Impact of particle shape on electron transport and lifetime in zinc oxide nanorod-based dye-sensitized solar cells

Roger Chang; Kemakorn Ithisuphalap; Ilona Kretzschmar; Roger Chang; Kemakorn Ithisuphalap; Ilona Kretzschmar

doi:10.3934/matersci.2016.1.51

AIMS Materials Science

2016, Volume 3, Issue 1: 51-65. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2016.1.51

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Research article Topical Sections

Impact of particle shape on electron transport and lifetime in zinc oxide nanorod-based dye-sensitized solar cells

Department of Chemical Engineering, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA

Received: 04 November 2015 Accepted: 03 January 2016 Published: 11 January 2016

Owing to its high electron mobility, zinc oxide represents a promising alternative to titanium dioxide as the working electrode material in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). When zinc oxide is grown into 1-D nanowire arrays and incorporated into the working electrode of DSCs, enhanced electron dynamics and even a decoupling of electron transport (τ_d) and electron lifetime (τ_n) have been observed. In this work, DSCs with working electrodes composed of solution-grown, unarrayed ZnO nanorods are investigated. In order to determine whether such devices give rise to similar decoupling, intensity modulated photocurrent and photovoltage spectroscopies are used to measure τ_dand τ_n, while varying the illumination intensity. In addition, ZnO nanorod-based DSCs are compared with ZnO nanoparticle-based DSCs and nanomaterial shape is shown to affect electron dynamics. Nanorod-based DSCs exhibit shorter electron transport times, longer electron lifetimes, and a higher τ_n/τ_d ratio than nanoparticle-based DSCs.
- DSCs,
- DSSCs,
- ZnO,
- TiO₂,
- shape dependence,
- surface properties,
- porosity,
- interconnectivity,
- electron mobility
Citation: Roger Chang, Kemakorn Ithisuphalap, Ilona Kretzschmar. Impact of particle shape on electron transport and lifetime in zinc oxide nanorod-based dye-sensitized solar cells[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2016, 3(1): 51-65. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2016.1.51

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Abstract

Owing to its high electron mobility, zinc oxide represents a promising alternative to titanium dioxide as the working electrode material in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). When zinc oxide is grown into 1-D nanowire arrays and incorporated into the working electrode of DSCs, enhanced electron dynamics and even a decoupling of electron transport (τ_d) and electron lifetime (τ_n) have been observed. In this work, DSCs with working electrodes composed of solution-grown, unarrayed ZnO nanorods are investigated. In order to determine whether such devices give rise to similar decoupling, intensity modulated photocurrent and photovoltage spectroscopies are used to measure τ_dand τ_n, while varying the illumination intensity. In addition, ZnO nanorod-based DSCs are compared with ZnO nanoparticle-based DSCs and nanomaterial shape is shown to affect electron dynamics. Nanorod-based DSCs exhibit shorter electron transport times, longer electron lifetimes, and a higher τ_n/τ_d ratio than nanoparticle-based DSCs.

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