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Updated: May 18, 2026
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Electrospinning of Photocatalytic Electrodes for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
Published on: June 28, 2017
High efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells exploiting sponge-like ZnO nanostructures.
Adriano Sacco1, Andrea Lamberti, Rossana Gazia
1Center for Space Human Robotics @PoliTo, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Trento 21, 10129, Turin, Italy. adriano.sacco@iit.it
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|September 25, 2012
Summary
Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using novel sponge-like zinc oxide (ZnO) photoanodes. These nanostructured ZnO layers exhibit enhanced electron transport and light harvesting, achieving a 6.67% photoconversion efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a promising renewable energy technology.
- Developing efficient photoanodes is crucial for improving DSSC performance.
- Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a common photoanode material, but alternatives are being explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells using novel sponge-like nanostructured ZnO photoanodes.
- To investigate the morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the fabricated ZnO layers.
- To compare the performance of ZnO-based photoanodes with traditional TiO2 photoanodes.
Main Methods:
- Room temperature radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of zinc followed by thermal oxidation to create sponge-like ZnO layers.
- Characterization using field emission scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area measurements, UV-Vis spectroscopy.
- Performance evaluation through current density-voltage measurements, incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE), open circuit voltage decay, and impedance spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Sponge-like ZnO films exhibited a 3D branched nanomorphology with high specific surface area and good optical transmittance.
- The porous structure provided numerous adsorption sites for sensitizer molecules.
- ZnO photoanodes demonstrated higher electron lifetime and longer charge diffusion length compared to TiO2.
- A photoconversion efficiency of 6.67% and a maximum IPCE of 87% were achieved.
Conclusions:
- Sponge-like nanostructured ZnO is a highly effective material for DSSC photoanodes.
- The unique morphology enhances dye adsorption and charge transport properties.
- These findings suggest ZnO as a viable alternative to TiO2 for high-performance DSSCs.
