Nanotechnological Advancement in Energy Harvesting and Energy Storage with Hybridization Potentiality

Decaying sources of non-renewable energy (fossil fuel) turned the research focus to other natural renewable resources. Among these, solar power is advantageous in terms of area and maintenance cost. However, the high installation cost of conventional solar cells restricts individual uses; alternatively, lightweight and flexible solar cells evolved. Among them, Dye-Sensitized Solar-Cell (DSSC) are inexpensive and considered nanotechnological advancement. Step-by-step improvisation of the photo-conversion efficiency has been discussed in light of nanoengineering on metal oxides. Simultaneously, the dependence of wavelength on the choice of dye has also been focused opting for a particular application field. Energy storage device (solid-state batteries and/or supercapacitors) is an inevitable part of solar-cell for ensured use at required time and space. With the help of nanotechnology, the major problems of storage efficiency are critically pointed out with possible way-out. In this connection, the adopted nanoengineering aspects are extensively discussed considering improvements in the battery capacity, cycle life, and charge and discharge cycles with the highest degree of safety. Linking with the nanostructures, the nanotubular array provides a higher specific surface area maximizing the performance for both the DSSCs and energy-storage devices, as anode material. Again, the unidirectionality of the carrier transport path enhances electron collection. The present endeavor includes such research instances probing towards the amalgamation of these two technologies to indicate the futuristic direction of the self-chargeable storage unit. The present scope is designed broadly in three sections, where the first section deals with the step-by-step improvement of DSSC with a prime focus on the oxide nanotube-based photoanode. The second section deliberates on the research trends for storage devices with the nanotube-based anode. In the last section, the unification of these two technologies within a single chip or area using a common anode is the main emphasis to enhance the utility and green approach for the future world. 

Keywords: Energy harnessing, Energy storage, DSSC, Li-ion battery, Na-ion Battery, In-situ charging, In-built energy storage.