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We prepared a working electrode (WE) coated with 0~50 nm-thick indium gallium zinc oxide(IGZO) by using RF sputtering to improve the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the microstructure and composition of the IGZO layer. UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy was used to determine the transparency of the WE with IGZO layers. A solar simulator and a potentiostat were used to confirm the photovoltaic properties of the DSSC with IGZO layer. From the results of the microstructural analysis, we were able to confirm the successful deposition of an amorphous IGZO layer with the expected thickness and composition. From the UV-VIS-NIR analysis, we were able to verify that the transparency decreased when the thickness of IGZO increased, while the transparency was over 90% for all thicknesses. The photovoltaic results show that the ECE became 4.30% with the IGZO layer compared to 3.93% without the IGZO layer. As the results show that electron mobility increased when an IGZO layer was coated on the TiO 2 layer, it is confirmed that the ECE of a DSSC can be enhanced by employing an appropriate thickness of IGZO on the TiO 2 layer.

We prepared working electrodes with blocking layers containing 0.0∼0.5 wt% Au nano powder to improve the energy conversion efficiencies (ECEs) of a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). TEM, FE-SEM, and AFM were used to characterize microstructure. XRD and micro-Raman were used to determine the phase and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of the blocking layer with Au nano powder. A solar simulator and a potentiostat were used to confirm the photovoltaic properties of the DSSC with the Au nano powder. From the results of the microstructure analysis, we confirmed that the Au nano powder had particle sizes of less than 70 nm, dispersed uniformly on the blocking layer. Based on the phase and composition analysis, we identified the presence of Au, and the Raman intensity increased as the amount of Au was increased. The photovoltaic results showed that the ECE reached 5.52% with the Au addition, compared to an ECE of 5.00% without the Au addition. This enhancement was due to the increased LSPR of the blocking layer with the Au addition. Our results suggest that we might improve the efficiency of a DSSC by the proper addition of Au nano powder on the blocking layer.

We prepared a working electrode (WE) with a blocking layer (BL) containing 0 ~0.5 wt% Ag nano powders to improve the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). FESEM and micro-Raman were used to characterize the microstructure and phase. UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy was employed to determine the adsorption of the WE with Ag nano powders. A solar simulator and a potentiostat were used to confirm the photovoltaic properties of the DSSC with Ag nano powders. From the results of the microstructural analysis, we confirmed that Ag nano powders with particle size of less than 150 nm were dispersed uniformly on the BL. Based on the phase and adsorption analysis, we identified the existence of Ag and found that the adsorption increased when the amount of Ag increased. The photovoltaic results show that the ECE became 4.80% with 0.3 wt%-Ag addition compared to 4.31% without Ag addition. This improvement was due to the increase of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the BL resulting from the addition of Ag. Our results imply that we might be able to improve the efficiency of a DSSC by proper addition of Ag nano powder to the BL.