Effect of Surface Modifications on ZnO Nanorod Arrays Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

High quality, large area and well-oriented ZnO nanorod arrays electrodes were successfully synthesized on conductive transparent oxide substrates by low-temperature hydrothermal methods for dye-sensitized solar cells. Aiming at getting further enhancement and study the effect of the surface modification on cell performance, ZnO thin film and ZnO nanoparticles are carried out to modify the as-grown ZnO nanorod arrays. The morphology, structure and photoluminescence property of the modified ZnO electrodes are characterized in detail. Furthermore, the I–V characterization result shows that these modification methods have distinct influences on the performance of the cell based on ZnO nanorod arrays electrode. The overall conversion efficiency can be optimized by choosing the suitable modification route.