NANOMATERIALS FOR SOLAR ENERGY APPLICATION

Abstract

IN RECENT YEARS, NANOMATERIALS HAVE EMERGED AS ALTERNATIVE BUILDING BLOCKS TO CONSTRUCT LIGHT ENERGY HARVESTING ASSEMBLIES, AS THE DIMENSIONALITY OF NANOMATERIALS COULD BE EASILY MANIPULATED FOR OPTIMIZED PROPERTIES AND PERFORMANCE. IN THIS THESIS, FACILE METHODS WERE DEVELOPED TO PREPARE VARIOUS LIGHT-HARVESTING NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS FOR SOLAR ENERGY APPLICATIONS. IN CHAPTER 3, PRE-SYNTHESIZED CDS NANOCRYSTALS WERE ASSEMBLED ON A TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING SUBSTRATE VIA ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION AND THE DEPOSITED FILM WAS EXAMINED AS A PHOTO-DETECTOR. IN CHAPTER 4, ELECTROCHEMICALLY PREPARED TIO2 NANOTUBE ARRAYS AND PBS DECORATED TIO2 NANOTUBE ARRAYS WERE STUDIED FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF ORGANIC DYES. IN CHAPTER 5, CDS/TIO2 NANOCOMPOSITES WERE PREPARED BY USING A CDS MOLECULAR PRECURSOR AND TIO2 NANOPARTICLES. THESE WERE TESTED FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC HYDROGEN PRODUCTION. IN CHAPTER 6, DIRECT GROWTH OF CIS NANOCRYSTALS ON MESOPOROUS TIO2 FILM WAS PERFORMED BY USING SUCCESSIVE IONI