Some characteristics of solar cells with ZnO/ZnFe2O4/CdS/ZnS working anode

In this work, solar cells with configuration FTO/ZnO/ZnFe2O4/CdS/ZnS/gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)/Pt/FTO have been fabricated. ZnFe2O4 was spin-coated on ZnO using 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 M ZnFe2O4 in 2-methoxyethanol (C3H8O2) solution. Zinc ferrite is known to be stable and environmentally friendly. The phase structure and surface morphology of ZnFe2O4 have been identified by XRD and FESEM, respectively. Using the Williamson Hall equation, the crystallite size is 26, 28, 30, 57 and 63 nm for ZnFe2O4 derived from 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 M solutions, respectively. The lattice strain is 0.19. 0.21, 0.23, 1.00 and 1.10% respectively. From UV-Vis spectroscopy the band gap is observed to decrease with ZnFe2O4-2-methoxyethanol (C3H8O2) concentrations. The cell fabricated with the 0.5 M ZnFe2O4 in 2-methoxyethanol (C3H8O2) solution, exhibits a fill factor (FF) of 28%, current density at zero voltage of 0.9 mA cm(2) and electromotive force of 150 mV.

Automated summary

Solar cells with a FTO/ZnO/ZnFe2O4/CdS/ZnS/gel polymer electrolyte (GPE)/Pt/FTO configuration have been fabricated in this study. The ZnFe2O4 material was found to exhibit varying crystallite sizes and lattice strains depending on the concentration in the solution. Higher concentrations of ZnFe2O4 in 2-methoxyethanol led to a smaller band gap, as observed through UV-Vis spectroscopy.