Asymmetric ZnO panel-like hierarchical architectures with highly interconnected pathways for free-electron transport and photovoltaic improvements

Yantao Shi, Chao Zhu, Lin Wang, Wei Li, Kwok Kwong Fung, Ning Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Through a rapid and template-free precipitation approach, we synthesized an asymmetric panel-like ZnO hierarchical architecture (PHA) for photoanodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The two sides of the PHA are constructed differently using densely interconnected, mono-crystalline and ultrathin ZnO nanosheets. By mixing these PHAs with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), we developed an effective and feasible strategy to improve the electrical transport and photovoltaic performance of the composite photoanodes of DSCs. The highly crystallized and interconnected ZnO nanosheets largely minimized the total grain boundaries within the composite photoanodes and thus served as direct pathways for the transport and effective collection of free electrons. Through low-temperature (200 °C) annealing, these novel composite photoanodes achieved high conversion efficiencies of up to 5.59 % for ZnO-based quasi-solid DSCs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)282-287
Number of pages6
JournalChemistry - A European Journal
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Jan 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • dye-sensitized solar cells
  • hierarchical architectures
  • nanostructures
  • photoanodes
  • zinc

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