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Structural improvement of ZnO electrodes through solution-processed routes for enhancing open-circuit voltage in dye-sensitized solar cells

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry volume 22, pages 3119–3127 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

We report herein one of our recent studies on nanostructured ZnO electrodes for application in dye-sensitized solar cells, focusing on achieving a higher open-circuit voltage (VOC). ZnO films were obtained through solution-processed routes including pyrolytic conversion of layered hydroxide zinc acetate (LHZA) films deposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated conducting glass substrate by a chemical bath deposition method. The morphology of the initial LHZA and the converted ZnO films was tuned from a thick (approximately 12 μm) flower bed-/lawn-like bilayer structure to a thin (1.2 μm) lawn-like quasi-monolayer structure by decreasing the Zn source concentration in the chemical bath. VOC was found to be enhanced with this morphological change from 0.692 (the bilayer structure) to 0.735 V (the quasi-monolayer structure). Fine tuning of the quasi-monolayer structure by introducing the grain growth effect led to VOC of the cell as high as 0.807 V, although a short-circuit photocurrent density (JSC) remained low. Further attempts were then made to increase JSC while maintaining the high VOC. When the thickness of the lawn-like monolayer film was increased up to approximately 5 μm, the resultant cell showed VOC = 0.750 V, JSC = 6.20 mA cm−2 and a conversion efficiency (η) of 2.83%. The film with a modified flower bed-/lawn-like bilayer structure approximately 11 μm in thickness finally yielded VOC = 0.741 V, JSC = 13.6 mA cm−2, and η = 5.44%.

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Acknowledgements

One of the authors (E.T.) thanks the Kato Foundation for Promotion of Science for its financial support towards this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, 223-8522, Japan

    Ellie Tanaka, Leanddas Nurdiwijayanto, Manabu Hagiwara & Shinobu Fujihara

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  1. Ellie Tanaka
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  2. Leanddas Nurdiwijayanto
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  3. Manabu Hagiwara
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  4. Shinobu Fujihara
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Correspondence to Shinobu Fujihara.

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Tanaka, E., Nurdiwijayanto, L., Hagiwara, M. et al. Structural improvement of ZnO electrodes through solution-processed routes for enhancing open-circuit voltage in dye-sensitized solar cells. J Solid State Electrochem 22, 3119–3127 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-018-4024-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-018-4024-x

Keywords

  • Zinc oxide
  • Layered zinc hydroxide
  • Solution process
  • Dye-sensitized solar cell
  • Open-circuit voltage