Soft X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy study of semiconductor oxide nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cell: ZnSnO3 and Zn2SnO4

Abstract

Abstract The electronic structures of the Zn-stannate nanoparticles of ZnSnO3 and Zn2SnO4, which are the potential nano-structured semiconductor oxides for a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC), have been investigated by employing photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and compared to those of reference materials. The divalent and tetravalent valence states of Zn2+ and Sn4+ ions are confirmed experimentally. The energy levels of both the valence-band and conduction-band edges are determined experimentally. The top of the valence band in PES is slightly higher in Zn2SnO4 than in ZnSnO3. The onset energies of the O 1s XAS spectra of the Zn-stannates are found to be similar to each other, but higher than that of TiO2. The O 1 s XAS spectrum of ZnSnO3 exhibits the higher unoccupied density of states near the bottom of the conduction band than those of Zn2SnO4, SnO2 and ZnO, reflecting the larger number of holes in the Zn 3 d bands of ZnSnO3. Hence, the easier electron transfer is expected from the LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) of a dye molecule to the conduction band of ZnSnO3 nanoparticles on the transparent conductive electrode of a DSSC.