Ambroz, Filip;
(2021)
Structural and Surface Modifications of Nanomaterials for Energy Applications.
Doctoral thesis (Eng.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
While renewable energy systems are currently on the rise, there are many projections stating that fossil fuels will still remain the dominant energy source for the next few decades. In order for the energy transition to take place promptly, the cost of generating energy from renewable sources has to be in line or lower compared to fossil fuels. Of the renewable energy alternatives that are available, solar energy is by far the most abundant and widely distributed source of energy generation. However, this type of energy is intermittent and has to be combined with energy storage technology, which has, in the last decade, developed significantly. In this thesis, research has focused on materials modification, synthesis, and utilization for solar cells. At first, TiO2 1D (one-dimensional) nanomaterials were synthesized, which are n-type materials, typically used for charge transportation (electron extraction) in a solar device configuration. Properties of these nanomaterials were modified by the addition of <12 nm gold nanoparticles (NPs), which can further improve energy conversion efficiency. The choice of using NPs for TiO2 modification was additionally expanded towards lanthanum and lithium metal ions, which were separately combined for the creation of a composite material. Characterisation was then performed using techniques that are widely employed for materials science research. In addition, nanomaterials were implemented for solar devices, and two different types were fabricated: dye-sensitized, and perovskite solar cells. Finally, research was expanded towards the synthesis of perovskite nanocrystals, which were produced using a novel, low energy, and scalable approach. In this thesis, challenges in the field of photovoltaics are addressed by exploiting the field of nanotechnology, with the aim to improve the performance of solar cells.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Eng.D |
| Title: | Structural and Surface Modifications of Nanomaterials for Energy Applications |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134503 |
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