Semiconductor Nanowires and Their Applications in Photoenergy
1University College London, London, UK
2University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
3Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
4Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
5Central South University, Changsha, China
Semiconductor Nanowires and Their Applications in Photoenergy
Description
Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are nanoscale materials that have been envisioned to have applications in next-generation devices to enhance functionality, perform in superior ways, and allow for high integrability and reductions in cost. This is due to their unique growth modes and one-dimensional geometry, which can provide a promising solution to the problems caused by the bottle necks that occur in traditional thin-film technologies, e.g., the challenges to integrate III-V materials into Si. NWs also offer new ways to construct novel structures with advanced functionality that are not attainable in thin-film technologies. The NWs are highly suitable for applications in photoenergy, as they can provide superior solar energy harvesting functions compared with thin-film devices, including antireflection, large absorption cross sections, light trapping, and advanced carrier generation and separation mechanisms. In recent years, research into semiconductor NWs has rapidly developed and has been extensively investigated in a wide range of photoenergy applications, including photodetectors, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and thermoelectrics.
In this special issue, we aim to collate recent and original progress in semiconductor nanowires and their applications in photoenergies.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Semiconductor nanowire synthesis: physical and chemical growth methods of all semiconducting materials including, but not limited to, group IV, III-V, II-VI, and oxides
- Nanowire growth modeling
- Advanced microscopy (TEM, APT, and electron holography) applied to nanowires
- Optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of nanowires
- Sensors and actuators: chemical, biological, optical, and microfluidic
- Energy conversion and storage: photovoltaic, thermoelectric, electrochemical, batteries, and supercapacitors