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Article

Enhanced Absorption Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Composite Materials and Bilayer Structure of Nanorods and Nanospheres

by
Anees Ur Rehman
1,
Najeeb Ullah
2,3,*,
Muhammad Abid Saeed
1 and
Usman Khan Khalil
1
1
Laboratory of Simulations and Research, Department of Electrical Engineering, Sarhad University of Science and IT, Peshawar 25220, Pakistan
2
Laboratory of Solar Photovoltaic, US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar 25124, Pakistan
3
University of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Swat, Molano Chum, Gul Jabba, District Swat, Tehsil Kabal 19060, Pakistan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Metals 2022, 12(5), 852; https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050852
Submission received: 20 March 2022 / Revised: 25 April 2022 / Accepted: 28 April 2022 / Published: 17 May 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Metals, Alloys, Salts, Oxides, and Their Coexistence and Interaction with Solid Phases)
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Abstract

:
The concept of localized surface plasmon resonance has been applied to increase the absorption efficiency of dye-sensitive solar cells (DSSCs) by using various photoanode structures. A three-dimensional model for a photoanode of the DSSC based on composite materials was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics. Spherical-, rod- and triangular-shaped aluminum nanoparticles were employed in the core of SiO2 to examine the influence of morphology on the performance of DSSCs in the 350–750 nm wavelength range. The UV-Vis absorption results indicated that aluminum nanoparticles with spherical, rod and triangle morphologies had 39.5%, 36.1% and 34.6% greater absorption capability than aluminum-free nanoparticles. In addition, we investigated the effect of plasmonic absorption in DSSCs for photoanodes made of TiO2, SiO2 and bilayer TiO2/SiO2 with and without covering aluminum nanoparticles. The TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles had fixed diameters of 90 nm each. The UV-Vis absorption and Tauc curves indicated that the TiO2/SiO2 bilayer structure (with and without aluminum nanoparticles) had greater absorption and lower bandgap energies than individual TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles. Furthermore, bilayer photoanode nanostructures were investigated based on nanospheres and nanorods for core–shell Al@SiO2 nanoparticles. The results indicated that a photoanode with nanorod/nanosphere structure had a 12% better absorption capability than a nanosphere/nanorod configuration. This improvement in absorption is attributed to the high surface area, which boosts dye loading capacity and long-term light capture, resulting in greater interaction between the dye and the photon. Our study develops core–shell nanoparticles with optimized shape and materials for bilayer photoanode structures in photovoltaic technology.

