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Improved performance of silicon‐nanoparticle film‐coated dye‐sensitized solar cells
Author(s) -
Gupta Ravindra Kumar,
Bedja Idriss M.,
Aldwayyan Abdullah Saleh
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
physica status solidi (rrl) – rapid research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.786
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1862-6270
pISSN - 1862-6254
DOI - 10.1002/pssr.201206273
Subject(s) - materials science , wafer , solar cell , dye sensitized solar cell , nanoparticle , silicon , irradiation , energy conversion efficiency , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , short circuit , chemical engineering , electrode , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , voltage , engineering , nuclear physics , electrolyte
Silicon (Si) nanoparticles with average size of 13 nm and orange–red luminescence under UV absorption were synthesized using electrochemical etching of silicon wafers. A film of Si nanoparticles with thickness of 0.75 µm to 2.6 µm was coated on the glass (TiO 2 side) of a dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The cell exhibited nearly 9% enhancement in power conversion efficiency ( η ) at film thickness of ∼2.4 µm under solar irradiation of 100 mW/cm 2 (AM 1.5) with improved fill factor and short‐circuit current density. This study revealed for the first time that the Si‐nanoparticle film converting UV into visible light and helping in homogeneous irradiation, can be utilized for improving the efficiency of the DSSCs. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)