Journal
ACS NANO
Volume 6, Issue 5, Pages 4418-4427Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/nn301137r
Keywords
semiconductor-metal composite; photocatalysts; TiO2; core-shell nanoparticles; localized surface plasmon; solar energy conversion; electron storage; Fermi level equilibration
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Funding
- Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy [DE-FC02-04ER15533]
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Neighboring metal nanoparticles influence photovoltaic and photocatalytic behavior of semiconductor nanostructures either through Fermi level equilibration by accepting electrons or inducing localized surface plasmon effects. By employing SiO2- and TiO2-capped Au nanoparticles we have identified the mechanism with which the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) is Influenced by the neighboring metal nanoparticles. The efficiency of an N719 dye-sensitized solar cell (9.3%) increased to 10.2% upon incorporation of 0.7% Au@SiO2 and to 9.8% upon loading of 0.7% Au@TiO2 nanoparticles. The plasmonic effect as monitored by introducing Au@SiO2 in DSSC produces higher photocurrent. However, Au nanoparticles undergo charge equilibration with TiO2 nanoparticles and shift the apparent Fermi level of the composite to more negative potentials. As a result, Au@TiO2 nanoparticle-embedded DSSC exhibit higher photovoltage. A better understanding of these two effects is crucial in exploiting the beneficial aspects of metal nanoparticles in photovoltaics.
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