Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Boosting dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency using AgVO3-doped TiO2 active layer

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells have shown great potential in low and self-powered nano/micro-scale applications, due to their low fabrication costs, semi-transparency in the visible spectrum, diffused light harvesting capabilities, and their lead-free structure. However, DSSC efficiencies are still relatively low due to their limited absorption capabilities in the active mesoporous layer. The current study demonstrates an attempt to boost the overall conversion efficiency of DSSC by narrowing the energy band gap of the mesoporous TiO2 active layer. AgVO3 is utilized in doping the mesoporous layer, seeking for a visible absorption shift from 3.2 eV to 2.6 eV. In addition, natural organic beetroot dye is used while keeping DSSC with N719 dye as a bare cell. Morphological, optical, as well as electrical characterization results were obtained for both thin-film and complete solar cells. The fabricated cell showed an overall harvested power density of 8.6 mW/cm2, capable of operating various low-power sensing applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available as following: https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/76474-dssc-optical-modelling. Any other data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable for that section.

References

  1. S. Abdellatif, S. Josten, P. Sharifi et al., Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices XXVIInternational Society for Optics and Photonics. 1991 Nature 353, 737 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  2. C-W Luo, AP Thilakan, J-X Li, et al. (2020) UV degradation mechanism of TiO2-based perovskite solar cells studied by pump-probe spectroscopy. SPIE

  3. D. Dey, N. Halder, K.P. Misra, S. Chattopadhyay, S.K. Jain, P. Bera, N. Kumar, A.K. Mukhopadhyay, Systematic study on the effect of Ag doping in shaping the magnetic properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles. Ceram. Int. 46(17), 27832–27848 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.07.282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. T.A. Egerton, N.J. Everall, J.A. Mattinson, L.M. Kessell, I.R. Tooley, J. Photochem. Photobiol., A 193, 10 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Y. Zhang, G. Li, Y. Wu, Y. Luo, L. Zhang, J. Phys. Chem. B 109, 5478 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. S. Sathyajothi, R. Jayavel, A.C. Dhanemozhi, Materials Today: Proceedings 4, 668 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  7. K.H. Ko, Y.C. Lee, Y.J. Jung, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 283, 482 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. G. Deogratias, N. Seriani, T. Pogrebnaya, A. Pogrebnoi, J Mol Graph Model 94, 107480 (2020)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. C-W Luo, AP Thilakan, J-X Li, et al. (2020) Photonics for solar energy systems VIIIInternational society for optics and photonics

  10. M.A. Liaqat, Z. Hussain, Z. Khan, M.A. Akram, A. Shuja, Effects of Ag doping on compact TiO2 thin films synthesized via one-step sol–gel route and deposited by spin coating technique. J. Mater. Sci.: Mater. Electron. 31, 7172–7181 (2020)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. E.M. Hashem, M.A. Hamza, A.N. El-Shazly, M.F. Sanad, M.M. Hassan, S.O. Abdellatif, Nanotechnology 32, 085701 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/abca29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. S. Abdellatif, P. Sharifi, K. Kirah et al., Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 264, 84 (2018)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. S.O. Abdellatif, S. Josten, A.S. Khalil, D. Erni, F. Marlow, IEEE J Photovolt 10, 522 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. R. Grisorio, L. De Marco, C. Baldisserri et al., ACS Sustain Chem Eng 3, 770 (2015)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. S. Shalini, R. Balasundaraprabhu, T.S. Kumar, N. Prabavathy, S. Senthilarasu, S. Prasanna, Int. J. Energy Res. 40, 1303 (2016)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. AKM Mohamed O. Ahmed, Peter Makeen, Shehab Edin I. Betelmal, Minatallah M. Hassan, Mohamed M. Abdelsamee, Ahmed Ayman, Mohamad H. El-Adly, Ashraf Nessim, Sameh O. Abdullatif (2021) WSEAS Transact Environ Dev 17: 118. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2021.17.12

  17. MM Hassan, A Sahbel, SO Abdellatif, KA Kirah, HA Ghali (2020) New concepts in solar and thermal radiation conversion IIIInternational society for optics and photonics

  18. M. Hočevar, U. Opara Krašovec, M. Berginc, M. Topič, One step preparation of TiO2 layer for high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell. Acta Chim. Slov. 57, 405–409 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  19. B. Ünlü, M. Özacar, Sol. Energy 196, 448 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support and contribution of the STDF in this work. As part of the STDF Project entitled, “Mesostructured Based Solar Cells for Smart Building Applications,” Project ID#33502.

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the support and contribution of the STDF in this work. As part of the STDF Project ID#33502.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Chemical Engineering Department, British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo, 11387, Egypt

    Toka Hatem & Maryam G. Elmahgary

  2. School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Rami Ghannam

  3. Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed A. Ahmed

  4. The Electrical Engineering Department, and FabLab, at the Centre of Emerging Learning Technologies CELT, British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo, 11387, Egypt

    Sameh O. Abdellatif

Authors
  1. Toka Hatem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maryam G. Elmahgary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rami Ghannam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohamed A. Ahmed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sameh O. Abdellatif
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors have contributed equally.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sameh O. Abdellatif.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Not applicable for that section.

Consent to participate

All authors confirm the participation in this paper.

Consent for publication

All authors accept the publication rules applied by the journal.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hatem, T., Elmahgary, M.G., Ghannam, R. et al. Boosting dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency using AgVO3-doped TiO2 active layer. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 32, 25318–25326 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-06990-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-06990-4

Search

Navigation