Dye-sensitized solar cells with ZnO nanoparticles fabricated at low temperature

Abstract

The authors investigated the microstructural and the electrical properties of ZnO based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fabricated using a low-temperature-processed(200 A degrees C) dye-sensitized ZnO-nanoparticle thin film and a Pt catalyst depositedon ITO/glass by using RF magnetron sputtering. A hydropolymer containing PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) and PEO (poly ethylene oxide) was used to make uniformly-distributed ZnO nanoparticle layer that form a nano-porous ZnO network after heat treatment and was then dye sensitized and sandwiched between two electrodes in an electrolyte to make a DSSC device. The highest measured parameters, the short circuit current density (J (sc) ), the open circuit potential(V (oc) ), the fill factor(FF), and the power conversion efficiency (eta), of the DSSC fabricated under optimized conditions were observed to be 4.93 mA/cm(2), 0.56 V, 0.40, and 1.12%, respectively.