Eosin-Y sensitized tin oxide photoelectrode for dye sensitized solar cell application: Effect of dye adsorption time

Metal oxide semiconductor photoanodes with wide band gap and higher electron mobility are essential for efficient charge injection and transportation in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In the present study, tin oxide (SnO2) was used as alternative semiconductor photoanode to the usually used TiO2 in DSSC. The effect of dye adsorption time (DAT) on performance of Eosin-Y sensitized SnO2 DSSC was studied. It was observed that the open circuit voltage (V-oc), fill factor, and short-circuit photocurrent density (J(sc)) vary prominently with the DAT. The value of V-oc was found to be 363 mV with 24 h DAT even if with low cost Eosin-Y dye and which was comparable to those obtained with costly Ru-based dyes. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.