Electrochemistry for Solar Energy Conversion Systems: A Selection of Mexican Contributions

Electrochemistry is a key technology to synthesize, study and scale-up materials and processes for applications in solar energy conversion systems. Mexico has had a tradition of excellence in electrochemistry research and methodology development, and this paper intends to honor some of the key contributors in the subjects of solar energy conversion to useful heat or electricity. We summarize the use of electrochemical techniques as a tool for the deposition and characterization, including the analysis of electrodeposition solutions and deposition mechanisms. In addition, we describe the use of electrodeposited and hybrid ZnO films for application in dye-sensitized solar cells, which are photoelectrochemical systems, and discuss the mechanisms that govern solar cell performance.