Chapter 10 - Metal dithiocarbamates as useful precursors to metal sulfides for application in quantum dot-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

Energy generation from nonrenewable sources is currently a matter of great concern because of problems such as global warming, environmental degradation, water pollution, emergence of new diseases, and depletion of ozone layer. Semiconductor solar cell materials are intended to serve as alternatives to fossil fuels. Quantum dot-sensitized solar cell is one of the areas with increasing research focus in the field of PV solar cell that holds potential progress. Metal sulfides, including binary and ternary metal sulfides, have been applauded in the field of inorganic chemistry for energy conversion and storage applications. These compounds have properties suitable for solar cell application, including high electrochemical activity, excellent redox reversibility, capacitance, and conductivity. The synthesis of metal sulfide nanoparticles from complexes, as precursors, have produced excellent yield of the nanoparticles. Some of these complexes, such as the metal dithiocarbamate, are easily decomposed to afford metal sulfides of different optical and structural properties. They have been utilized as precursors to a wide variety of binary and multicomponent metal sulfides. These nanomaterials have wide potential in the field of PV solar cells that holds potential progress for the future generation solar cells.