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Surface‐Plasmon Assisted Energy Conversion in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Author(s) -
Ding Bo,
Lee Bong Jae,
Yang Mengjin,
Jung Hyun Suk,
Lee JungKun
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201000080
Subject(s) - materials science , dye sensitized solar cell , energy conversion efficiency , plasmon , nanoshell , light scattering , nanoparticle , surface plasmon , composite number , shell (structure) , scattering , particle (ecology) , optoelectronics , core (optical fiber) , visible spectrum , plasmonic solar cell , dielectric , nanotechnology , optics , composite material , polymer solar cell , electrode , chemistry , physics , oceanography , geology , electrolyte
Abstract In this study, the effect of plasmonic core‐shell structures, consisting of dielectric cores and metallic nanoshells, on energy conversion in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is investigated. The structure of the core‐shell particles is controlled to couple with visible light so that the visible component of the solar spectrum is amplified near the core‐shell particles. In core‐shell particle – TiO 2 nanoparticle films, the local field intensity and light pathways are increased due to the surface plasmons and light scattering. This, in turn, enlarges the optical cross‐section of dye sensitizers coated onto the mixed films. When 22 vol% of core‐shell particles are added to a 5 μm thick TiO 2 film, the energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs increases from 2.7% to 4.0%, in spite of a more than 20% decrease in the amount of dyes adsorbed on the composite films. The correlation between core‐shell particle content and energy conversion efficiency in DSSCs is explained by the balance among near‐field effects, light scattering efficiency, and surface area in the composite films.