title: Surface engineering of ZnO nanostructures for semiconductor-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: Semiconductor-sensitized solar cells (SSCs) are emerging as promising devices for achieving efficient and low-cost solar-energy conversion. The recent progress in the development of ZnO-nanostructure-based SSCs is reviewed here, and the key issues for their efficiency improvement, such as enhancing light harvesting and increasing carrier generation, separation, and collection, are highlighted from aspects of surface-engineering techniques. The impact of other factors such as electrolyte and counter electrodes on the photovoltaic performance is also addressed. The current challenges and perspectives for the further advance of ZnO-based SSCs are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF), Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China; Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, P. R. China; School of Electronic Science and Applied Physics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhenhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zapien
authors.forename: Chun-Sing
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: ZnO nanostructures; efficiency; semiconductor-sensitized solar cells; surface engineering