Researchers succeeded in increasing the efficiency of solar cells by modifying optical properties of titanium dioxide layers coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass.

Solar cells that have become sensitive with pigments have more durability and reasonable price in comparison to the silicone solar cells.

“In order to synthesize the electrode, firstly a micron layer of titanium dioxide was coated on FTO glasses through electrophoresis method. Then, the layer was turned into core-shell structures with determined concentrations of TiCl4 and ZnO pre-materials. Next, the desirable solar cell was produced by using pigment and by sandwiching the anode and cathode electrodes, and the properties of the cell were investigated,” Dr. Mas’oud Hamedaniyan, the head of the research team, said, elaborating on the procedure of the study published in Surface and Coatings Technology (“Band gap engineering of TiO₂ nanostructure-based dye solar cells (DSCs) fabricated via electrophoresis”).

He pointed to the results of the research, and continued, “Two optimizations were carried out in order to improve the optical properties. In the first one, the surface of titanium dioxide was optimized by using titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4). It resulted in 40% increase in the efficiency of the solar cell. The second stage of the optimization was carried out by using zinc oxide (ZnO), and the result was an increase of 10% in the efficiency. Finally, solar cells were synthesized with parameters such as short circuit current of about 20 mA, open circuit potential of 70 mV, and efficiency of 6.55.”

Source: INIC

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