Zn-doped TiO2 electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells for enhanced photocurrent

Fuzhi Huang; Qi Li; Gordon J. Thorogood; Yi-Bing Cheng; Rachel A. Caruso

doi:10.1039/C2JM32409A

Zn-doped TiO₂ electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells for enhanced photocurrent†

Fuzhi Huang,^ab Qi Li,^c Gordon J. Thorogood,^d Yi-Bing Cheng*^b and Rachel A. Caruso*^ae

* Corresponding authors

^a PFPC, School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
E-mail: rcaruso@unimelb.edu.au
Fax: +613 9347 5180
Tel: +613 8344 7146

^b Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
E-mail: yibing.cheng@monash.edu
Fax: +613 9905 4940
Tel: +613 9905 4930

^c School of Chemistry, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia

^d Institute of Materials Engineering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia

^e CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Private Bag 33, Clayton South, Victoria 3169, Australia

Abstract

Porous nanocrystalline Zn/TiO₂ materials were synthesized employing agarose gel as a template, achieving a maximum Zn-doping concentration of around 2 at.%. Low Zn-doping concentrations (e.g. <1 at.%) improved the photocurrent of the dye-sensitized solar cell when these materials were applied as the working electrode, as n-type doping favors electron transportation. Compared to the efficiency of the undoped sample, 6.7%, the 0.5 at.% sample showed a much higher efficiency of 7.6%. Further doping decreases the performance of the device as it introduces deficiencies that act as electron–hole recombination centers.

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM32409A
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 18 Apr 2012
Accepted: 26 Jun 2012
First published: 20 Jul 2012

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J. Mater. Chem., 2012,22, 17128-17132

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Zn-doped TiO₂ electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells for enhanced photocurrent

F. Huang, Q. Li, G. J. Thorogood, Y. Cheng and R. A. Caruso, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 17128 DOI: 10.1039/C2JM32409A

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