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Application of a novel microwave plasma treatment for the sintering of nickel oxide coatings for use in dye-sensitized solar cells
Date Issued
25 July 2011
Date Available
19T15:03:21Z January 2011
Abstract
In this study the use of microwave plasma sintering of nickel oxide (NiOx) particles for use as p-type photoelectrode coatings in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is investigated. NiOx was chosen as the photocathode for this application due to its stability, wide band gap and p-type nature. For high light conversion efficiency DSSCs require a mesoporous structure exhibiting a high surface area. This can be achieved by sintering particles of NiOx onto a conductive substrate. In this study the use of both 2.45 GHz microwave plasma and conventional furnace sintering were compared for the sintering of the NiOx particles. Coatings 1 to 2.5 μm thick were obtained from the sintered particles (mean particle size of 50 nm) on 3 mm thick fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates. Both the furnace and microwave plasma sintering treatments were carried out at ~ 450 °C over a 5 minute period. Dye sensitization was carried out using Erythrosin B and the UV-vis absorption spectra of the NiOx coatings were compared. A 44% increase in the level of dye adsorption was obtained for the microwave plasma sintered samples as compared to that obtained through furnace treatments. While the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC fabricated using the microwave plasma treated NiOx coatings exhibited a tenfold increase in the conversion efficiency in comparison to the furnace treated samples. This enhanced performance was associated with the difference in the mesoporous structure of the sintered NiOx coatings.
Sponsorship
Science Foundation Ireland
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Surface and Coatings Technology
Volume
205
Issue
Supplement 2
Start Page
S245
End Page
S249
Copyright (Published Version)
2011, Elsevier B.V.
Subject – LCSH
Dye-sensitized solar cells
Nickel compounds
Nanoparticles
Microwave plasmas
Sintering
Web versions
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0257-8972
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
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Suface and Coatings Technology 2011 Novel Microwave Plasma Technology.pdf
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474.09 KB
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44
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