The effect of ZnO photoanode solution ageing to the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)

Abstract

This paper reports the effect of ageing of the zinc oxide (ZnO) solution made of diethanolamine (DEA) and ZnO powder mixture to the performance of DSSCs. The ZnO solution was prepared on day 0 and kept in ambient room temperature for ageing analysis. Two DSSCs were prepared by depositing the ZnO solution on an indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) glass respectively by using doctor-blade technique in a light controlled (dark) surrounding on daily basis for efficiency analysis. Investigation on the nanostructures of the photoanodes was made by varying the ageing days of the ZnO solution between day 0 to 28. The resulting average nanoparticle sizes were in the range of 0.113 µm to 0.960 µm in nanorods shape, which suggests that the solution is homogenous and utilisable throughout 28 days of storage. Efficiency values ranging from 0.95% to 2.05% had been observed on the first hour of the DSSCs made from various aged solution up to 28 days, which proved that 28 days of ageing of ZnO photoanode solution does not affect the performance of DSSCs. The results obtained may assist in the fabrication process and storage of DSSC components in the future.