Abstract
In this study, Co-doped TiO2 was prepared successfully using a solvothermal method with trimesic acid (H3BTC) as an organic framework to form the Co-doped Ti metal–organic framework (Co-doped Ti-MOF). By thermally decomposing the Co-doped Ti-MOF in air, the framework template was removed, and porous Co-doped TiO2 was obtained. The crystal structure of the material was analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam SEM. The large specific surface area was determined to be 135.95 m2 g–1 using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy verified the presence of Ti–O–Ti and Co–O vibrations in the as-prepared sample. Furthermore, the results of UV–vis spectroscopy showed that doping with Co remarkably improved the absorption ability of Ti-MOF toward the visible-light region with a band gap energy of 2.38 eV (λ = 502 nm). Steady-state photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were conducted to illustrate the improvement of electron transfer in the doped material further. The optimum power conversion efficiency of solar cells using 1 wt % Co-doped TiO2 as an electron transport layer was found to be 15.75%, while that of solar cells using commercial dyesol TiO2 is only 14.42%.
Highlights
In the past few years, the development of renewable and clean energy resources, such as wind power, biomass power, hydropower, and solar energy, has been considered as a viable solution to satisfy ever-increasing energy demands
Crystalline silicon cells form the first generation of solar cells, which have high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability but are expensive to manufacture
The third-generation solar cells include organic thin-film/polymer solar cells, dyesensitized/perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and quantum dot solar cells.[3−5] Notably, PSCs have received considerable attention owing to their high PCE; abundant elemental constituents; and low-cost, low-temperature, and scalable fabricating process.[6−11]
Summary
In the past few years, the development of renewable and clean energy resources, such as wind power, biomass power, hydropower, and solar energy, has been considered as a viable solution to satisfy ever-increasing energy demands. ETLs can be fabricated from different materials, such as TiO2, SnO2, Al2O3, ZnO, or ZrO2 Among these photocatalysts, TiO2 is one of the best semiconductors for use as an electron transport material (ETM) in PSCs, owing to its superior structural stability, safety, and low cost.[12−14] the band gap energy of commercial TiO2 is approximately 3.3 eV (λ = 380 nm), which lies in the range of ultraviolet radiation. The obtained material had a porous structure, both internally and on the surface, and was applied to PSCs as a porous ETL that is compared with commercial dyesol TiO2
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