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Magnesium doped ZnO nanoparticles embedded ZnO nanorod hybrid electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells

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Abstract

We report a novel type of Mg doped ZnO nanoparticles (ZMP) embedded on hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorod (ZR) based photoanode dye sensitized solar cells. The crystallinity, composition and morphology of the photoanodes were characterized by using X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The amount of dye absorbed in the photoanode was observed using UV visible spectral analysis. The improved internal resistance and charge-transfer kinetics of the fabricated cells were analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ZMP embedded electrode of low thickness (~2.5 μm) gained an enhanced short-circuit current density of 8.56 mA/cm2, open-circuit photo voltage of 0.71 V, fill factor of 0.51, and overall conversion efficiency of 2.91 % under 1 sun illumination. This shows high conversion efficiency and performance than that of ZnO nanorod (η ~ 0.22 %) and bare ZnO nanoparticles (ZP) embedded ZnO nanorod (η ~ 1.04 %) based cells. The presence of Mg ions in the ZnO nanoparticle hinders the interfacial recombination of the photo-excited electrons with the electrolyte and also shows better dye absorption than that of ZR. These factors can significantly enhance solar-cell performance and increase the efficiency of the ZMP based dye sensitized solar cells.

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Acknowledgments

The author C.J.R would like to thank the BRAIN KOREA21 (BK21) for its financial support. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2010-0009749).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Pusan National University, San 30, Jangjeong-Dong, Gumjeong-Ku, Busan, 609 735, South Korea

    C. Justin Raj, S. N. Karthick, K. V. Hemalatha, Min-Kyu Son, Hee-Je Kim & K. Prabakar

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  1. C. Justin Raj
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  2. S. N. Karthick
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  3. K. V. Hemalatha
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  4. Min-Kyu Son
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  5. Hee-Je Kim
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  6. K. Prabakar
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Correspondence to K. Prabakar.

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Justin Raj, C., Karthick, S.N., Hemalatha, K.V. et al. Magnesium doped ZnO nanoparticles embedded ZnO nanorod hybrid electrodes for dye sensitized solar cells. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 62, 453–459 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2748-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2748-0

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