Three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructures have demonstrated enticing potency to boost performance of photovoltaic devices primarily owning to the improved photon capturing capability. Nevertheless, cost-effective and scalable fabrication of regular 3-D nanostructures with decent robustness and flexibility still remains as a challenging task. Meanwhile, establishing rational design guidelines for 3...

Despite significant improvements in the performance of organic photovoltaic devices in recent years, the tradeoff between light absorption and charge separation efficiency remains pervasive; increasing light absorption by increasing the device thickness leads to a decrease in exciton diffusion efficiency and vice versa. In this thesis, I demonstrate organic solar cells with an external light ab...

A successful transfer of organic photovoltaic technologies from lab to fab has overcome a range critical challenges such as developing high-mobility light-harvesting materials, minimizing the upscaling losses, designing advanced solar modules, controlling film quality, decreasing overall cost, and extending long-operation lifetime. To realize large-area devices toward practical applications, mu...

DANIEL BROSNAN: Comparison of Anatase Titania to Titanate Nanotubes in a Thin-Film Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Liquid and Solid Electrolyte (Under the direction of Professor Laurie McNeil) In this project, the properties of anatase titanium dioxide and titanate nanotubes were compared with respect to their function as a constituent material for the active layer of a dye-sensitized solar cell...

We present a review of the basic features of polycrystalline thin-film CdTe solar cells and modules and then survey the outstanding fundamental issues and research challenges for application of this materials system to photovoltaic devices.

A new wurtzite phase Cu(2)ZnSnS(4) was discovered and the corresponding nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized. They have been characterized in detail and showed the photoelectric response, which demonstrated their potential in the application of photovoltaic devices.

using photovoltaic systems is gradually expanded by increasing energy demand. abundance and availability of this energy, has turned to one of the most important sources of renewable energy. unfortunately, photovoltaic systems have two big problems: first, those have very low energy conversion efficiency (in act between 12 and 42 percent under certain circumstances). second, the power produced b...

multiwall carbon nanotubes (mwcnts) are grown via chemical vapour deposition method directly on a stainless steel substrate. raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy are the techniques chosen to characterize the structure of the synthesized carbon nanotubes: few structural defects are detected. after their removal from the stainless steel substrate, the as-grown mwcnts are then a...