Nanotechnology for sustainable energy

Nanotechnology and its applications have captured a worldwide market. Nanomaterials that have been developed using this technology can be incorporated into the devices so that renewable energy can be converted or generated more efficiently. Nanomaterials have the potential to change the way we generate, deliver and use energy. Hydrogen cells are used in auto industry as a viable power source. Compressed hydrogen tanks are used to supply Hydrogen, and Oxygen is used from the air directly. There is no pollution caused by hydrogen fuel cell autos since the only emission is water. Organic dyes (dye sensitizers), which are sensitive to light, can absorb a broader range of the sun's spectrum. A dye-sensitized solar cell has three primary parts. On top is a transparent anode made of fluoride-doped tin dioxide (SnO/sub 2/: F) deposited on the back typically of a glass plate. On the back of this conductive plate is a thin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO/sub 2/), which forms into a highly nanoporous structure with an extremely large surface-area. After soaking the film in the dye solution, a thin layer of the dye is left covalently bonded to the surface of the TiO/sub 2/ . Computational material science and nanoscience can play many critical roles in renewable energy research. These include: finding the right materials for hydrogen storage; finding the most reliable and efficient catalyst for water dissociation in hydrogen production; finding a cheap, environmentally benign, and stable material for efficient solar cell applications; and understanding the photo-electron process in a nanosystem, and hence helping design efficient nanostructure solar cells. (author)