Photoelectrochemical performance of DSSC with monodisperse and polydisperse ZnO SPs

Journal Article · Mon Feb 24 04:00:00 EST 2014 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4866734· OSTI ID:22266036

Shirosaki, Tomohiro; Nagaoka, Shoji ^[1]; Takafuji, Makoto; Ihara, Hirotaka ^[2]

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1. Kumamoto Industrial Research Institute (Japan)
2. Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kumamoto University (Japan)

Zinc oxide, ZnO, is one of oxide semiconductors being used in DSSC. ZnO is promising material for having fairly higher energy band gap and much higher bulk electron mobility than that of anatase TiO{sub 2}, the most widely used semiconductor for DSSC photoelectrode. This study introduces the synthesis of ZnO by precipitation method. The synthesis involves ZnAc dihydrate and diethylene glycol (DEG) for the chemicals. Various size of ZnO spherical particles (SPs) are obtained in polydisperse and monodisperse particles. Monolayer and bilayer DSSCs are fabricated in sandwich structure and sensitized with N719 dye for 3 and 5 hours. Monolayer DSSC using monodisperse particles (422 nm) is able to generate highest conversion efficiency of 0.569% (V{sub oc} = 541.3 mV, J{sub sc} = 1.92 mA/cm{sup 2}, and fill factor of 54.78%). Bilayer DSSC, i.e. combined 422 - 185 nm ZnO layer, can optimize the photocurrent action spectra in UV regime leading to high conversion efficiency of 0.568 (V{sub oc} = 568.2 mV, J{sub sc} = 2.22 mA/cm{sup 2}, and fill factor of 47.25%). The longer sensitizing time does not always produce better conversion efficiency since it can induce the dissolution of Zn atoms and formation of Zn{sup 2+} - dye resisting the electron transport from dye to ZnO photoelectrode.

• OSTI ID: 22266036
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1586; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
DYES
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRON MOBILITY
FILL FACTORS
GLYCOLS
PARTICLES
PRECIPITATION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SPECTRA
SYNTHESIS
TITANIUM OXIDES
ZINC IONS
ZINC OXIDES