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A novel flexible photoanode based on a silver nanowire (AgNW)/polymer composite electrode was fabricated and used for dye-sensitized solar cells. The AgNW/polymer composite substrate comprised a thin percolation network of AgNWs embedded on the surface of polyacrylic ester. As titanium dioxide film formed on top of the composite substrate, the effect of compression was investigated. Drop-cast sensitization was then used for both pressed and nonpressed photoanode, and the nonpressed one performed better. A cell efficiency of 0.91% was achieved under 100 mW cm−2 simulated solar irradiation. After a bending test on the flexible photoanode, the solar cell retained 0.71% efficiency.

Modification of ZnS-inserting layer in the titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) inverse opal-based photoanode was investigated, and it is an effective and easy approach to enhance the efficiency of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). The introduction of ZnS between TiO 2 and quantum dots (QDs) not only enhanced the light harvesting of QDs on its top, but also lessened the charge-transfer resistances at the TiO 2 /QD/electrolyte interfaces. The TiO 2 inverse opal-based QDSSCs increased the energy conversion efficiency by modifying the ZnS-inserting layer in the photoanode, particularly the CdS/CdSe QD co-sensitized solar cells which attained 79% rate of increase in cell efficiency.

This study reports the improved performance of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells by inserting ZnS layer between the TiO2 film and CdS/CdSe quantum dots. An energy conversion efficiency of 2.84 % was attained. The enhancement introduced by inserting ZnS in moderation was attributed to the promoted nucleation of CdS QDs and enhanced light harvesting, as well as the improved electron transport at the interface in the photoanode.