Abstract
Hierarchical SnO2 nanocrystallites aggregates (NAs) were prepared with a simple room temperature–based aqueous solution method followed by simple freeze-drying treatment. The as-prepared SnO2 NAs were subsequently combined with SnO2 nanosheet–based structures from the viewpoint of a function-matching strategy, and under an optimized condition, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.59% was obtained for the resultant hybrid photoanode, a remarkable 60% enhancement compared to that of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) fabricated with bare SnO2 NAs architecture. The significantly enhanced efficiency can be attributed to the combination of the desirable electron transport property obtained by the intentionally introduced SnO2 nanosheets (NSs) and the effectively retained inherent characteristics of SnO2 NAs, i.e., large surface area and strong light-scattering effect. This work provides a promising approach for the rapid development of highly efficient SnO2 photoanode film-based DSCs with the properties of simplicity of operation and control over the photoanode composition.
Highlights
Since the breakthrough work in mesoscopic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) by O’Regan and Grätzel, a great deal of effort has been made on this unique device because of its advantages of being highly efficient and environmentally friendly, with low cost and ease of fabrication [1,2,3]
Within individual structures [4,5,6], which results in the long-term stability of DSCs and reduced charge recombination probability within the photoanode film
The crystalline phases of both SnO2 nanocrystallites aggregates (NAs) and NSs were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD)
Summary
Since the breakthrough work in mesoscopic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) by O’Regan and Grätzel, a great deal of effort has been made on this unique device because of its advantages of being highly efficient and environmentally friendly, with low cost and ease of fabrication [1,2,3]. Tao et al reported a novel ZnO composite photoanode composed of 3D ZnO aggregates (NAs) and bridging 2D ZnO nanosheets (NSs) that yielded a near-record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.35% because of the effective combination of the relatively strong light-scattering property of ZnO NAs with the increased surface area and favorable electron transport of ZnO NSs [23]. In line with these noteworthy features of the composite photoanode, SnO2 hybrid photoanode consisting of function-matching structures shows great promise in dramatically enhancing DSC efficiency. Various measurements revealed that such outstanding performance of the resultant photoanode was ascribed to a reasonable combination of the excellent charge transport and strong light-harvesting capabilities resulting from the synergy of SnO2 NAs architecture and SnO2 nanosheet-based structures
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