Third-Generation Solar Cells: Concept, Materials and Performance - An Overview

Ananthakumar, Soosaimanickam; Kumar, Jeyagopal Ram; Babu, Sridharan Moorthy

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04474-9_7

Soosaimanickam Ananthakumar^8,9,
Jeyagopal Ram Kumar^8,10 &
Sridharan Moorthy Babu⁸

Part of the book series: Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World ((ECSW,volume 23))

1917 Accesses
20 Citations

Abstract

The large scarcity of natural fuels in earth crust has triggered to search alternative energy reservoirs for the future generation of human life. Because of large abundancy, solar energy is considered as big hope for the future generation energy utilization for commercial as well as home applications. The scientific revolution achieved in synthesis and processing of semiconductor nanomaterials, organic conducting polymers have led into new dimension in fabrication of future-generation solar cells. Reduction in the dimension of semiconductor nanomaterials significantly influences on their structural and optical properties which is helpful for the excellent photon harvesting. Also, their large surface area is further favourable to assist with the attachment of several organic or inorganic compounds in order to functionalize them effectively. Developments that have been made in semiconducting organic polymers still encourage the fabrication of highly efficient, flexible solar cell devices on conducting substrates. Formation of nanocomposites, hybrids, alloy system, doping, etc. are successfully carried out on different kinds of inorganic semiconductor nanomaterials for the photovoltaic applications. The day-by-day improvement in terms of efficiency and new materials development predicts that the breakthrough to achieve highly stable, high-efficiency solar cell is about the near future. In this aspect, this chapter summarizes the development in the solar cells research of each category with general aspects. The important parameters and process that affects the performance of each category is outlined.

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge DST (DST/TMC/SERI/FR/90), Govt. of India and DST-PURSE for funding the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

Crystal Growth Centre, Anna University, Chennai, India
Soosaimanickam Ananthakumar, Jeyagopal Ram Kumar & Sridharan Moorthy Babu
Instituto de Ciencia de los Materiales (ICMUV), Universidad de Valencia, Calle Catedratico Jose Beltran, Valencia, 46980, Spain
Soosaimanickam Ananthakumar
Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
Jeyagopal Ram Kumar

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Soosaimanickam Ananthakumar
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Jeyagopal Ram Kumar
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Sridharan Moorthy Babu
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Correspondence to Soosaimanickam Ananthakumar .

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Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
Saravanan Rajendran
Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mu. Naushad
Energy Materials, CSIR Materials Science and Manufacturing, Pretoria, South Africa
Kumar Raju
Univ. Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, ISEN, Univ. Valenciennes, UMR 8520 – IEMN, Lille, France
Rabah Boukherroub

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Ananthakumar, S., Kumar, J.R., Babu, S.M. (2019). Third-Generation Solar Cells: Concept, Materials and Performance - An Overview. In: Rajendran, S., Naushad, M., Raju, K., Boukherroub, R. (eds) Emerging Nanostructured Materials for Energy and Environmental Science. Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04474-9_7

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04474-9_7
Published: 08 February 2019
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04473-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04474-9
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