Graphene Based Hybrid Nanocomposites for Solar Cells

Over the last few years, due to its exceptional two-dimensional (2D) structure, graphene has played a key role in developing conductive transparent devices and acquired significant attention from scientists to get placed as a boon material in the energy industry. Graphene-based materials have played several roles, including interfacial buffer layers, electron/hole transport material, and transparent electrodes in photovoltaic devices. Apart from charge extraction and electron transportation, graphene protects the photovoltaic devices from atmospheric degradation through its 2D network and offers long-term air or environmental stability. This chapter focuses on the recent advancements in graphene and its nanocomposites-based solar cell devices, including dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), organic solar cells (OSCs), and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We further discuss the impact of incorporating graphenebased materials on the power conversion efficiency for each type of solar cell. The last section of this chapter highlights the potential challenges and future research scope of graphene-based nanocomposites for solar cell applications.

Keywords: Bulk heterojunction, Carbon nanotubes, Dye-sensitized solar cells, Electron transport layer, Graphene, Graphene oxide, Graphene quantum dots, Hole transport layer, Organic solar cells, Open circuit voltage, Perovskite solar cells, Reduced graphene oxide.