Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

CdTe; Nanofabrication; Nanotube Arrays; Nanowire Solar Cells; Photovoltaics; Solar Cells; CdTe nanorods; Solar cells; Patterned growth; Nanorod arrays; Photovoltaic

Abstract

"Over the past decade extensive research has been carried out on photovoltaic semiconductors to provide a solution towards a renewable energy future. Fabricating high-efficiency photovoltaic devices largely rely on nanostructuring the photoabsorber layers due to the ability of improving photoabsorption, photocurrent generation and transport in nanometer scale. Vertically aligned, highly uniform nanorods and nanowire arrays for solar energy conversion have been explored as potential candidates for solar energy conversion and solar-fuel generation owing to their enhanced photoconversion efficiencies.

However, controlled fabrication of nanorod and especially nanotube arrays with uniform size and shape and a pre-determined distribution density is still a significant challenge. In this research work, we demonstrate how to address this issue by fabricating nanotube arrays by confined electrodeposition on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes defined through electron beam as well as nanosphere photolithography. This simple technique can lay a strong foundation for the study of novel photovoltaic devices because successful fabrication of these devices will enhance the ability to control structure-property relationships. The nanotube patterns fabricated by this method could produce an equivalent amount of photocurrent density produced by a thin film like device while having less than 10% of semiconducting material coverage. This project also focused on solar fuel generation through photoelectrocatalytic water splitting for which efficient electrocatalysts were developed from non-precious elements. Lastly, a protocol was developed to disperse these electrocatalysts into a butadiene based polymeric catalytic ink and further processing to yield free-standing catalytic film applicable for water electrolysis”--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Nath, Manashi

Committee Member(s)

Choudhury, Amitava
Winiarz, Jeffrey G.
Leventis, Nicholas
Kinzel, Edward C.

Department(s)

Chemistry

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Chemistry

Comments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Materials Research Center at Missouri S&T and the UM Research Board for financial support.
The authors would like to acknowledge NSF (DMR-1710313) and American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (54793-ND10) for financial support.

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2019

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Patterned electrodeposition of CdTe nanorod and nanotube arrays for solar cells
  • Fabrication of CdTe nanorod arrays over large area through patterned electrodeposition for efficient solar energy conversion
  • Growth of ordered nanostructure arrays including nanotubes and nanorods for high efficiency solar cells
  • CdS-CdTe heterojunction nanotube arrays for efficient solar energy conversion
  • CuInSe2 nanotube arrays for efficient solar energy conversion
  • Copper selenides as high-efficiency electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction
  • Fabrication of multifunctional ferromagnetic Au3Pd-CoSe nanoparticles
  • A free standing catalyst film for electrocatalytic applications

Pagination

xix, 265 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographic references.

Rights

© 2019 Wipula Priya Rasika Liyanage, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12034

Electronic OCLC #

1313117348

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