Abstract
A method for impressive efficiency enhancement in TiO2-based nanoparticle (NP) dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is demonstrated by using a co-sensitized triple layered photoanode, comprising a nanofibre (NF) layer of TiO2 sandwiched between two TiO2 P25 NP layers. Rose Bengal (RB) and Eosin-Y (EY) dyes are used for the co-sensitization. DSSCs with conventional TiO2 (P25) NP bi-layer photoanode (NP/NP), sensitized with EY, showed an overall power conversion efficiency (η) of 0.89% under the illumination of 100 mW cm–2 (AM 1.5) with iodide-based liquid electrolyte. Whereas DSSCs fabricated with triple layered photoanode (NP/NF/NP) with the same total thickness and sensitized with EY yielded 1.77% efficiency under the same illumination conditions, showing an impressive ~99% enhancement in the overall power conversion efficiency. The DSSCs fabricated with RB-sensitized NP/NP and NP/NF/NP photoanodes showed 0.25 and 0.73% efficiencies, respectively. Upon optimization, DSSCs fabricated with co-sensitized NP/NP bi-layer and NP/NF/NP triple layer photoanodes showed 1.04 and 2.09% efficiencies, respectively, showing again an impressive ~100% enhancement in η due to the co-sensitized triple layer photoanode structure. Increase in the short circuit photocurrent density, UV–visible absorptions measurements, incident photon to current efficiency and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements confirmed that this enhancement is very likely due to the enhanced light harvesting and reduction of recombination of photoelectrons combined with the enhanced spectral responses of the co-sensitized triple layered photoanode.
Graphic abstract
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hagfeldt A, Boschloo G, Sun L, Kloo L and Pettersson H 2010 Chem. Rev. 110 6595
Liu Z H, Su X J, Hou G L, Bi S, Xiao Z and Jia H P 2012 J. Power Sources 218 280
Zhu K, Kopidakis N, Neale N R, De-Lagemaat J V and Frank A J 2006 J. Phys. Chem. B 110 25174
Roy P, Albu A P and Schmuki P 2010 Electrochem. Commun. 12 949
Huang Q, Zhou G, Fang L, Hu L and Wang Z S 2011 Energy Environ. Sci. 4 2145
Peter L M 2011 J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2 1861
Deepak T G, Anjusree G S, Thomas S, Arun T A and Nair S V 2014 RSC Adv. 4 17615
Qiu Y C, Chen W and Yang S H 2010 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49 3675
Yang L, Lin Y, Jia J G, Xiao X R, Li X P and Zhou X W 2008 J. Power Sources 182 370
Ito S, Murakami T N, Comte P, Liska P, Grätzel C, Nazeeruddin M K et al 2008 Thin Solid Films 516 4613
Miao Q Q, Wu L Q, Cui J N, Huang M D and Ma T 2011 Adv. Mater. 23 2764
Son M K, Seo H, Kim S K, Hong N Y, Kim B M, Park S et al 2012 Int. J. Photoenergy 2012 480929
Liu Z H, Su X J, Hou G L L, Bi S, Xiao Z and Jia H P 2012 J. Power Sources 218 280
Li W, Yang J, Jiang Q, Luo Y, Hou Y, Zhou S et al 2015 J. Power Sources 284 428
Yang L and Leung W W 2011 Adv. Mater. 23 4559
Mohammadpour F and Moradi M 2015 Mater. Sci. Semicond. Process. 39 255
Swathy K S, Abraham P A, Panicker N R, Pramanik N C and Jacob K S 2016 Procedia Technol. 24 767
Dissanayake M A K L, Divarathna H K D W M N, Dissanayake C B, Senadeera G K R, Ekanayake P M P C and Thotawattage C A 2016 J. Photochem. Photobiol. A: Chem. 322 110
Dissanayake M A K L, Jaseetharan T, Senadeera G K R and Thotawatthage C A 2018 Electrochim. Acta 269 172
Dissanayake M A K L, Sarangika H N M, Senadeera G K R, Divarathna H K D W M N R and Ekanayake E M P C 2017 J. Appl. Electrochem. 47 239
Kumar A S, Balaji D, Kumar J R and Babu S M 2009 Appl. Sci. 1 186
Guo M, Diao P, Ren Y-J, Meng F, Tian H and Cai S M 2005 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 88 23
Chen Y, Zeng Z, Li C, Wang W, Wang X and Zhang B 2005 New J. Chem. 29 773
Chang H, Kao M-J, Chen T L, Chen C H, Cho K C and Lai X R 2013 Int. J. Photoenergy 1 159502
Kumar K K A and Senthilselvan S J 2019 Mater. Sci. Semicond. Process. 96 104
Rangel D, Gallegos J C, Vargas S, García F and Rodríguez R 2019 Results Phys. 12 2026
Sundrarajan M, Bama K, Bhavani M, Jegatheeswaran S, Ambika S, Sangili A et al 2017 J. Photochem. Photobiol. B: Biol. 171 117
Chen J, Song J L, Sun X W, Deng W Q, Jiang C Y, Lei W et al 2009 Appl. Phys. Lett. 94 153115
Shen Q, Kobayashi J, Diguna L J and Toyoda T 2008 J. Appl. Phys. 103 084304
Lee Y L, Huang B M and Chien H T 2008 Chem. Mater. 20 6903
Zaban A, Greenshtein M and Bisquert J 2003 J. ChemPhysChem 4 859
Hod I, González-Pedro V, Tachan Z, Fabregat-Santiago F, Mora-Sero I, Bisquert J et al 2011 J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2 3032
Wang Q, Moser J E and Gratzel M 2005 J. Phys. Chem. B 109 14945
Kim H J, Kim D J, Rao S S, Savariraj A D, Kyoung S K, Son M K et al 2014 Electrochim. Acta 127 427
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Senadeera, G.K.R., Balasundaram, D., Dissanayake, M.A.K.L. et al. Efficiency enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells with co-sensitized, triple layered photoanode by enhanced light scattering and spectral responses. Bull Mater Sci 44, 68 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-021-02365-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12034-021-02365-x