Properties of a Dye Sensitized Solar Cell using Electrodes with Au Nano Powder Blocking Layers

Abstract

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.

Plasmon-Mediated Absorption and Photocurrent Spectra in Sensitized Solar Cells

“…Experiments suggest that near-field enhancement plays an important role in enhancing DSSCs and photovoltaics. ,, The degree of the plasmonic enhancement can be varied by varying the distance between the photocarrier generator or the photosensitizer (a molecular chromophore or a quantum dot) and the MNP, as this varies the magnitude of the dipole–dipole coupling. To date, however, reported plasmonic enhancement of the conversion efficiency of solar cells have been small: a fraction of a percent up to 2–3%. − …”

“…In the present paper, we use a model Hamiltonian approach to investigate the photophysics of the smallest basic unit of a solar cell, consisting of a photosensitizer, a plasmonic MNP and a semiconductor electrode, under both continuous wave and pulse excitation. The main goals of this work are to understand and learn to optimize the fundamental physics underlying solar cells, explore the origin of the observed low enhancement − and predict the theoretical upper limit of the steady state injected photocurrent. The correlation between the total absorption cross section for the coupled system and photocurrent spectrum, previously assumed to be strongly and positively correlated, is examined throughout the dipole–dipole coupling range of relevance and found positive only in the low coupling limit.…”