted to the design and synthesis of nanostructured nanomaterials for improving solar conversion efficiency. This Special Issue plans to give an overview of the most recent advances in the field of nanostructured materials, highlighting their applications in solar energy conversion. Our object is to survey timely progress in this field, focusing in particular on the unique physicochemical properties of advanced nanomaterials and the underlying mechanisms that render enhanced efficiency in solar energy conversion.

Dr. Si-Ming Wu
Prof. Dr. Xiao-Yu Yang
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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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

  • nanomaterials
  • semiconductors
  • porous materials
  • energy conversion
  • photocatalysis
  • photoelectrocatalysis
  • water splitting
  • CO2 reduction

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 7526 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Oxidation Susceptibility in Ambient Air of the Semiconductor Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanopowders Made by Mechanochemical Synthesis Method
by Katarzyna Lejda, Magdalena Ziąbka, Zbigniew Olejniczak and Jerzy Franciszek Janik
Materials 2023, 16(18), 6160; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16186160 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 796
Abstract
The often overlooked and annoying aspects of the propensity of no-oxygen semiconductor kesterite, Cu2ZnSnS4, to oxidation during manipulation and storage in ambient air prompted the study on the prolonged exposure of kesterite nanopowders to air. Three precursor systems were [...] Read more.
The often overlooked and annoying aspects of the propensity of no-oxygen semiconductor kesterite, Cu2ZnSnS4, to oxidation during manipulation and storage in ambient air prompted the study on the prolonged exposure of kesterite nanopowders to air. Three precursor systems were used to make a large pool of the cubic and tetragonal polytypes of kesterite via a convenient mechanochemical synthesis route. The systems included the starting mixtures of (i) constituent elements (2Cu + Zn + Sn + 4S), (ii) selected metal sulfides and sulfur (Cu2S + ZnS + SnS + S), and (iii) in situ made copper alloys (from the high-energy ball milling of the metals 2Cu + Zn + Sn) and sulfur. All raw products were shown to be cubic kesterite nanopowders with defunct semiconductor properties. These nanopowders were converted to the tetragonal kesterite semiconductor by annealing at 500 °C under argon. All materials were exposed to the ambient air for 1, 3, and 6 months and were suitably analyzed after each of the stages. The characterization methods included powder XRD, FT-IR/UV-Vis/Raman/NMR spectroscopies, SEM, the determination of BET/BJH specific surface area and helium density (dHe), and direct oxygen and hydrogen-content analyses. The results confirmed the progressive, relatively fast, and pronounced oxidation of all kesterite nanopowders towards, mainly, hydrated copper(II) and zinc(II) sulfates, and tin(IV) oxide. The time-related oxidation changes were reflected in the lowering of the energy band gap Eg of the remaining tetragonal kesterite component. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion)
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Review

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25 pages, 3730 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Synthesis and Application of Vacancy-Ordered Halide Double Perovskite Materials for Solar Cells: A Promising Alternative to Lead-Based Perovskites
by Santhosh Murugan and Eun-Cheol Lee
Materials 2023, 16(15), 5275; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16155275 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
Lead-based halide perovskite materials are being developed as efficient light-absorbing materials for use in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). PSCs have shown remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency, increasing from 3.80% to more than 25% within a decade, showcasing their potential as a promising [...] Read more.
Lead-based halide perovskite materials are being developed as efficient light-absorbing materials for use in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). PSCs have shown remarkable progress in power conversion efficiency, increasing from 3.80% to more than 25% within a decade, showcasing their potential as a promising renewable energy technology. Although PSCs have many benefits, including a high light absorption coefficient, the ability to tune band gap, and a long charge diffusion length, the poor stability and the toxicity of lead represent a significant disadvantage for commercialization. To address this issue, research has focused on developing stable and nontoxic halide perovskites for use in solar cells. A potential substitute is halide double perovskites (HDPs), particularly vacancy-ordered HDPs, as they offer greater promise because they can be processed using a solution-based method. This review provides a structural analysis of HDPs, the various synthesis methods for vacancy-ordered HDPs, and their impact on material properties. Recent advances in vacancy-ordered HDPs are also discussed, including their role in active and transport layers of solar cells. Furthermore, valuable insights for developing high-performance vacancy-ordered HDP solar cells are reported from the detailed information presented in recent simulation studies. Finally, the potential of vacancy-ordered HDPs as a substitute for lead-based perovskites is outlined. Overall, the ability to tune optical and electronic properties and the high stability and nontoxicity of HDPs have positioned them as a promising candidate for use in photovoltaic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Solar Energy Conversion)
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