Behind the buzz and beyond the hype: Our Nanowerk-exclusive
feature articles Posted: Apr 20th, 2007 'Quantum coaxial cables'
for solar energy harvesting (Nanowerk Spotlight) Nanowires have
received a great deal of interest in recent years. As quasi one-
dimensional systems they may overcome the fundamental difficulty
in the electronic transport encountered when attempting to use
quasi zero-dimensional structures (quantum dots) while still
being able to take advantage of the effects related to quantum
confinement. In a conventional semiconductor, electrons and
holes typically stay in the same region after photoexcitation,
which is very desirable for certain applications, light-emitting
devices for instance. However, for a number of key renewable
energy applications, including hydrogen generation via
photoelectrochemical water splitting, dye-sensitized solar
cells, and even regular solar cells, the efficient charge
separation of the electron and hole after photoexcitation is
instead highly preferred, although no