ont matter & 2012 0.1016/j.nanoen.2 thor. s: chldwang@mail .edu (G. Cao). Abstract A novel interface precipitation method has been developed to synthesize hierarchically structured ZnO nanocrystallite aggregates. Such synthesized ZnO nanocrystallite aggregates were demonstrated as a promising structure for high power conversion efficiency when used as photoelectrode in dye-sensitized solar cell...

A SnO2 nanocrystallite-based photoanode was prepared using tin (iv) chloride and fructose via a one-pot hydrothermal method, and its structural and morphological properties were studied. Structural observations revealed tetragonal crystals of SnO2, and morphological studies confirmed the presence of spherical nanoparticulates. Furthermore, encapsulating the surface of the SnO2 photoanode (+N719...

A silver nanoparticle-decorated N,S-co-doped TiO2 nanocomposite was successfully prepared and used as an efficient photoanode in high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with N719 dye. The DSSCs assembled with the N,S-TiO2@Ag-modified photoanode demonstrated an enhanced solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of 8.22%, which was better than that of a DSSC photoanode composed...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most popular material for applications in solar-energy conversion and photocatalysis, both of which rely on the creation, transport, and trapping of charges (holes and electrons). The nature and lifetime of electron traps at room temperature have so far not been elucidated. Herein, we use picosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ti K-edge and the Ru L3-edge...

A major deficit in suitable dyes is stifling progress in the dye-sensitised solar cell (DSC) industry. Materials discovery strategies have afforded numerous new dyes; yet, corresponding solution-based DSC device performance has little improved upon 11% efficiency, achieved using the N719 dye over two decades ago. Research on these dyes has nevertheless revealed relationships between the molecul...

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by silver nanoparticles that are photochemically incorporated into an electrode-supported TiO(2) nanoparticulate framework enhances the extinction of a subsequently adsorbed dye (the ruthenium-containing molecule, N719). The enhancement arises from both an increase in the dye's effective absorption cross section and a modest increase in the framework s...

Dye-sensitized solar cell’s (DSSC) performances are enhanced by engineering the materials at interface of various device components owing to easy and inexpensive fabrication steps. Ru (II) polypyridyl-based synthetic dyes most widely used photosensitizers for DSSCs due their superior molar extinction coefficient facile interaction with metal oxide electrodes. However, these mostly expensive, as...