Effect of electrospinning distance to fabricate ZnO nanofiber as photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is a promising photovoltaic technology that still needs further improvement in manufacturing processes for mass production. This paper studies direct deposition method to enhance the manufacturing steps of semiconductor layer on conductive substrate. Electro spun Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanofiber are directly coated on transparent conductive oxide (FTO) glass by electrospinning machine. The variation of electrospinning distances from 4, 6 and 8 cm were applied on this work to examine its effects on ZnO nanofiber morphology. The results showed that at 8 cm electrospinning distance produced small, regular and unbroken ZnO nanofiber structure. Furthermore, it also produced the highest solar cell’s performance under irradiation of AM 1.5 simulated sunlight (1000 mW/cm2) than the other electrospinning distances.