Light-soaking tests of zinc oxide photoanodes sensitized with an indoline dye on different transparent conductive substrates

B. Onwona-Agyeman; A. Yaya; G. R. A. Kumara; M. Nakao; B. Onwona-Agyeman; A. Yaya; G. R. A. Kumara; M. Nakao

doi:10.3934/energy.2018.6.949

AIMS Energy

2018, Volume 6, Issue 6: 949-958. doi: 10.3934/energy.2018.6.949

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Research article

Light-soaking tests of zinc oxide photoanodes sensitized with an indoline dye on different transparent conductive substrates

1.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
2.
Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka
3.
Department of Basic Sciences, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan

Received: 31 July 2018 Accepted: 18 October 2018 Published: 29 October 2018

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were prepared using porous zinc oxide (ZnO) films on aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) transparent conductive glass substrates. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that, the porous ZnO films were crystallographically oriented differently on the two transparent substrates. The two DSCs were prepared using metal-free indoline dye as the sensitizer and a liquid electrolyte as the hole conductor. Measurements of the power conversion efficiency of the two DSCs over a period of time showed deterioration in the conversion efficiency of the DSCs with the deterioration being faster in ZnO/FTO than ZnO/AZO. The deterioration is attributed mainly to the decrease in light-harvesting ability of the sensitizer and recombination of photo-excited electrons resulting in the decrease in the short-circuit photocurrent densities and the open-circuit voltages in both DSCs during the light-soaking process.
- crystallographic orientation; photovoltaic; transparent conductor; thin film; spray deposition; semiconductor
Citation: B. Onwona-Agyeman, A. Yaya, G. R. A. Kumara, M. Nakao. Light-soaking tests of zinc oxide photoanodes sensitized with an indoline dye on different transparent conductive substrates[J]. AIMS Energy, 2018, 6(6): 949-958. doi: 10.3934/energy.2018.6.949

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Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were prepared using porous zinc oxide (ZnO) films on aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) transparent conductive glass substrates. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that, the porous ZnO films were crystallographically oriented differently on the two transparent substrates. The two DSCs were prepared using metal-free indoline dye as the sensitizer and a liquid electrolyte as the hole conductor. Measurements of the power conversion efficiency of the two DSCs over a period of time showed deterioration in the conversion efficiency of the DSCs with the deterioration being faster in ZnO/FTO than ZnO/AZO. The deterioration is attributed mainly to the decrease in light-harvesting ability of the sensitizer and recombination of photo-excited electrons resulting in the decrease in the short-circuit photocurrent densities and the open-circuit voltages in both DSCs during the light-soaking process.

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