Nanocrystal solar cellNanocrystal solar cells are solar cells based on a substrate with a coating of nanocrystals. The nanocrystals are typically based on silicon, CdTe or CIGS and the substrates are generally silicon or various organic conductors. Quantum dot solar cells are a variant of this approach which take advantage of quantum mechanical effects to extract further performance. Dye-sensitized solar cells are another related approach, but in this case the nano-structuring is a part of the substrate.
Electron mobilityIn solid-state physics, the electron mobility characterises how quickly an electron can move through a metal or semiconductor when pulled by an electric field. There is an analogous quantity for holes, called hole mobility. The term carrier mobility refers in general to both electron and hole mobility. Electron and hole mobility are special cases of electrical mobility of charged particles in a fluid under an applied electric field. When an electric field E is applied across a piece of material, the electrons respond by moving with an average velocity called the drift velocity, .
Quasi Fermi levelA quasi Fermi level (also called imref, which is "fermi" spelled backwards) is a term used in quantum mechanics and especially in solid state physics for the Fermi level (chemical potential of electrons) that describes the population of electrons separately in the conduction band and valence band, when their populations are displaced from equilibrium. This displacement could be caused by the application of an external voltage, or by exposure to light of energy , which alter the populations of electrons in the conduction band and valence band.
Iron oxide cycleFor chemical reactions, the iron oxide cycle (Fe3O4/FeO) is the original two-step thermochemical cycle proposed for use for hydrogen production. It is based on the reduction and subsequent oxidation of iron ions, particularly the reduction and oxidation between Fe3+ and Fe2+. The ferrites, or iron oxide, begins in the form of a spinel and depending on the reaction conditions, dopant metals and support material forms either Wüstites or different spinels. The thermochemical two-step water splitting process uses two redox steps.
