A A Comparative Study on Optoelectronic Properties of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells using TiO2-ZnO Photo anodes

Abstract

In present study, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are fabricated using bare TiO_2, ZnO and TiO₂-ZnO nanocomposite via doctor’s blade method with N719 sensitizer and platinum-free carbon deposited counter electrode. The ensued TiO₂-ZnO (1:1) composite films of photoanodes are characterized with UV-Vis Spectroscopy to investigate the band gaps of bare TiO₂, ZnO and their composite, in the range of 3.21- 3.31 eV. SEM studies are performed to analyze the surface morphology wherein the TiO₂-ZnO composite photoelectrode, displayed additional prominent porosities than the bare TiO₂/ZnO. The photo conversion efficiency of the cells based on TiO₂, ZnO and their composite were observed as 1.08%, 0.98%, and 1.49%, respectively, which is higher for composite due to low series resistance, high optical absorption, high recombination resistance and longer lifetime as evaluated by impedance analysis. This strategy of using TiO₂-ZnO nanocomposite photoanode could pave the way for performance improvement in a cost-effective manner for DSSCs.