Enhancement in Photovoltaic Performance of Solar Cells by Electrostatic Adsorption of Dyes on ZnO Nanorods

Abstract

ZnO nanorods were formed by chemical bath deposition on fluorine–doped tin oxide (FTO) glass and the photovoltaic performance of ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) was investigated. A DSC with 8 h-grown ZnO nanorods showed a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) than devices with 4, 6, and 10 h-grown ones. Further improvement in PCE was achieved in a cell with a silver-ion-deposited ZnO/FTO electrode. By deposition of Ag+ on the surface of the 8 h-grown ZnO nanorods, the dye-loading amount increased by approximately 210%, compared to that of pristine ZnO nanorods, resulting in a 1.8-times higher PCE. A DSC with the pristine ZnO/FTO electrode showed a PCE of 0.629%, while in a device with the silver-ion-deposited ZnO/FTO, the PCE increased to 1.138%. In addition, interfacial resistance at the ZnO/dye/electrolyte was reduced to approximately 170 Ω from 460 Ω for the control cell with the pristine ZnO/FTO. We attributed the higher dye-loading amount in the silver-ion-deposited ZnO/FTO to the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged ZnO and carboxylate anions (–COO−) of the N719 dyes.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal studies of NIR fluorescent probe based on Poly(anthranilicacid)/Sand nanocomposite

“…RB is used in cancer therapy to produce singlet oxygen [30]. The photovoltaic performance of RB dye was thoroughly described in a publication [31]. The functionalization of PANI, i.e., by chain end process with RB dye by insitu approach, has not yet been reported.…”

Enhancing the Efficiency of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) by Nanostructured Ag‐doped ZnO Electrodes

“…[35] In 2022, Agdoped ZnO nanorods based DSSCs has obtained 1.14 % PCE. [36] DSSCs was constructed by 0.5 mol % Ag-doped ZnO film has gained PCE of 0.44 % in 2017. [37] On the one hand in our work, we have fabricated Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles as the photoanode of DSSCs.…”

“…achieved 5.00 % PCE for DSSCs with Ag‐doped ZnO nanofibers which have been synthesized by an electrospinning technique [35] . In 2022, Ag‐doped ZnO nanorods based DSSCs has obtained 1.14 % PCE [36] . DSSCs was constructed by 0.5 mol % Ag‐doped ZnO film has gained PCE of 0.44 % in 2017 [37] .…”