Synthesis of Ag/TiO nanocomposite via plasma liquid interactions: Improved performance as photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell.

Ag/TiO nanocomposite was prepared by the atmospheric direct current plasma in aqueous solution to improve its performance in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as the photoanode. The fabricated DSSC shows high power conversion efficiency over 6.5% and displays better long-term stability than that of referenced pure TiO. The comparison of photoluminescence spectra of Ag/TiO and pure TiO showed that only the Ag containing samples had notable photocurrent under visible light, which was attributed to the highly dispersed Ag, according to the EDS and XRD measurements. The short-circuit current density (Jsc) and open-circuit voltage (Voc) reached 13.43 mA cm and 0.72 V in Ag/TiO, and 9.44 mA cm and 0.68 V in pure TiO, respectively. The performance improvement in Ag/TiO DSSC may occur due to the declined band-gap energy, retarded charge recombination and greater surface coverage of the sensitizing dye over Ag/TiO nanocomposite.