Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells
We report on the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells with a TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer layer between the transparent conductive oxide substrate and the mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub> film, in order to improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the device. The buffer laye...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/5/746 |
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| author | Jeanina Lungu Gabriel Socol George E. Stan Nicolaie Ştefan Cătălin Luculescu Adrian Georgescu Gianina Popescu-Pelin Gabriel Prodan Mihai A. Gîrţu Ion N. Mihăilescu |
| author_facet | Jeanina Lungu Gabriel Socol George E. Stan Nicolaie Ştefan Cătălin Luculescu Adrian Georgescu Gianina Popescu-Pelin Gabriel Prodan Mihai A. Gîrţu Ion N. Mihăilescu |
| author_sort | Jeanina Lungu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We report on the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells with a TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer layer between the transparent conductive oxide substrate and the mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub> film, in order to improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the device. The buffer layer was fabricated by pulsed laser deposition whereas the mesoporous film by the doctor blade method, using TiO<sub>2</sub> paste obtained by the sol–gel technique. The buffer layer was deposited in either oxygen (10 Pa and 50 Pa) or argon (10 Pa and 50 Pa) onto transparent conducting oxide glass kept at room temperature. The cross-section scanning electron microscopy image showed differences in layer morphology and thickness, depending on the deposition conditions. Transmission electron microscopy studies of the TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer layers indicated that films consisted of grains with typical diameters of 10 nm to 30 nm. We found that the photovoltaic conversion efficiencies, determined under standard air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G) conditions, of the solar cells with a buffer layer are more than two times larger than those of the standard cells. The best performance was reached for buffer layers deposited at 10 Pa O<sub>2</sub>. We discuss the processes that take place in the device and emphasize the role of the brush-like buffer layer in the performance increase. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:39:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a674fc466a3d436bbbf5d97da5e02f15 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:39:45Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-a674fc466a3d436bbbf5d97da5e02f152022-12-21T18:30:43ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912019-05-019574610.3390/nano9050746nano9050746Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar CellsJeanina Lungu0Gabriel Socol1George E. Stan2Nicolaie Ştefan3Cătălin Luculescu4Adrian Georgescu5Gianina Popescu-Pelin6Gabriel Prodan7Mihai A. Gîrţu8Ion N. Mihăilescu9Department of Physics, Ovidius University of Constanța, Constanța 900527, RomaniaNational Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaNational Institute of Materials Physics, P.O. Box MG-7, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaNational Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaNational Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaDepartment of Physics, Ovidius University of Constanța, Constanța 900527, RomaniaNational Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaDepartment of Physics, Ovidius University of Constanța, Constanța 900527, RomaniaDepartment of Physics, Ovidius University of Constanța, Constanța 900527, RomaniaNational Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, Măgurele 077125, RomaniaWe report on the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells with a TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer layer between the transparent conductive oxide substrate and the mesoporous TiO<sub>2</sub> film, in order to improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of the device. The buffer layer was fabricated by pulsed laser deposition whereas the mesoporous film by the doctor blade method, using TiO<sub>2</sub> paste obtained by the sol–gel technique. The buffer layer was deposited in either oxygen (10 Pa and 50 Pa) or argon (10 Pa and 50 Pa) onto transparent conducting oxide glass kept at room temperature. The cross-section scanning electron microscopy image showed differences in layer morphology and thickness, depending on the deposition conditions. Transmission electron microscopy studies of the TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer layers indicated that films consisted of grains with typical diameters of 10 nm to 30 nm. We found that the photovoltaic conversion efficiencies, determined under standard air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G) conditions, of the solar cells with a buffer layer are more than two times larger than those of the standard cells. The best performance was reached for buffer layers deposited at 10 Pa O<sub>2</sub>. We discuss the processes that take place in the device and emphasize the role of the brush-like buffer layer in the performance increase.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/5/746dye-sensitized solar cellsphotovoltaic conversion efficiencyTiO<sub>2</sub> thin filmspulsed laser deposition |
| spellingShingle | Jeanina Lungu Gabriel Socol George E. Stan Nicolaie Ştefan Cătălin Luculescu Adrian Georgescu Gianina Popescu-Pelin Gabriel Prodan Mihai A. Gîrţu Ion N. Mihăilescu Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Nanomaterials dye-sensitized solar cells photovoltaic conversion efficiency TiO<sub>2</sub> thin films pulsed laser deposition |
| title | Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells |
| title_full | Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells |
| title_fullStr | Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells |
| title_short | Pulsed Laser Fabrication of TiO<sub>2</sub> Buffer Layers for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells |
| title_sort | pulsed laser fabrication of tio sub 2 sub buffer layers for dye sensitized solar cells |
| topic | dye-sensitized solar cells photovoltaic conversion efficiency TiO<sub>2</sub> thin films pulsed laser deposition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/5/746 |
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