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Highly efficient, PbS:Hg quantum dot–sensitized, plasmonic solar cells with TiO2 triple-layer photoanode were fabricated by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. These nanostructured photoanodes were characterized by optical and morphological techniques and the solar cells were characterized by optical and electrical techniques. The light absorption by the photoanode was enhanced by effective light scattering process using a triple-layer TiO2 nanostructure, fabricated with a TiO2 nanofiber layer sandwiched between two TiO2 nanoparticle layers. The best plasmon-enhanced quantum dot–sensitized solar cell showed an efficiency of 5.41% with short circuit current density of 18.02 mA cm−2 and open-circuit voltage of 679.83 mV. The overall efficiency and photocurrent density of the Q-dot-sensitized solar cell are enhanced by 15.84% and 38.83% respectively due to the plasmonic effect. The enhanced efficiency appears to be due to the improved short circuit current density by increased light absorption by the triple-layered photoanode nanostructure as well as by the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of the plasmonic gold nanoparticles. This is the first report on plasmon-enhanced, triple-layered TiO2 photoanode sensitized with PbS:Hg Q-dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancement of efficiency by using iodide mixture (Pr 4 NI and KI), instead of a single iodide salt, in N719 dye-sensitized solar cells with a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based gel electrolyte is investigated. The salt ratio is varied to optimize efficiency. With 100 wt.% KI and 100 wt.% (Pr 4 NI) efficiencies under AM 1.5 illumination are 3.39% and 3.21%, while 22.2:77.8 wt.% ratio KI:Pr 4 NI shows the highest efficiency of 3.99 %. This is an efficiency enhancement of 18%. Variation of efficiency with salt composition appears to correspond to the change in short circuit photocurrent density ( J sc ) and the iodide ion conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For the first time in SnO2 based dye solar cells, here we report, efficiency exceeding 3% of the cells consisting with Indoline D-149 dye with unmodified SnO2 nano-crystallites. The cells sensitized with metal free D-149 dye together with liquid electrolyte comprising with 0.5M tetrapropyl ammonium iodide and 0.05M iodine in a mixture of acetonitrile and ethylene carbonate (1:4 by volume) delivered a short circuit current density of 10.4mAcm−2 with an open circuit voltage of 530mV under the illumination of 100mWcm−2 (AM1.5) having an efficiency of 3.1%. As evident from the FTIR measurement, strong surface passivation of recombination centers of SnO2 crystallites due to the dual mode of attachment of dye molecules to the surface of SnO2 via both COOH and S–O direct bond might be the possible reason for this enhancement in these SnO2 based cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]