N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 nanocomposite for efficient dye-synthesized solar cells

Abstract

The current study introduces an efficient titania-based nanocomposite for dye-synthesized solar cells (DSSCs), where nitrogen-cobalt-cadmium-doped titania (N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2) prepared using sol–gel method could efficiently boost the photoelectric properties of DSSCs. Material characterization of the prepared N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 is performed using scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to reveal the surface morphology and composition. X-ray diffraction is used to determine the phases of the prepared nanocomposite. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and differential reflectance spectroscopy are used to disclose the absorption region and to calculate the energy gap (Eg) for the nanocomposite. The results confirm that N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 photoanode could successfully improve the charge transport in DSSCs as revealed by current–voltage measurements. Eg values for N-Co-Cd doped TiO2 are found to be 2.9 eV. Moreover, the power conversion efficiency of DSSCs using N-Co-Cd-doped TiO2 is examined in fluorescent dye and reaches 5.4 % (about eight times of that obtained using TiO2 (0.7 %)).