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Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Renewable Energy Application

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Handbook of Polymer and Ceramic Nanotechnology

Abstract

Renewable solar cell energy is a key target for the development of sustainable energy that is inexhaustible and nonpolluting for our energy systems. To bring more solar-related technologies to the point of commercial readiness and viability in terms of performance and cost, substantial research on the development of highly efficient renewable solar cell energy systems is needed. Recent studies have indicated that graphene is a relatively novel material with unique properties that could be applied in photoanode and counter electrode components as an efficient electrode. In fact, the atom-thick 2D structure of graphene provides extraordinarily high conductivity, repeatability, and productivity, and prolongs the lifetime of related solar cell applications. Ongoing efforts have been exerted to further improve the graphene textural and electronic properties by loading an optimum content of metal oxide photocatalyst for high-efficiency renewable solar cell energy systems. In the field of photocatalysis today, metal oxide-based nanocomposites have emerged as efficient photocatalysts in renewable energy applications because of their unique characteristics, such as high stability against corrosion, nontoxicity, good photocatalytic properties, and ready availability. However, the high efficiency of graphene-based nanocomposites as photoanode/counter electrode requires a suitable architecture that minimizes electron loss at nanostructure connections and maximizes photon absorption. Notably, graphene-based nanocomposites of photoanode/counter electrode will benefit photon absorption, charge separation, and charge carrier transport. In this chapter, different strategies of synthesis and characterization analyses for graphene-based nanocomposites. as well as its prospects in solar cell-related applications, are reviewed in detail. Indeed, innovative new approaches and synthesis of high-quality graphene-based nanocomposites are crucial for determining the potential of the material for efficient photoanodes and counter electrodes in solar cell-related applications. This chapter also addresses the challenges and perspectives, in terms of efficiency breakthrough, and the current limitations of solar cell-related technology applications.

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Acknowledgments

This research work was financially supported by BOLD2025 Initiative (RJ010289176) under Universiti Tenaga Nasional Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, Universiti Malaya Research Grant (RP045B-17AET), and Universiti Malaya Research Fund Assistance (BKP) (BKP096-2016) from the University of Malaya.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (The National Energy University), Kajang Selangor, Malaysia

    Foo Wah Low, Sieh Kiong Tiong & Nowshad Amin

  2. Nanotechnology & Catalysis Research Centre (NANOCAT), University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Chin Wei Lai

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  1. Foo Wah Low
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  2. Chin Wei Lai
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  3. Sieh Kiong Tiong
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  4. Nowshad Amin
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Correspondence to Chin Wei Lai .

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  1. Dept. of Chemistry and EVSC, New Jersey InstTech, 151 D Tiernan-NJIT, Newark, NJ, USA

    Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain

  2. Centre for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India

    Sabu Thomas

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Low, F.W., Lai, C.W., Tiong, S.K., Amin, N. (2019). Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Renewable Energy Application. In: Hussain, C., Thomas, S. (eds) Handbook of Polymer and Ceramic Nanotechnology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10614-0_26-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10614-0_26-1

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