Enhanced electron collection in TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle-based dye-sensitized solar cells by an array of metal micropillars on a planar fluorinated tin oxide anode.
Charge collection efficiency exhibits a strong influence on the overall efficiency of nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cells. It highly depends on the quality of the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticulate layer in the photoanode, and hence most efforts have been directed on the improvement and deliberate optimization of the quality the TiO{sub 2} nanocrystalline layer. In this work, we aim to reduce the electron collection distance between the place of origin in the TiO{sub 2} layer to the electron-collecting TCO anode as an alternative way to enhance the charge collection efficiency. We use an array of metal micropillars on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) as the collecting anode. Under the same conditions, the Ni micropillar-on-FTO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) exhibit a remarkably enhanced current density, which is approximately 1.8 times greater compared with the bare FTO-based DSSCs. Electron transport was investigated using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique. Our results reveal that the electron collection time in Ni micropillar-on-FTO-based DSSCs is much shorter than that of bare FTO-based DSSCs, indicating faster electron collection due to the Ni micropillars buried in TiO{sub 2} nanoparticulate layer that serve as electron transport shortcuts. As a result, the charge collection efficiency was enhanced by 15?20% with respect to that of the bare FTO-based DSSCs. Consequently, the overall energy conversion efficiency was found to increase from 2.6% in bare FTO-based DSSCs to 4.8% in Ni micropillar-on-FTO-based DSSCs for a 6 {micro}m-thick TiO{sub 2} NP film.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); NIU-Argonne Neo Science Fellowship
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1001630
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/MSD/JA-68787; ISSN 1932-7455; TRN: US201102%%358
- Journal Information:
- J. Phys. Chem. C, Vol. 114, Issue 2010; ISSN 1932-7447
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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