TiO2 photoanode sensitized with nanocrystalline Bi2S3: the effect of sensitization time and annealing on its photovoltaic performance

Abstract

This work deals with the sensitization of the porous TiO 2 films of thickness about 4 lm deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide with nanocrystalline Bi 2 S 3 for photovoltaic application. The sensitization was achieved for four different sensitization times employing chemical solution deposition with bismuth nitrate and sodium thiosulphate as precursors for Bi 3? and S 2-, respectively. The unsensitized and sensitized photoelectrodes were characterized using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and diffused reflectance spectroscopy. XRD patterns show the signatures of both anatase TiO 2 and orthorhombic Bi 2 S 3 in the sensitized photoanodes. However, crystallinity of Bi 2 S 3 increased with increase in sensitization time from 10 to 40 min. The temporal effect of sensitization and annealing on the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells fabricated using four different photoelectrodes was studied using the photocurrent density versus photovoltage curves. Annealing apparently improved the photovoltaic performance of photoanodes. The best performance was obtained for cell fabricated using annealed TiO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 photoanode after 30 min sensitization time showing V oc * 0.37 mV, J sc * 0.52 mA/cm 2 , FF * 68 and 0.43 %.

Fabrication of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and mercury sulfide (HgS) heterojunction for photoelectrochemical study

“…The formed mixture is stirred well to dissolve the formed precipitate, which leads to the homogeneous solution. Now, the deposition process was considered to be based on slow release of Hg 2+ and S 2− ions in the solution which then condense as ion by ion or cluster by cluster mechanism on the surface of substrate, as a result of heterogeneous nucleation reported earlier [8].…”

“…Several strategies have been explored to extend the optical absorption of TiO 2 into the visible light region including doping of metal or nonmetal ions, dye sensitization, surface modification, and coupling with narrow bandgap semiconductors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Among these, a remarkable enhancement in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of TiO 2 under light has been obtained by coupling low bandgap semiconductors such as CdS [4], CdSe [5], Ag 2 S [6], Sb 2 S 3 [7], and Bi 2 S 3 [8].…”

“…Among these, a remarkable enhancement in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of TiO 2 under light has been obtained by coupling low bandgap semiconductors such as CdS [4], CdSe [5], Ag 2 S [6], Sb 2 S 3 [7], and Bi 2 S 3 [8]. However, to date, all such heterojunction-based solar cells do not meet the theoretical value for light-harvesting efficiency reported in the literature [9].…”

Synthesis of Superparamagnetic Cu0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4-Implanted Bi2S3-Capped TiO2 2D and 3D Nanostructures for Visible Light Photocatalysis

“…Bi 2 S 3 /TiO 2 heterojunction enhances charge separation, and nanocrystalline Bi 2 S 3 /TiO 2 shows improved photocurrent ( J ) with visible light. 12 Further, Bi 2 S 3 nanoparticle/TiO 2 nanotube heterostructure, fabricated by hydrothermal treatment, shows superior photoelectrochemical property to that of Bi 2 S 3 and TiO 2 , all under sunlight at AM 1.5 (100 mW cm –2 ). 13 Visible light photocatalytic degradation of pollutants by Bi 2 S 3 /TiO 2 heterojunction obtained by precipitation method 14,15 or through hydrothermal treatment 16 and by Bi 2 S 3 balls/TiO 2 nanotube arrays 17 have been reported.…”

Influence of annealing on X-ray radiation sensing properties of TiO2 thin film

“…TiO 2 has many unique optical and electrical properties which make it a favourable material for numerous applications, namely, photocatalysis [7], dye sensitised solar cells [8][9][10], gas sensors [11], pH sensor [12], light emitting diodes [1], and photodetectors [2,13], etc. Apart from these applications, TiO 2 is also a very promising material for ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray sensors.…”