Influence of TiO2 Film/Substrate Contact on Photovoltaic Performance and Improved Efficiency in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
The influence of the nano-porous TiO2 film/FTO substrate contact on the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells is investigated by controlling film/FTO substrate contact through the use of insulating Al2O3 clusters and TiO2
underlayer at the interface. The electrochemical properties of the DSCs are examined to correlate the photovoltaic performance and the film/FTO substrate contact condition. Results show that the short-circuit current density and thereby the photo-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of
the DSCs are significantly decreased by increasing Al2O3 clusters coverage ratio. A modified equivalent circuit model is proposed to understand the relationship between the electric contact resistance and short-circuit current density. Although the increased electric
contact resistance itself presents no significant effect on the photovoltaic performance, the decreased performance is mainly attributed to the decreased electron collection in the cell due to the presence of Al2O3 clusters at the film/FTO substrate interface. The result
reveals that the film/substrate contact should not be negligible, even though the electric contact resistance of this interface can be neglected. The mechanism by which the film/FTO substrate contact affects cells performance reveals that the porous film cannot be considered as independent
column structure but as a network structure being able to transfer electron both perpendicularly and laterally. A spray-deposited TiO2 underlayer was applied to improve the film/FTO substrate interface contact resulting in an increased Jsc and thereby a higher energy conversion
efficiency.
Keywords: Alumina; Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells; Film/Substrate Interface; Photovoltaic Performance; Underlayer
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China
Publication date: 01 July 2016
- Journal for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (JNN) is an international and multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with a wide-ranging coverage, consolidating research activities in all areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology into a single and unique reference source. JNN is the first cross-disciplinary journal to publish original full research articles, rapid communications of important new scientific and technological findings, timely state-of-the-art reviews with author's photo and short biography, and current research news encompassing the fundamental and applied research in all disciplines of science, engineering and medicine.
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