Metal oxide materials could offer earth-abundant, non-toxic alternatives to existing light-absorber materials in thin-film photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical cells. However, efficiency of these devices based on existing metal oxides is typically low due to poor material properties. In this research, novel Sb:SnO2 nanorod and nanotube electron collectors have been synthesized, investigated and were used to improve the photo-conversion efficiency of top-performing BiVO4 photoelectrochemical cell. The performance of Sb:SnO2/BiVO¬4 photoanode achieved a new record for the product of light absorption and charge separation efficiencies (ηabs × ηsep) of ~ 57.3% and 58.5% under front- and back-side illumination at 0.6 VRHE and Sb:SnO2/BiVO¬4 PV cell achieved 1.22% solar power conversion efficiency. In addition, a new promising metal oxide material (CuBiW2O8) has been synthesized and its optoelectronic properties have been investigated to make photovoltaic cell which has potential to achieve over 30% solar power conversion efficiency.

Creator

• Zhou, Lite

Mitwirkende

• Cote, Danielle
• Wang, Yan
• Rao, Pratap M.
• Sisson, Richard D.
• Deskins, N Aaron
• Titova, Lyubov

Degree

• PhD

Unit

• Materials Science & Engineering

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• etd-041619-150446

Stichwort

• nanotechnology
• photoelectrochemical water splitting
• metal oxides

Advisor

• Rao, Pratap M.

Committee

• Deskins, N. Aaron
• Wang, Yan
• Titova, Lyubov
• Sisson, Richard D., Jr.
• Cote, Danielle

Defense date

• 2019-03-19

Year

• 2019

Date created

• 2019-04-16

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Zuletzt geändert

• 2023-11-07