Development of a Low-Cost TiO2/CuO/Cu Solar Cell by using Combined Spraying and Electroplating Method

A simple method is proposed to develop a low-cost TiO 2 /CuO/Cu based solar cell. The cell is made by employing a lower grade (technical grade) of TiO 2 as the active material. CuO powder is synthesized using a wet chemical method and mixed with TiO 2 powder to give impurity to the TiO 2 . A layer of TiO 2 /CuO is then deposited onto fluorin-doped tin oxide (FTO) by spraying. Copper particles are grown on the spaces between the TiO 2 and/or CuO particles by electroplating for more feasible electron migration. The TiO 2 /CuO/Cu solar cell is finalized by sandwiching a polymer electrolyte between the film and the counter electrode. Current-voltage measurement was performed for various parameters, such as the molarity of NaOH for producing CuO particles, the weight ratio of CuO over TiO 2 , and the current in the electroplating process. A highest efficiency of 1.40% and a fill factor of 0.37 were achieved by using this combined spray and electroplating method.