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Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells with TiO2-coated silver nanowire-incorporated tri-layered photoanode

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Abstract

This study is about investigating the effect of adding TiO2-coated silver nanowires into a tri-layered photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to improve the photovoltaic performance. Face-centred cubic silver nanowires (AgNWs) were synthesized via a rapid, scalable and green pathway method. The average length and diameter of AgNWs were 5 μm and 70 nm, respectively. AgNWs were coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) using 2-mercaptoethanol as the binder. AgNW@TiO2 core-shell structure was formed by the hydrothermal method and the average diameter of the coated TiO2 was observed to be 14 nm. TiO2 shell showed anatase phase, which was a significant advantage for higher dye absorbance leading to a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE). The PCE for a DSSC with single-layered TiO2 photoanode increased from 6.70 to 8.87% due to AgNW@TiO2 core-shell structured photoanode, reflecting a 32.3% enhancement. The PCE for a DSSC with tri-layered AgNWs@TiO2 core-shell structured photoanode was 10.5% showing an impressive enhancement of 49.6% compared to the DSSC with a pure tri-layered TiO2 photoanode. TiO2 shell appears to act as a protective shell around AgNWs by both resisting redox chemical corrosion of Ag by iodide ions in the electrolyte and increasing the thermal stability of AgNWs against annealing at high temperatures. Further, TiO2-coated AgNWs facilitate increased photoelectron generation by plasmonic effect, reduce the recombination and enhance the electron lifetime while providing a direct pathway for excited electrons leading to a significant improvement in the PCE of DSSC.

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Acknowledgement

HKHD Kankanamge would like to thank Dr C A Thotawatthage, Dr T Jaseetharan and Mrs Imali Madikasekara of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS) for their support during the experimentation stage. H C S Perera gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. RG/2018/BS/01.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    H K H D Kankanamge, J M K W Kumari, M A K L Dissanayake, G K R Senadeera, B S Dassanayake & H C S Perera

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    B S Dassanayake

  3. National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, 20000, Sri Lanka

    J M K W Kumari, M A K L Dissanayake & G K R Senadeera

  4. Department of Physics, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nugegoda, 11222, Sri Lanka

    G K R Senadeera

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  1. H K H D Kankanamge
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  2. J M K W Kumari
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  3. M A K L Dissanayake
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  4. G K R Senadeera
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  5. B S Dassanayake
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  6. H C S Perera
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Correspondence to H C S Perera.

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Kankanamge, H.K.H.D., Kumari, J.M.K.W., Dissanayake, M.A.K.L. et al. Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells with TiO2-coated silver nanowire-incorporated tri-layered photoanode. Bull Mater Sci 46, 145 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-023-02977-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-023-02977-5

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