Indium tin oxide as a semiconductor material in efficient p-type dye-sensitized solar cells

摘要

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a well-known n-type degenerate semiconductor. Herein, mesoporous ITO is utilized as a photocathode material for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells in place of the commonly applied p-type semiconductors, such as nickel oxide. In conjunction with [Fe(acac)3]0/− as redox mediator and a new sensitizer, an impressive energy conversion efficiency of 1.96±0.12% was achieved. Photoelectron spectroscopy in air revealed that ITO exhibits a significant local density of states arising below −4.8 eV, which enables electron transfer to occur from ITO to the excited dye, giving rise to the sustained photocathodic current.