Premium
Screen‐Printing of ZnO Nanostructures from Sol–Gel Solutions for Their Application in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Author(s) -
Sarkar Kuhu,
Braden Erik V.,
Bonke Shan A.,
Bach Udo,
MüllerBuschbaum Peter
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201500450
Subject(s) - dye sensitized solar cell , nanostructure , sol gel , materials science , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , chemistry , electrode , engineering , electrolyte
Diblock copolymers have been used in sol–gel synthesis to successfully tailor the nanoscale morphology of thin ZnO films. As the fabrication of several‐micron‐thick mesoporous films such as those required in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was difficult with this approach, we exploited the benefits of diblock‐copolymer‐directed synthesis that made it compatible with screen printing. The simple conversion of the diblock copolymer ZnO precursor sol to a screen‐printing paste was not possible as it resulted in poor film properties. To overcome this problem, an alternative route is proposed in which the diblock copolymer ZnO precursor sol is first blade coated and calcined, then converted to a screen‐printing paste. This allows the benefits of diblock‐copolymer‐directed particle formation to be compatible with printing methods. The morphologies of the ZnO nanostructures were studied by SEM and correlated with the current density–voltage characteristics.