energies-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

State-of-the-Art Materials toward Efficient Solar Energy Harvesting

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A2: Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 939

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
Interests: semiconductors; thin film solar cells; pv module power monitoring and evaluation, photocatalysts

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
Interests: metal oxides; composite materials; photocatalyst; sonocatalyst; advanced oxidation process; removal of organic and inorganic pollutants; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The energy and environmental crises continue to threaten the future of humanity, as the environmental impact of non-renewable energy sources will certainly affect the sustenance of the earth. Numerous sources of renewable energy have been studied, namely wind, biomass, tidal, and solar. Solar energy applications continue to be studied, particularly as the sun provides one of the most bountiful energy sources via its utilization as sunlight. The abundance of energy in sunlight allows many types of semiconductors to be employed as energy harvesters, spanning a wide range of solar radiation wavelengths to be exploited. Sunlight can be applied in numerous ways, as the cost-free energy source can be utilized by semiconductors to generate electricity in photovoltaic cells, to split water molecules to generate hydrogen and degrade pollutants via photocatalytic reactions. This Special Issue will focus on state-of-the-art materials that generate further variations of materials that may be employed in solar energy applications. Contributions to this Special Issue may attend to topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Semiconductors for solar energy application
  • Synthesis
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nanostructured thin films
  • Nanocomposites
  • Characterization and applications
  • Photovoltaic materials
  • Photodegradation
  • Hydrogen generation

Dr. Salh Alhammadi
Dr. Amr Hussein Mady Hussein
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. Energies 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

  • semiconductors for energy applications
  • thin film photovoltaic solar cell
  • solar energy
  • photocatalytic degradation
  • photocatalyst and electrocatalyst for hydrogen energy
  • nanomaterials/nanocomposite for energy harvesting

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 3052 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Properties of Nanostructure TiO2 Thin Film via Calcination Temperature for Solar Cell Application
by Nurliyana Mohamad Arifin, Ervina Efzan Mhd Noor, Fariza Mohamad, Norhidayah Mohamad and Nur Haslinda Mohamed Muzni
Energies 2024, 17(14), 3415; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17143415 - 11 Jul 2024
Viewed by 587
Abstract
In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) was deposited onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate using the sol–gel spin coating method. Through the implementation of calcination treatment on the thin film, enhancements were observed in terms of structural, optical, and morphological [...] Read more.
In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) was deposited onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate using the sol–gel spin coating method. Through the implementation of calcination treatment on the thin film, enhancements were observed in terms of structural, optical, and morphological properties. Various calcination temperatures were explored, with TiO2 annealed at 600 °C identified as the optimal sample. Analysis of the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) pattern revealed the prominent orientation plane of (101), indicating the presence of anatase TiO2 with a tetragonal pattern at this temperature. Despite fluctuations in the optical spectrum, the highest transmittance of 80% was observed in the visible region within the wavelength range of 400 nm. The estimated band-gap value of 3.45 eV reaffirmed the characteristic of TiO2. Surface analysis indicated the homogeneous growth of TiO2, uniformly covering the FTO substrate. Cross-sectional examination revealed a thickness of 263 nm with dense and compact nature of TiO2 thin film. No presence of defects or pores reflects a well-organized structure and high-quality formation. Significant electrical rectification properties were observed, indicating the successful formation of a p–n junction. In summary, calcination treatment was found to be crucial for enhancing the properties of the thin film, highlighting its significance in the development of solar cell applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Materials toward Efficient Solar Energy Harvesting)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Optimizing ZnFe2O4 Thin Films Sputtering Parameters for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Production via Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Process
Authors: Salh Alhammadi
Affiliation: Yeungnam University School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Gyeongbuk, Korea

Back to TopTop