Abstract
This research investigates effect of annealing temperature on the optical properties of titanium dioxide loaded with silver nanoparticles (TiO2: AgNPs) thin films deposited on glass substrate by spin–coating technique. Silver nanoparticles was prepared using laguminosae-paplionodeae extracts as a reducing agent for silver nitrate and commercially available titanium (iv) oxide was used. Deposition of TiO2:AgNPs blend solution was done in different volume ratio. The blend solution volume ratio of (1:0.2) was deposited at 7 different thicknesses with different speed of revolution per minutes (rpm) for 30 seconds. Annealing of 16 samples deposited at 1000 rpm on the glass substrate was carried out at temperature range of 50°C to 425°C with 10°C interval in a tubular furnance. It is observed from the results that the peak absorption of photon energy occurred at 375°C in the visible range of the wavelength spectrum. Optimal thickness for peak absorbance of the TiO2:AgNPs blend layer occurred at 115 nm in the visible spectrum and at the corresponding spin speed of 1000 rpm. Optimized fabrication process with blend layer thickness of 115 nm yielded the best absorbance at annealed temperature of 375°C in the visible spectrum. The volume ratio of (1:0.2) gave the peak absorption at 0.75 a u. The band gap energy of the blend thin film is 3.58 eV at 375°C in the visible range of wavelength spectrum. It is revealed from the result that the light absorption, broadened absorption spectral range and thermal stability of titanium (iv) oxide film could be enhanced using silver nanoparticles. The results can be therefore used as a guideline for improving the design and fabrication of organic solar cells.
Highlights
The demand for clean energy sources has increased, leading to a rapid growth in the field of research and development of solar energy
This research investigates effect of annealing temperature on the optical properties of titanium dioxide loaded with silver nanoparticles (TiO2:AgNPs) thin films deposited on glass substrate by spin–coating technique
Optimized fabrication process with blend layer thickness of 115 nm yielded the best absorbance at annealed temperature of 375°C in the visible spectrum as shown in figures 3 and 4, the result is in agreement as was reported by [24]
Summary
The demand for clean energy sources has increased, leading to a rapid growth in the field of research and development of solar energy. The creation of nanoscale materials for advanced structures has led to a growing research interest in the area of photovoltaic energy conversion using photovoltaics devices Today’s solar cells are not efficient enough and are currently too expensive to manufacture for large-scale electricity generation. Potential advancements in nanotechnology may open the door to the production of cheaper and slightly more efficient solar cells. Solar cells are devices which convert the light into electrical energy [1]. Solar cells can be fabricated using organic, inorganic or hybrid materials and are divided into three different generations [2]. The Second-generation solar cells are based on thin film technology having thickness, usually in the range of 1-2 μm. The- Third generation solar cells are under research process, to increase the efficiency with the help of second generation
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