Abstract
To date, extensive studies have been done on solar cells on how to harness the unpleasant climatic condition for the binary benefits of renewable energy sources and potential energy solutions. Photovoltaic (PV) is considered as, not only as the future of humanity’s source of green energy, but also as a reliable solution to the energy crisis due to its sustainability, abundance, easy fabrication, cost-friendly and environmentally hazard-free nature. PV is grouped into first, second and third-generation cells. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), classified as third-generation PV, have gained more ground in recent times. This is linked to their transparency, high efficiency, shape, being cost-friendly and flexibility of colour. However, further improvement of DSSCs by quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) has increased their efficiency through the use of semiconducting materials, such as quantum dots (QDs), as sensitizers. This has paved way for the fabrication of semiconducting QDs to replace the ideal DSSCs with quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). Moreover, there are no absolute photosensitizers that can cover all the infrared spectrum, the infusion of QD metal sulphides with better absorption could serve as a breakthrough. Metal sulphides, such as PbS, SnS and CuS QDs could be used as photosensitizers due to their strong near infrared (NIR) absorption properties. A few great dependable and reproducible routes to synthesize better QD size have attained much ground in the past and of late. The injection of these QD materials, which display (NIR) absorption with localized surface plasmon resonances (SPR), due to self-doped p-type carriers and photocatalytic activity could enhance the performance of the solar cell. This review will be focused on QDs in solar cell applications, the recent advances in the synthesis method, their stability, and long term prospects of QDSSCs efficiency.
Highlights
Energy production, distribution and sustainability have become one of the pressing challenges in underdeveloped countries
Size have attained much ground in the past and of late. The injection of these quantum dots (QDs) materials, which display (NIR) absorption with localized surface plasmon resonances (SPR), due to self-doped p-type carriers and photocatalytic activity could enhance the performance of the solar cell
This review will be focused on QDs in solar cell applications, the recent advances in the synthesis method, their stability, and long term prospects of quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) efficiency
Summary
Distribution and sustainability have become one of the pressing challenges in underdeveloped countries. Third-generation solar cells using near-infrared (NIR) material quantum dots, such as PbS, CuS and SnS, could play a vital role in increasing conversion efficiency. The oxidized electrolyte is recycled back by donating oxidized electrons through the cycling circuit in the cell Semiconductor materials, such as CuS, SnS, PbS, are commonly used to fabricate quantum dots (QDs) [6,17]. PbS, CuS and SnS with low narrow bandgaps have been highlighted as a current hotspot in energy conversion research (see Table 1) Their easy reproducibility, cost-friendliness, stability and promising performances have made researchers attracted to these semiconductors [24]. The emission spectrum further cemented the narrow size possession of the material (as seen in Figure 4) [47]
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