Enhancing DSSC Performance through Manipulation of the Size of ZnO Nanorods

The synthesis of one-dimensional zinc oxide nanorod photoelectrodes through a chemical solution method and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells are described in this paper. A multiple growth approach was used to fabricate zinc oxide nanorods with varying length-to-diameter ratios, and their dye adsorption properties were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The zinc oxide photoelectrodes with different length-to-diameter ratios were subsequently incorporated into dye-sensitized solar cells, and their performance and carrier lifetime were analyzed using a solar simulator, monochromatic incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The highest efficiency achieved was 0.74%. The results indicate that the quality of the zinc oxide nanorods synthesized through the multiple growth approach is consistent, with the uniformity and morphology of the nanorods having the greatest impact on device efficiency.