Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV14)
Publication date: 1st March 2014
The use of semiconductor (like TiO2) or insulator (such as SiO2) capped plasmonic metal nanoparticles to increase the efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has gathered significant research momentum in the recent past [1,2]. While plasmonic and charging effects of capped Au nanoparticles have been translated to improved photocurrents and open circuit voltages in TiO2 based DSSCs [1], these effects have seldom been exploited in ZnO based DSSCs. ZnO is an attractive alternate to TiO2 due to a large electron mobility and a band gap almost equivalent to that of TiO2, but efficiencies of ZnO based DSSCs are limited by poor dye regeneration efficiency and formation of stable Zn2+/dye complexes. In view of these aspects, here we present a novel approach to increase the photovoltaic performance of a ZnO nanorod based DSSC involving a seamless incorporation of Au encapsulated carbon dots (Au@C-dots) in the photoanode. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the hexagonal structure of ZnO nanorods and a face centered cubic lattice for the Au core, encapsulated within a graphitic network of carbon atoms or C-dots. While the chromophores bound to the Au@C-dots nanoparticles undergo a near-field plasmonic enhancement which increases the light absorption capacity of the N719 dye and concomitantly, the ability of C-dots to undergo significant charge separation upon illumination cumulatively result in increased photocurrents. ZnO/N719/Au@C-dots based electrodes were fabricated and the multiple electron deactivation modes that prevail in this system and their ramifications on solar cell parameters were elucidated. Fast electron transfer from N719 dye to Au@C-dots was confirmed by fluorescence and lifetime enhancements of Au@C-dots. In addition to excited electron transfer from N719 to ZnO, we also demonstrate Forster resonance energy transfer or FRET from the gap states of ZnO to N719 dye. The Forster radius was 1.89 nm and the efficiency of energy transfer was deduced to be 66%. The plasmonic and FRET enabled DSSC with ZnO/N719/Au@C-dots as photoanode exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 4.1%, larger than 3.16% attained for the traditional ZnO/N719 based DSSC (Figure 1). Our studies offer new opportunities to combine Au@C-dots with other DSSC photoanode architectures for high performance cells.
Figure 1 Plasmonic effects of Au@C-dots on j-V characteristics of a ZnO based DSSC.
[1] Choi H.; Chen, W. T.; Kamat, P. V. Know Thy Nano Neighbor. Plasmonic versus Electron Charging Effects of Metal Nanoparticles in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, ACS Nano 2012, 6, 4418-4427. [2] Sheehan, S. W.; Noh, H.; Brudvig, G. W.; Cao, H.; Schmuttenmaer, C. A. Plasmonic Enhancement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using Core Shell−Shell Nanostructures, J. Phys. Chem. C 2013, 117, 927-934.
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