Cathodic Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Photoactive NiO Electrodes Deposited Via Plasma-Assisted Microwave Sintering

Danilo Dini^a, Franco Decker^a, Davide Saccone^b, Claudia Barolo^b, Denis Dowling^c, Johannes Vos^d, Anders Hagfeldt^e, Aldo Di Carlo^f

^aDept. of Chemistry-University of Rome

^bDip. Chimica Generale ed Organica Applicata, Università degli studi di Torino, Corso D'Azeglio, 00125 Turin, Italy

^cSchool of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Dublin, Ireland

^dSchool of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University (DCU), Collins Av., Dublin 9, Dublin, Ireland

^eCenter for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy (CHOSE), University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, via G. Peroni 400/402, 00131 Rome, Italy

International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV14)

Ecublens, Switzerland, 2014 May 11th - 14th

Organizers: Michael Graetzel and Mohammad Nazeeruddin

Poster, Danilo Dini, 215
Publication date: 1st March 2014

The use of microwave (MW) radiation to sinter metal oxide nanoparticles in plasma atmosphere has been successfully demonstrated for the production of p-type semiconductors to be utilized as photoactive materials in cathodic dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSCs). In particular, the preparation of NiO thin films [1.2] has been realized with this scalable and innovative method. In the adopted procedure NiO nanoparticles with diameter 20-50 nm are first sprayed onto a transparent and conductive layer of fluorine-doped tin oxide, and successively sintered at about 400°C in plasma atmosphere for less than 10 minutes with MW irradiated at the characteristic frequency of 2.45 GHz.[2] NiO layers with mesoporous morphology could be obtained via MW-sintering process as demonstrated by SEM and FIB images of NiO films with thickness in the range 0.2-15 micron.The electrochemical characterization of the NiO films thus prepared was conducted in aqueous and anhydrous electrolytes. The results were compared to those obtained with compact NiO layers having similar thickness and with nanostructured NiO films prepared via wet methods. Successively the mesoporous NiO samples were sensitized with various organic/organometallic dyes either commercial or laboratory-made, and tested in sealed cells with the redox couple triiodide/iodide. The resulting p-DSCs displayed efficiencies of about 0.3% [3] when NiO photocathode had a thickness value comprised between 2 and 4 micron. Studies about the photo-electrochemical behavior of tandem DSCs based on NiO photocathodes and TiO2 photoanodes both sintered with MW are in progress.

[1] Gibson E.A. et al. Dye sensitised solar cells with nickel oxide photocathodes prepared via scalable microwave sintering. PhysChemChemPhys 2013,15,2411-2420. [2] Awais M. et al. Application of a novel microwave plasma treatment for the sintering of nickel oxide coatings for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. Surf. Coat. Techn. 2011, 205, S245-S249. [3] Dini D. et al. Fabrication of efficient NiO photocathodes prepared via RDS with novel routes of substrate processing for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. ChemElectrochem in press, doi: 10.1002/celc.201300178

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