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Frontiers of Optoelectronics

ISSN 2095-2759

ISSN 2095-2767(Online)

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Front Optoelec Chin    2011, Vol. 4 Issue (2) : 181-187    https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-011-0162-9
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Controllable synthesis of quasi-spherelike ZnO hierarchical nanostructures and performance of their dye-sensitized solar cells
Yanhua TONG(), Feng CAO, Peisong TANG, Haifeng CHEN, Guoxiang PAN, Minhong XU
Department of Chemistry, Huzhou Teachers College, Huzhou 313000, China
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Abstract

Hierarchical zinc oxide (ZnO) quasi-spheres consisting of nanoparticles with diameter of about 20 nm were synthesized via a one-pot reaction. The size of ZnO quasi-spheres is easily tunable from 80 nm to 3 μm by varying the type of zinc source and its concentration. The three samples 1-3 with the diameter of 80-180 nm, 300-600 nm and 1.2-2.9 μm were selected for fabricating dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and their photovoltaic properties were measured. The results demonstrate that DSSCs fabricated by sample 2 with the diameter within the wavelength of visible light obtain the highest short-circuit current density and over light conversion efficiency, due to resonant scattering increasing the photon absorption.
Keywords zinc oxide      quasi-spheres      dye-sensitized solar cells      photovoltaic property     
Corresponding Author(s): TONG Yanhua,Email:tyh@hutc.zj.cn   
Issue Date: 05 June 2011
 Cite this article:   
Minhong XU,Yanhua TONG,Feng CAO, et al. Controllable synthesis of quasi-spherelike ZnO hierarchical nanostructures and performance of their dye-sensitized solar cells[J]. Front Optoelec Chin, 2011, 4(2): 181-187.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foe/EN/10.1007/s12200-011-0162-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foe/EN/Y2011/V4/I2/181
Fig.1  SEM images of three typical ZnO quasi-spheres prepared by refluxing under different parameters. (a) and (b) 1 g of Zn(CHCOO)·2HO dissolved into the mixture of 110 mL ethanol and 2.5 mL DEA (sample 1); (c) and (d) 2.25 g of Zn(NO)·6HO dissolved into the mixture of 80 mL HO and 30 mL DEA (sample 2); (e) and (f) 1.5 g of Zn(NO)·6HO dissolved into the mixture of 80 mL HO and 30 mL DEA (sample 3)
Fig.1  SEM images of three typical ZnO quasi-spheres prepared by refluxing under different parameters. (a) and (b) 1 g of Zn(CHCOO)·2HO dissolved into the mixture of 110 mL ethanol and 2.5 mL DEA (sample 1); (c) and (d) 2.25 g of Zn(NO)·6HO dissolved into the mixture of 80 mL HO and 30 mL DEA (sample 2); (e) and (f) 1.5 g of Zn(NO)·6HO dissolved into the mixture of 80 mL HO and 30 mL DEA (sample 3)
Fig.2  Diameter distribution of the as-prepared ZnO quasi-spheres. (a) Sample 1; (b) sample 2; (c) sample 3
Fig.2  Diameter distribution of the as-prepared ZnO quasi-spheres. (a) Sample 1; (b) sample 2; (c) sample 3
Fig.3  FESEM images of ZnO quasi-spheres prepared via different systems. (a) Zn(NO)·6HO-HO system; (b) Zn(CHCOO)·2HO-CHOH system
Fig.3  FESEM images of ZnO quasi-spheres prepared via different systems. (a) Zn(NO)·6HO-HO system; (b) Zn(CHCOO)·2HO-CHOH system
diffraction peaksample 1sample 2sample 3
(100)22.313±0.00219.774±0.00222.372±0.002
(002)20.062±0.00220.051±0.00222.221±0.002
(101)22.581±0.00218.042±0.00222.271±0.002
average/nm21.322±0.00219.292±0.00222.291±0.002
Tab.1  Size of component nanoparticles of three samples calculated from XRD peaks
Fig.4  XRD characterization of as-prepared ZnO samples. (a) Sample 1; (b) sample 2; (c) sample 3
Fig.4  XRD characterization of as-prepared ZnO samples. (a) Sample 1; (b) sample 2; (c) sample 3
sampleBET surface area/(m2·g-1)total pore volume/(ccg-1)
112.626.07×10-2
214.883.64×10-2
32.044.23×10-3
Tab.2  BET surface areas and total pore volumes of three ZnO samples with different sizes
ZnO filmVoc/mVJsc/(mA·cm-2)Vmax/mVJmax/(mA·cm-2)FF1)/%η1)/%
sample 15849.23004.826.51.42
sample 256410.23005.830.21.74
sample 35685.83103.633.21.1
Tab.3  Photovoltaic properties of DSSCs based on different-size ZnO spheres
Fig.5  - characteristics for solar cells constructed by different-size ZnO quasi-spheres. (a) Under illumination; (b) in dark
Fig.5  - characteristics for solar cells constructed by different-size ZnO quasi-spheres. (a) Under illumination; (b) in dark
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