Pristine and Al-doped hematite printed films as photoanodes of p-type dye-sensitized solar cells

We hereby propose a non-expensive method for the deposition of pure and Al-doped hematite photoanodes in the configuration of thin films for the application of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The electrodes have been prepared from hematite nanoparticles that were obtained by thermal degradation o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology 2017, Vol.19 (1), p.1, Article 7
Main Authors: Congiu, Mirko, De Marco, Maria L., Bonomo, Matteo, Nunes-Neto, Oswaldo, Dini, Danilo, Graeff, Carlos F.O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Electrochemistry
Electrodes
Inorganic Chemistry
Lasers
Materials Science
Nanoparticles
Nanotechnology
Optical Devices
Optics
Photonics
Physical Chemistry
Research Paper
Solar cells
Thin films
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We hereby propose a non-expensive method for the deposition of pure and Al-doped hematite photoanodes in the configuration of thin films for the application of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The electrodes have been prepared from hematite nanoparticles that were obtained by thermal degradation of a chemical precursor. The particles have been used in the preparation of a paste, suitable for both screen printing and doctor blade deposition. The paste was then spread on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) to obtain porous hematite electrodes. The electrodes have been sensitized using N3 and D5 dyes and were characterized through current/voltage curves under simulated sun light (1 sun, AM 1.5) with a Pt counter electrode. Al-doping of hematite showed interesting changes in the physical and electrochemical characteristics of sensitized photoanodes since we could notice the growth of AlFe 2 O 4 (hercynite) as a secondary crystal phase into the oxides obtained by firing the mixtures of two chemical precursors at different molar ratios. Pure and Al-doped hematite electrodes have been used in a complete n -type DSSCs. The kinetics of charge transfer through the interface dye/electrolyte was studied and compared to that of a typical p -type DSSC based on NiO photocathodes sensitized with erythrosine B. The results suggest a potential application of both Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 /AlFe 2 O 4 as photoanodes of a tandem DSSC.
ISSN:1388-0764
1572-896X
DOI:10.1007/s11051-016-3707-4