A comparison of investigations into the photovoltaic and electronic properties of the zinc-containing photoanodes for DSC applications

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the possibility of using zinc oxide (ZO), zinc titanate (ZT), and zinc stannate (ZS) as alternative photoanode materials for DSC. The sol-gel process was used to synthesize the three materials. The prepared materials were characterized structurally by PXRD. UV-Visible spectroscopy was used to evaluate the absorption properties, dye loading, and aggregation behaviour of bare dye and dye-adsorbed photoanodes. As a result, ZS-based photoanodes have a high adsorption capacity (44 nmol/mg) and are less prone to aggregation. The photoelectric conversion behaviour of the materials was explored under one sunlight condition. It shows that ZS-based photoanodes have a higher photocurrent of 4.21 mA/cm 2 , a photovoltage of 0.613 V, and a better PCE of 1.66%, which can be attributed to the strong dye adsorption capacity of ZS. Similarly, photochemical data show a low R ct resistance and a high chemical capacitance for ZS. Zinc orientated with tin is viewed as a future DSC material that is less aggregative, low-cost, and high-performance than other derivatives. The details are presented herein. • An efficient comparison in PCE was conducted between several zinc-incorporated photoanodes (ZnO, ZnTiO 3 and ZnSnO 3 ). • The various photoanodes with zinc insertion were thoroughly examined regarding their electrochemistry and optical characteristics. • Zinc stannate (ZS) based photoanode exhibits higher device performance and is noted as a prospective candidate for DSC's future.