Issue 6, 2019

Novel 3D hierarchically structured cauliflower-shaped SnO2 nanospheres as effective photoelectrodes in hybrid photovoltaics

Abstract

Optical and electrical characteristics of wide bandgap metal oxides, namely the charge mobility, bandgap and energy level, directly define the performance and stability of photovoltaics. For the first time, novel three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically structured cauliflower-shaped SnO2 nanospheres with nanorods on their surface were obtained by a simple hydrothermal method without any additives at low temperature. The obtained hierarchically structured SnO2 nanospheres show large specific surface areas, proven to be efficient for sensitizer loading in both perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The nanospheres could improve light harvesting and also enhance electron transport through the grain boundaries. Ultimately, a maximum power conversion efficiency of 10.37% is obtained for 3D hierarchically structured SnO2 nanosphere-based DSSCs in which SnO2 is used as the scattering layer, and a remarkable efficiency of 20.01% is achieved when 3D hierarchically structured SnO2 nanospheres are employed as the electron transport material in PSCs. We trust that our work provides a new insight into construction and structural design of highly efficient hybrid photovoltaics.

Graphical abstract: Novel 3D hierarchically structured cauliflower-shaped SnO2 nanospheres as effective photoelectrodes in hybrid photovoltaics

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
29 3 2019
Accepted
05 5 2019
First published
17 5 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2019,1, 2167-2173

Novel 3D hierarchically structured cauliflower-shaped SnO2 nanospheres as effective photoelectrodes in hybrid photovoltaics

K. Mahmood, M. Imran, M. Hameed, F. Rehman, S. W. Ahmad and F. Nawaz, Nanoscale Adv., 2019, 1, 2167 DOI: 10.1039/C9NA00192A

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