ZnO Nanoforest based New Generation Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

摘要

ZnO is gaining importance in the electronics industry because of its availability of large sized single crystals, strong luminescence demonstrated in optically pumped lasers and the possibility of gaining control over its electrical conductivity. Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC's) is a photoelectrochemical system that incorporates a porous structured wide-bandgap oxide semiconductor (TiO_2 or ZnO) film as the photosensitized anode that offers increased surface area for dye molecule adsorption. ZnO Nanoforest is comprised of high density, branched ZnO nanowire photoanodes. The overall light-conversion efficiency of the branched ZnO nanowire DSSC's is almost 5 times higher than the efficiency of DSSC's constructed by upstanding ZnO nanowires. The efficiency increase is due to increased surface area for higher dye loading and light harvesting, and also due to reduced charge recombination phenomena by providing direct conduction pathways along the crystalline ZnO nanoforest.