Themed collection Advances in Solar Energy Conversion

Guest Editors Jinlong Gong, Can Li, and Michael R. Wasielewski introduce this themed issue on solar energy conversion.

The energy cost of lifetime gain in solar energy conversion systems is determined from a breadth of technologies. The cost of 87 meV per order of magnitude lifetime improvement is strikingly close to the 59 meV determined from a simple kinetic model.

Perovskite solar cells to date are made of polycrystalline films which contain a high density of defects. Imperfection passivation to reduce non-radiative recombination and suppress ion migration could improve device efficiency and device stability.

Stable macrocyclic compounds based on phthalocyanines and porphyrins as hole- and electron-transporting materials for perovskite solar cells are reviewed.

This review emphasizes the significance of molecular catalysts in artificial photosynthesis, and discusses the opportunities, challenges and future of molecular catalysis.

This review provides insight into the different aspects and challenges associated with the realization of sustainable solar hydrogen production systems on a practical large scale.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fabrication, development and application of thin-film photoelectrodes.

The perovskite precursor solution chemistry is of paramount importance for well-controlled nucleation/crystal growth in solution-processed perovskite solar cells.

This review describes recent developments of single-crystal silicon (Si) as the photoelectrode material for solar water splitting, including the promising strategies to obtain highly efficient and stable single-crystal Si-based photoelectrodes for hydrogen evolution and water oxidation, as well as the future development of spontaneous solar water splitting with single-crystal Si-based tandem cells.

Yolk–shell structures provide an ideal platform for the rational regulation and effective utilization of charge carriers because of their void space and large surface areas. Furthermore, the efficiency of charge behavior in every step can be further improved by many strategies. This review describes the synthesis of yolk–shell structures and their effect for the enhancement of heterogeneous photocatalysis.

Advancements made in the development of ternary oxide-based photoanodes for use in water splitting photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are reviewed.

Enzymes which evolved more than 2 billion years ago set exceptional standards for electrocatalysts being sought today.

This review summarizes recent development relating to 2D materials and their derivatives for solar-driven CO₂ reduction by H₂O or H₂, as well as CO hydrogenation (via the water gas shift reaction or Fischer–Tropsch synthesis) to produce valuable products (especially hydrocarbons, alcohols and aromatics).

Overall water splitting based on particulate photocatalysts is an easily constructed and cost-effective technology for the conversion of abundant solar energy into clean and renewable hydrogen energy on a large scale.

The development, perspectives, and challenges of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) via nanotheranostics for combating cancer.

As the challenges in science increase in scope and interdisciplinarity, collaboration becomes increasingly important.