Biomass-derived Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dot Sensitizers for Solid-state Nanostructured Solar Cells

摘要

New functional nanostructured materials based on carbon have attracted particular interest due to their performance in applications such as renewable energy and storage, heterogeneous catalysts, CO2 sequestration, etc. However, carbon materials are mostly produced using fossil based precursors, metal catalysts and high processing temperatures. Biomass, as one of the most abundant and renewable carbon precursors on the planet, has the potential to generate novel and exciting materials, providing it’s not in competition with the food suppliers. Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) is able to convert abundant and renewable biomass or biomass-derived precursors into carbonaceous materials using mild processing temperatures (<200 ° C), under self-generated pressures, in water as carbonization medium.