Recent progress in solar cells based on one dimensional ZnO nanostructures

In recent years, one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures, including nanorods, nanowires and nanotubes have been receiving a great deal of research attention due to their special and outstanding many characteristics that play a very important role in the manufacture of high-performance devices, including photodetectors, solar cells, light emitting diodes and power nano-generators with novel functionalities. So far, a variety of inorganic semiconductor materials, including titanium oxide, zinc oxide, silicon, and gallium oxide, have been utilized to produce 1D structures for the construction of high-performance electronic and opto-electronic devices. Due to its stability, high conductivity, high electron affinity, and outstanding electron mobility, zinc oxide (ZnO) stands out among the others as a material that is particularly appealing to be employed in a variety of opto-electronic device applications. This review article initially presents a review of recent research activities related to the synthesis of 1D ZnO nanostructures employing various growth routes and their use in photovoltaic applications to highlight the attractive properties of these nanostructures. In particular, a special focus is given on the progress in 1D ZnO nanostructures based inorganic solar cells, including all-inorganic perovskites, Cu₂ZnSn(S, Se)₂, CdS, CdTe, AgBiS₂, Cu(In, Ga)Se₂ and multi-crystalline silicon solar cells. The article also provides a brief overview of the various types of solar cell structures employing 1D ZnO nanostructures in a variety of roles such as capping layers, electron transfer layers, buffer layers, window layers, antireflection and passivation layers, as well as active components for solar cells. At the end, future research opportunities and challenges for solar cells based on 1D ZnO nanostructures are discussed.