RF‐sputtered tungsten enabled surface plasmon effect in dye sensitised solar cells.

This work examined the possibility of overcoming narrow band optical absorption of organic dyes in the range of 350–700nm via surface plasmon effect mediated by RF‐sputtered tungsten (W) thin film on mesoporous TiO2 for dye‐sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) application. The UV–visible spectroscopic measurement showed optical absorption of W‐film in the spectral range of 350–700nm with a dominant characteristic feature in the range of 350–550nm. W‐thin film‐coated TiO2 was used as an electron acceptor in DSSCs and observed ∼28% enhancement in short circuit current density compared to that of in a pristine TiO2‐based DSSC which did not use W‐thin film on TiO2. It is attributed to the local field‐induced enhancement in optical absorption which resulted in improved exciton generation and effective charge transport in DSSCs enabled by W‐thin film coating onto mesoporous TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]