Size controlled synthesis of gadolinium doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles by low temperature hydrothermal method towards effective photovoltaic application

Abstract

In the present study, Pure and (1 wt% and 4 wt%) Gadolinium (Gd3+) doped TiO2 nanoparticles were developed with a hydrothermal method, and dye sensitized solar cells were fabricated using them as an electron transfer material. The anatase phase and structural property of pure and Gd3+ doped TiO2 nanoparticles were examined using XRD analysis. Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) confirmed the presence of titania nanoparticles and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy was used for the investigation of the optical properties of synthesized photocatalysts. The photovoltaic performance of Gd3+:TiO2 based solar cells is improved compared to un-doped TiO2 based solar cell. The power conversion efficiency of the solar cells on Gd3+:TiO2 increased to 4.88%, which is higher than that of the solar cells based on un-doped TiO2.