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Increasing Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Efficiency by ZnO Spin-Coating of the TiO<sub>2</sub> Electrode: Effect of ZnO Amount
Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
- 1 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
- 2 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
Energy and Power Engineering·Volume 05 (2013)·Pages 591–595·Published 25 December 2013·DOI10.4236/epe.2013.510065
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Abstract
This paper is concerned with the improvement of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiency upon ZnO-coating of the TiO 2 electrode. Sol-gel ZnO of controlled amount by varying the number of sol drops during spin-coating is shown to increase the DSSC efficiency. The highest efficiency is obtained at a single sol drop with enhancement of 40%, while beyond this amount the efficiency falls down sharply to zero. Based on measured optical absorption spectra of the di fferent dye-loaded electrodes, it is concluded that this amount of ZnO sol corresponds to the thinnest layer that can create the energy barrier to minimize the electron recombination rate without seriously affecting the dye adsorption efficiency of the TiO 2 film.
KeywordsZnO Spin-CoatingDye-Sensitized Solar CellEfficiency
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