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Nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells

Nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells Excitonic solar cells 1 —including organic, hybrid organic–inorganic and dye-sensitized cells (DSCs)—are promising devices for inexpensive, large-scale solar energy conversion. The DSC is currently the most efficient 2 and stable 3 excitonic photocell. Central to this device is a thick nanoparticle film that provides a large surface area for the adsorption of light-harvesting molecules. However, nanoparticle DSCs rely on trap-limited diffusion for electron transport, a slow mechanism that can limit device efficiency, especially at longer wavelengths. Here we introduce a version of the dye-sensitized cell in which the traditional nanoparticle film is replaced by a dense array of oriented, crystalline ZnO nanowires. The nanowire anode is synthesized by mild aqueous chemistry and features a surface area up to one-fifth as large as a nanoparticle cell. The direct electrical pathways provided by the nanowires ensure the rapid collection of carriers generated throughout the device, and a full Sun efficiency of 1.5% is demonstrated, limited primarily by the surface area of the nanowire array. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nature Materials Springer Journals

Nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells

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References (29)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by Nature Publishing Group
Subject
Materials Science; Materials Science, general; Optical and Electronic Materials; Biomaterials; Nanotechnology; Condensed Matter Physics
ISSN
1476-1122
eISSN
1476-4660
DOI
10.1038/nmat1387
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Excitonic solar cells 1 —including organic, hybrid organic–inorganic and dye-sensitized cells (DSCs)—are promising devices for inexpensive, large-scale solar energy conversion. The DSC is currently the most efficient 2 and stable 3 excitonic photocell. Central to this device is a thick nanoparticle film that provides a large surface area for the adsorption of light-harvesting molecules. However, nanoparticle DSCs rely on trap-limited diffusion for electron transport, a slow mechanism that can limit device efficiency, especially at longer wavelengths. Here we introduce a version of the dye-sensitized cell in which the traditional nanoparticle film is replaced by a dense array of oriented, crystalline ZnO nanowires. The nanowire anode is synthesized by mild aqueous chemistry and features a surface area up to one-fifth as large as a nanoparticle cell. The direct electrical pathways provided by the nanowires ensure the rapid collection of carriers generated throughout the device, and a full Sun efficiency of 1.5% is demonstrated, limited primarily by the surface area of the nanowire array.

Journal

Nature Materials – Springer Journals

Published: May 15, 2005

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