© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
A multi-layered film with a TiO2-based nanotubes/nanoparticles/nanotubes sandwich structure has been developed to increase light-harvesting efficiency by enhancing light scattering. Compared to a double-layered film of nanotubes/nanoparticles, the sandwiched film exhibited greatly improved light-absorption properties. An obviously improved total energy-conversion efficiency of 6.11% was obtained in the sandwiched film, which is 27.3, 46.1 and 213% higher than those of the double-layered film, nanoparticle film and nanotube film, respectively. A possible mechanism for the enhancement of light harvesting in the sandwiched film is proposed, whereby the observed enhancement is owing to effective scattering by the bottom layer and reflection of escaped light by the top layer.
References
-
-
1)
-
B. O'Regan ,
M. Gratzel
.
A low-cost, high efficiency solar cell based on dye sensitized colloidal TiO2 films.
Nature
,
737 -
739
-
2)
-
H. Xu ,
X. Tao ,
D.T. Wang ,
Y.Z. Zheng ,
J.F. Chen
.
Enhanced efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 nanocrystal/nanotube double-layered films.
Electrochim. Acta
,
2280 -
2285
-
3)
-
C.H. Ku ,
J.J. Wu
.
Electron transport properties in ZnO nanowire array/nanoparticle composite dye-sensitized solar cells.
Appl. Phys. Lett.
-
4)
-
A. Mathew ,
G.M. Rao ,
N. Munichandraiah
.
Effect of TiO2 electrode thickness on photovoltaic properties of dye sensitized solar cell based on randomly oriented Titania nanotubes.
Mater. Chem. Phys.
,
95 -
101
-
5)
-
G. Mor ,
K. Shankar ,
M. Paulose ,
O. Varghese ,
C. Grimes
.
Use of highly-ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Nano Lett.
,
2 ,
215 -
218
-
6)
-
E. Galoppini ,
J. Rochford
.
Fast electron transport in metal organic vapor deposition grown dye-sensitized ZnO nanorod solar cells.
J. Phys. Chem. B
,
16159 -
16161
-
7)
-
M. Paulose ,
K. Shankar ,
S. Yoriya
.
Anodic growth of highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays to 134 µm in length.
J. Phys. Chem. B
,
16179 -
16184
-
8)
-
Y.T. Ma ,
Y. Lin ,
X.R. Xiao ,
X.P. Li ,
X.W. Zhou
.
Synthesis of TiO2 nanotubes film and its light scattering property.
Chinese Sci. Bull.
,
1985 -
1990
-
9)
-
Y.Z. Zheng ,
X. Tao ,
L.X. Wang
.
Novel ZnO-based film with double light-scattering layers as photoelectrodes for enhanced efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Chem. Mater.
,
928 -
934
-
10)
-
K. Zhu ,
N. Kopidakis ,
N.R. Neale ,
J.V. Lagemaat ,
A.J. Frank
.
Influence of surface area on charge transport and recombination in dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells.
J. Phys. Chem. B
,
25174 -
25180
-
11)
-
J. Ferber ,
J. Luther
.
Computer simulations of light scattering and absorption in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells
,
265 -
275
-
12)
-
T.P. Chou ,
Q.F. Zhang ,
G.E. Fryxell ,
G.Z. Cao
.
Hierarchically structured ZnO film for dye-sensitized solar cells with enhanced energy conversion efficiency.
Adv. Mater.
,
2588 -
2592
-
13)
-
Y.F. Gao ,
M. Nagai ,
T.C. Chang ,
J.J. Shyue
.
Solution-derived ZnO nanowire array film as photoelectrode in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Cryst. Growth Des.
,
2467 -
2471
-
14)
-
A.H. Saif ,
P. Emilio ,
M.C. Byung
.
Charge separation versus recombination in dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells: the minimization of kinetic redundancy.
J. Am. Chem. Soc.
,
3456 -
3462
-
15)
-
M. Gratzel
.
Dye-sensitized solar cells.
J. Photochem. Photobiol. C
,
145 -
153
-
16)
-
K.M. Lee ,
V. Suryanarayanan ,
J.H. Huang ,
K.R.J. Thomas ,
J.T. Lin ,
K.C. Ho
.
Enhancing the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on an organic dye by incorporating TiO2 nanotube in a TiO2 nanoparticle film.
Electrochim. Acta
,
4123 -
4130
-
17)
-
M. Grätzel
.
Conversion of sunlight to electric power by nanocrystalline dye sensitized solar cells.
J. Photochem. Photobiol. A
,
3 -
14
-
18)
-
H.M. Cheng ,
W.H. Chiu ,
C.H. Lee ,
S.Y. Tsai ,
W.F. Hsieh
.
Formation of branched ZnO nanowires from solvothermal method and dye-sensitized solar cells applications.
J. Phys. Chem. C
,
16359 -
16364
-
19)
-
D.B. Kuang ,
J.R.M. Brillet ,
P. Chen
.
Application of highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells.
ACSnano Acs. Nano
,
1113 -
1116
-
20)
-
E.P. Emil ,
E.B. Janice ,
S.A. Eray
.
Electron transport and recombination in polycrystalline TiO2 nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells.
Appl. Phys. Lett.
-
21)
-
Z.S. Wang ,
H. Kawauchi ,
T. Kashima ,
H. Arakawa
.
Significant influence of TiO2 photoelectrode morphology on the energy conversion efficiency of N719 dye-sensitized solar cell.
Coordin. Chem. Rev.
,
1381 -
1389
-
22)
-
D.A. Wang ,
B. Yu ,
F. Zhou ,
C.W. Wang ,
W.M. Liu
.
Synthesis and characterization of anatase TiO2 nanotubes and their use in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Mater. Chem. Phys.
,
602 -
606
http://iet.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1049/mnl.2011.0225
Related content
content/journals/10.1049/mnl.2011.0225
pub_keyword,iet_inspecKeyword,pub_concept
6
6