Exploration of photoanode characteristics of a mixed ferroelectric ZnSnO3 and semiconducting Zn2SnO4 phase for photovoltaic applications

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2018-09, Vol.29 (17), p.15106-15111
• Main Authors: Manikandan, M., Mukilraj, T., Venkateswaran, C., Moorthy Babu, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ball milling; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Construction materials; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Dyes; Energy conversion efficiency; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; Materials Science; Open circuit voltage; Optical and Electronic Materials; Photoanodes; Photovoltaic cells; Physical properties; Polarization; Polarization characteristics; Ruthenium; Short circuit currents; Short circuits; Zinc stannate
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-018-9651-6

The spontaneous and reversible polarization characteristics of ferroelectric materials gain considerable interest in photovoltaic applications. Intrinsic polarization of ferroelectric materials induces the built-in potential which potentially facilitates the separation of photoexcited electron–hole pairs in the devices. In an effort to understand the photo-physical characteristics, ball milling assisted sintering method was employed to prepare the compound. Mixed phase of ZnSnO 3 and Zn 2 SnO 4 shows an absorbance maximum in the range between 235 and 400 nm in UV–Vis spectrum. Synthesized mixed phases of ZnSnO 3 and Zn 2 SnO 4 is used as a photoanode in the Dye-sensitized solar cell and the effect of mixed phases in the photovoltaic property is analyzed. By using Ruthenium dye and LiI electrolyte, the photo conversion efficiency is examined. The observed open circuit voltage is 0.64 V and the short circuit current density is 4.2 mAcm −2 . The observed Fill factor and conversion efficiency are 0.56 and 1.5%, respectively.