Lightweight computing technologies such as the Internet of Things and flexible wearable systems have penetrated our everyday lives exponentially in recent years. Without a question, the running of such electronic devices is a major energy problem. Generally, these devices need power within the range of microwatts and operate mostly indoors. Thus, it is appropriate to have a self-sustainable power source, such as the photovoltaic (PV) cell, which can harvest indoor light. Among other PV cells, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has immense capacity to satisfy the energy demands of most indoor electronics, making it a very attractive power candidates because of its many benefits such as readily available materials, relatively cheap manufacturing methods, roll-to-roll compatibility, easy processing capabilities on flexible substrates and exceptional diffuse/low-light performance. This review discusses the recent developments in DSSC materials for its indoor applications. Ultimately, the perspective on this topic is presented after summing up the current progress of the research.
Graphic abstract
Diabetes is a major chronic metabolic disorder globally and around of 285 million people are affected by the disease and the number is expected to double in the next two decades. The major focus of anti-diabetic therapies is to enhance insulin production, sensitivity and/or reduce the blood glucose level. Although several synthetic drugs have been developed as antidiabetic agents but their utility has been hampered due to their side effects and poor efficacy. In this scenario, research on natural products has been gained importance due their safety profile in toxicity studies. Terpenoids belong to an important class of natural products and several terpenoids have been reported as antidiabetic agents. Some of them are under various stages of pre-clinical and clinical evaluation to develop them as antidiabetic agents. These agents can inhibit enzymes responsible for the development of insulin resistance, normalization of plasma glucose and insulin levels and glucose metabolism. Triterpenes can act as promising agents in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy or in impaired wound healing by inhibiting several pathways involved in the diabetes and associated complications. However, efforts in understanding the biological actions and clinical studies involving the applications of triterpenes in treating diabetes are very limited. Hence, special attention is imperative to explore the therapeutic potential of these compounds and provide new information to the scientific community. This review aims to provide the recent advances in triterpenes chemistry, its derivatives, biological interventions and its therapeutic applications with special emphasis on diabetes and its associated disorders.
Summary
In the present context of increasing population, renewable and sustainable energy alternatives are very much essential to satisfy the necessities of the world. To satisfy this growing demand, scientists are prioritizing the production of cost‐effective and high‐performance clean energy appliances. Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are one such material that is at the forefront of modern solar cell technologies. Being one of the main components of DSSCs, metal‐free organic dyes play a crucial role in light processing and electron injection. In recent times, carbazole (CZ)‐, triphenylamine (TPA)‐, and phenothiazine (PTZ)‐based derivatives have been identified as suitable alternatives to Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes because they are easy to synthesize and exhibit excellent thermal and electronic properties. This review focuses largely on the latest developments in the use of monoanchored and multianchored CZ, TPA, and PTZ scaffolds for DSSC applications and focuses especially on the correlation between molecular design and photovoltaic performance. The physical properties of devices can be adjusted through the sensitizer's strategic design that helps to improve the performance of the devices. We tabulated the photovoltaic parameters corresponding to all dyes presented in this review. Also, applications of additives are presented after the systematic review on CZ‐, TPA‐, and PTZ‐based dyes.
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