Nanowires/Graphene Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Applications

Abstract

Photovoltaic received immense attention as the technology offers a clean, inexhaustible and cheap energy production applicable in a broad range. The basic working of a photovoltaic (PV) cell is summarized in this chapter. While silicon is the primary semiconducting material in the PV technology, recent developments are in the PV materials for cost-effective and better efficient materials. Various kinds of solar cells have developed in the past decade. Whereas various factors have affected the performance of a solar cell, photoanodes used in PV cells are the most critical component. This chapter deals with the investigation of various transparent conductive electrode (TCE) materials for photovoltaic applications that can replace indium tin oxide (ITO) which is the most widely used material because of its high transparency and excellent optoelectronic properties. Optical, electrical and power efficiency of various semiconductor Nanowire/Graphene nanocomposites are overviewed in this chapter.