Characterization and Performance Evaluation of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) Thickness on ZnO Nanorods-Based Photoelectrochemical Cell

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) has the same working principle as solar cell which convert solar energy into electricity. PEC consists of photoanode, electrolyte, and counter electrode, where electrolyte plays an important role in determining PEC performance. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the most suitable electrolyte used due to its high ionic conductivity and chemically stable. In this study, YSZ was deposited to ZnO Nanorods (NRs) by doctor blade method with thickness variation of 100 μm (PEC10) and 120 μm (PEC12). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to distinguish the phase, morphology, and band gap of the formed materials, respectively. Moreover, I-V test was also conducted to evaluate the performance of the fabricated PEC with different YSZ thickness. SEM image confirmed the deposition thickness of YSZ layer on NRs which formed rough and irregular interface due to grain boundary fusion of YSZ and NRs. In addition, there is little difference XRD pattern from PEC10 and PEC12 which shows ZnO and YSZ peaks with peak shifting observed. Meanwhile, slightly difference noticed on band gap value where PEC10 has 3.25 eV and PEC12 has 3.58 eV. Even though, the characteristic of PEC10 and PEC12 is similar, the I-V test shown a significant difference of solar efficiency where PEC10 has higher efficiency of about 0.328% than PEC12. This difference is contributed by smaller grain size which has higher specific surface area and porosity. Based on this study, the thickness of electrolyte layer YSZ doesn’t affect the basic characteristic of PEC but affect the efficiency of PEC significantly.