Formation of Branched ZnO Nanowires from Solvothermal Method and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Applications

Branched ZnO nanowires have been fabricated on conductive glass substrates via a solvothermal method for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The 1D branched nanostructures can afford a direct conduction pathway instead of interparticle hops while using nanoparticles. Furthermore, the short-circuit current density and the energy conversion efficiency of the branched ZnO nanowire DSCs are 4.27 mA/cm(2) and 1.51%,which are twice as high as the bare ZnO nanowire ones. The improvement was a consequence of the enlargement of the internal surface area within the photoelectrode and allowed us to achieve higher dye adsorption to significantly enhance the performance of the DSCs.