PHOTOCURRENT ENHANCEMENT OF CdS QUANTUM DOT SENSITIZED TiO2 ELECTRODE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOLD NANO PARTICLES

Abstract

PHOTOCURRENT ENHANCEMENT OF CdS QUANTUM DOT SENSITIZED TiO 2 ELECTRODE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOLD NANO PARTICLES . Photo current enhancement of CdS Quantum Dot (CdS-QD) sensitized TiO 2 electrode in the presence of gold nano particles had been investigated. CdS quantum dots were prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, in which solution containing Cd(CH 3 COO) 2 and Na 2 S were used as a precursor. Where as, gold nano particles was synthesized using solution containing HAuCl 4 as a precursor, NaBH 4 as a reducing agent and polyvinyl pyrrolydone (PVP) as a stabilizer. The film of CdS quantum dots and Au nano particles were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and electro chemical working station. Photo electrochemical study revealed that CdS-sensitized TiO 2 electrode with gold nanoparticles have been able to increase photocurrent of 54 A/cm 2 to 68 A/cm 2 , so the photocurrent enhancement of approximately 25% was observed. This observation indicates that the gold nanoparticles is potentially applicable to enhance photocurrent in a CdS-QD sensitized TiO 2 electrode, which may lead to the development of more efficient solar cell.