Abstract
This study investigated the influence of ZnO nanostructures on dye adsorption to increase the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells. ZnO nanostructures were grown in both tree-like and nanorod (NR) arrays on an AZO/FTO film structure by using a hydrothermal method. The results were observed in detail using X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-visible spectrophotometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and solar simulation. The selective growth of tree-like ZnO was found to exhibit higher dye adsorption loading and conversion efficiency than ZnO NRs. The multiple 'branches' of 'tree-like nanostructures' increases the surface area for higher light harvesting and dye loading while reducing charge recombination. These improvements result in a 15% enhancement in power conversion. The objective of this study is to facilitate the development of a ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cell.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 206 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-6 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Nanoscale Research Letters |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Dye-sensitized solar cell
- Nanorods
- Tree-like
- Zinc oxide