Preparation and Photovoltaic Properties of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Using ZnO Nanorods Stacking Films on AZO Substrate as Photoanode.

Three-dimensional stacking of ZnO nanorods on conducting aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) glass were studied as efficient photoanodes of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). By changing hydrothermal growth time and cycle times, the thickness of ZnO nanorods stacking films varied from 30 µm to 64 µm, and its influence on the energetic conversion efficiency of the DSSCs based on the stacking films photoanodes was investigated. The loading density of N719 on the surface of ZnO nanorods was studied to increase the efficiency of the cells. Annealing experiments showed that the AZO substrates remained good conductors until heated above 350 °C. A photoelectric conversion efficiency as high as ~2.0% together with ISC of ~9.5 mA/cm2, VOC of ~0.5 V and FF of ~41.4% was achieved for the DSSC using 50 µm-thick film stacking by ZnO nanorods as photoanode and N719 as sensitizer under illumination of AM1.5G solar light (power density of 100 mW/cm2). A charge separation and transfer mechanism was proposed for the ZnO nanorods stacking electrode-based DSSCs.