Low-Dimensional ZnO Nanostructures: Fabrication, Optical Properties, and Applications for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanostructure has a wide bandgap energy of 3.37 eV and a large exciton binding energy of 60 meV at room temperature. It is certainly a promising material for photonic devices in the ultraviolet to blue wavelength range. ZnOrelated materials are also expected to construct the exciton as well as polariton lasers owing to their excitonic-stimulated emission and laser behavior under optically pumping can be obtained at ambient temperature. Because of the optical losses, including not only nonradiative recombination centers but also traps of excitons, the high quality of ZnO becomes even more imperative in the excitonic lasing processes. In the present chapter, ZnO nanowire structures via a low-pressure vapor-phase deposition and a simple solvothermal method will be presented. The one-dimensional ZnO nanowires could afford a direct conduction pathway to significantly enhance the overall efficiency of the dye-sensitized solar cells. Furthermore, this content will demonstrate how to employ the hierarchical structure of the ZnO nanoparticles, fabricated from sol-gel method, which could promote light scattering, thus, enhancing photon absorption and the overall solar conversion efficiency. The aim of this chapter is to present the correlation between the fundamental properties of ZnO nanostructures and their photovoltaics performances.