Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) typically consist of a metal oxide layer, to which dye molecules are adsorbed and which serves as electron transport material. Although TiO2 is the most commonly used material for this purpose, compared to other wide band gap oxides, such as ZnO and SnO2, it has lower electron mobility. We investigated the use of ZnO and SnO2 as electrodes in DSSC, and explored methods to improve their performance, since despite higher electron mobilities these materials result in lower DSSC efficiencies compared to TiO2. For ZnO, the main problem is its inferior stability in acidic solutions. Consequently, dye adsorption occurs together with the formation of the dye-Zn2+ ion complexes. Rich defect chemistry of ZnO further complicates dye adsorption and electron transport in ZnO photoanodes, and we found that not only the maximum efficiency but also optimal processing conditions such as annealing temperatures are strongly defect dependent. We also explored different surface treatments for this material to further improve the efficiency. For SnO2, the main issue is poor adsorption of the dye molecules. This is usually addressed by surface modifications, typically by TiO2. We also explored the influence of different Ti precursors on the device performance. The results were discussed in detail.Keywords: ZnO; SnO2; nanoparticles; dye-sensitized solar cells

ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> nanostructured metal oxide anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

246th National Meeting (2013)

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ZnO and SnO2 nanostructured metal oxide anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

ZnO and SnO₂ nanostructured metal oxide anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells