The ordered tin disulfide (SnS2) nanowire arrays were first fabricated by sulfurizing the Sn nanowires, which are embedded in the nanochannels of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. SnS2nanowire arrays are highly ordered and highly dense. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and corresponding selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns demonstrate the SnS2nanowire is hexagonal polycrystalline. The study of UV/Visible/NIR absorption shows the SnS2nanowire is a wide-band semiconductor with three band gap energies (3.3, 4.4, and 5.8 eV).

We present a novel absorber material—NaSbS2—for solar cells. NaSbS2 is formed as an unexpected byproduct in the chemical synthesis of Sb2S3. However, NaSbS2 has many attractive features for a solar material. Here single phase NaSbS2 nanoparticles were synthesized through solution processing. NaSbS2 semiconductor-sensitized solar cells were demonstrated for the first time. The best cell yielded Jsc = 10.76 mA/cm2, Voc = 0.44 V, FF = 48.6%, and efficiency η = 2.30% under 1 sun. At the reduced 0.1 sun, the η increased to 3.18%—a respectable η for a new solar material.

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Arrays of 60-nm-diameter pores are synthesized by the electrochemical anodization of an aluminum substrate. Fe is electrodeposited in the pores to obtain the nanowire arrays. X-ray diffraction patterns and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) show that the deposited material is pure iron. The Fe nanowire arrays possess a body-centered-cubic structure, and the wire direction of the nanowire arrays is orientated along the [110] direction. In the present study, we report the preferred [110] orientation along Fe nanowires with a diameter of 60 nm with values of parallel and perpendicular remanent magnetization of 0.4 and 4 memu, respectively.

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We present a new ternary semiconductor absorber material -Ag 3 SbS 3 -for solar cells. Ag 3 SbS 3 nanoparticles were grown on mesoporous TiO 2 electrodes using a two-stage successive ionic layer adsorption reaction process. Post annealing transformed the double-layered structure into the Ag 3 SbS 3 phase. The energy gap of the synthesized Ag 3 SbS 3 nanoparticles is estimated to be ∼1.5-1.7 eV. Liquid-junction semiconductor-sensitized solar cells were fabricated from the synthesized nanoparticles using a polysulfide electrolyte. The best cell yielded a short-circuit current density J sc of 11.47 mA/cm 2 , an open-circuit voltage V oc of 0.33 V, a fill factor FF of 38.92%, and a power conversion efficiency η of 1.47% under 1 sun. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) spectrum covered the spectral range of 300-850 nm with a maximal EQE = 80% at λ = 500 nm. At the reduced light intensity of 13% sun, the η increased to 2.18% with J sc = 2.46 mA/cm 2 (which could be normalized to 18.9 mA/cm 2 ). The respectable photovoltaic performance indicates that Ag 3 SbS 3 could be a potential solar absorber material. Semiconductor-sensitized solar cells (SSSCs) have drawn a great deal of attention due to their potential application as a low-cost alternative to Si-based photovoltaic sources. The key component of an SSSC is a mesoporous oxide nanoparticles (usually TiO 2 ) coated with a layer of nanostructured light-absorbing semiconductor. An electrolyte is filled into the porous space of the TiO 2 electrode to complete the charge redox process. Depending on the electrolyte, SSSCs can be classified into two types: solid-state SSSCs (also referred to as extremely thin absorber solar cell-ETA) or liquid-junction SSSCs. The most widely used semiconductor absorber materials are the binary metal chalcolgenides such as CdS, CdSe, PbS, Ag 2 S, Sb 2 S 3 , etc.1-5 These nanostructured semiconductor sensitizers have several advantages including (1) tunable absorption range due to the quantumsize effect, 6 (2) large optical absorption coefficient, 7 and (3) multiple electron-hole pairs produced by a single photon. 8 The highest efficiencies achieved for single-layered binary metal chalcogenide sensitizers are ∼5-7%.9-12 Slightly better efficiencies can be obtained for double-layered core-shell binary sensitizers. [13][14][15] In contrast to binary sensitizers, ternary semiconductors are a relatively unexplored subject. Ternary semiconductors are more difficult to synthesize because there are three elements involved and the stoichiometry must be correct. There are several advantages for ternary semiconductor sensitizers: (1) the energy gap E g can be tuned by varying the ratio among the three elements, (2) large optical absorption coefficients near 10 4 -10 5 cm −1 , and (3) many ternary semiconductors have E g near the optimal E g ∼ 1.4 eV for an optimal solar absorber. 16 However, only a small number of ternary semiconductors, such as CuSbS 2 , Pb-Sb-S, AgInS 2 , AgBiS 2 etc., have been employed as solar absorbers in SSSCs to date (the wi...