1. Introduction

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are viewed as a potential alternative to silicon-based commercialized solar cells in the near future. The DSSCs offer several distinct benefits over other substitutes, including improved performance at a relatively cheap cost, low powered optical and incidence angles, light weight and more mechanical durability [1,2,3]. The photon-to-current conversion process in dye-sensitized solar cells may be summed up as photo-generation, charge-carrier transition and collection of charge carriers [4,5]. Although DSSCs have the capability to harvest incoming photons over various wavelengths, they are still facing poorer power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to currently existing solar cells, making them less attractive for the photovoltaic industry [6,7]. Researchers have proposed many techniques to improve their light-harvesting capabilities, including additional sensitizers with appropriate absorption bands [8,9], expanding the surface area of the semiconductor, and employing tandem devices [10]. The photoanode is the active component of a solar cell that plays a vital role in transporting photogenerated electrons to the counter electrode to improve the device’s PCE. Therefore, photoanode materials with multifunctional qualities, such as low band-gap energy, strong light trapping characteristics, non-toxicity and low resistivity, must be chosen [11,12]. Nien et al. [13] fabricated a photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell utilizing a composite of zinc oxide (ZnO)–titanium dioxide (TiO2) to improve the device’s power conversion efficiency (PCE). According to their findings, the photoanode modified with ZnO-TiO2 nanofiber has a PCE 16% greater than that of a photoanode only based on TiO2. Apart from the material, the photoanode structure is also crucial in determining the performance of DSSCs. Chen et al. [14] fabricated a photoanode sandwich structure of TiO2/GO/TiO2 for dye-sensitized solar cells. They achieved a 60% increase in power conversion efficiency over the typical DSSC structure. This enhancement is due to increased light absorption within the visible wavelength band.
As a consequence, it is clear that the alteration of the photoanode with hybrid material resulted in a significant improvement in the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC. By increasing optical absorption, a bilayer structural trend helps to confirm incoming photons inside the photoanode [15]. Multilayer TiO2 films were utilized to improve the surface area of the photoanode, as described in [16]. However, increasing the thickness of the TiO2 film raises the internal resistance of electron transfer in the TiO2 photoanode [17], so various photoanode materials such as doped TiO2 [18,19] and metal/metal oxide TiO2 [20], were used to improve electron transport and reduce internal resistance. However, to the best of our knowledge, no research on photovoltaic performance studies on photoanodes based on bilayer structures with plasmonic composite materials of various morphologies for DSSCs has been published.
Plasmonic metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been shown to significantly improve the light-harvesting efficiency of DSSCs [21,22]. Aluminum is utilized to cover the cores of plasmonic materials with a thin semiconductor oxide layer [23,24]. It was chosen because of its ability to absorb or scatter the incoming light in photoanode materials and increase the optical path length. There are several basic advantages to utilizing an aluminum core shielded by a thin semiconductor oxide shell, including (1) adjusting the separation of plasmon–dye distance to prevent quenching and (2) protecting the metal core from corrosion within the electrolyte solution. The usage of solely spherical metal NPs, on the other hand, has limited their applicability in practical applications. As a result, we investigated the absorption capabilities of the triangular, rod and spherical morphologies. We have provided good optical performance by comparing the different shapes of aluminum nanoparticles, as proven by the broadband UV-Vis absorption spectrum. To the best of our knowledge, plasmonic metal inserted in SiO2 with a TiO2 composite followed by a bilayer structure of nanospheres and nanorods is the first endeavor of its kind. As a result, we studied the absorption enhancement impact of nanosphere/nanosphere, nanosphere/nanorod, and nanorod/nanosphere bilayer composite photoanode structures for SiO2. The UV-Vis absorption measurements and band-gap calculations revealed that a bilayer composite structure comprising nanospheres and nanorods absorbs more photons than a bilayer composite structure based only on nanospheres. The localized enhancement of the electromagnetic field around the nanoparticles due to the plasmonic effect is the common impact on the morphology of all the aluminum nanoparticles added to the oxide materials of the photoanode.

2. Simulation Model

We have developed a dye-sensitized solar cell photoanode layer model, as illustrated in Figure 1. The characterization, device modeling and optimization of nanoparticle sizes were performed by using COMSOL Multiphysics software (version 5.3 Svante Littmarck and Farhad Saeidi founded COMSOL in 1986 in Stockholm, Sweden). This internal computation solver in the supplied model employs tetrahedral mesh geometry in the frequency domain. The dielectric functions of all materials were used to define them. Aluminum nanoparticles were inserted in the center of the semiconductor oxide shell using core–shell morphology. The volume of all geometries of aluminum nanoparticles is assumed to be 4180 nm3, while the diameters of spherical oxide nanoparticles are assumed to be 90 nm. It is assumed that each nanoparticle modeled in the photoanode layer has a uniform period of 1 nm. Air is considered the surrounding environment for the modeled nanoparticle which has the dielectric constant of ~1. According to the model, the electromagnetic wave travels in the z-direction, while the electric and magnetic fields travel in the x- and y-directions, respectively.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Photoanodes Based on TiO2 and SiO2

We have investigated the absorption ability of DSSCs using photoanodes based on spherical TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles in the wavelength range of 350–750 nm. The TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles have fixed diameters of 90 nm each.
The UV-Vis absorption spectrum in Figure 2a demonstrated that both TiO2 and SiO2 photoanodes have increased absorption. The total absorption for photoanodes based on TiO2 and SiO2 is 25.3% and 28.8%, respectively. The peaks of the absorption curves for SiO2 and TiO2 were observed at 500 nm, with amplitudes of 65% and 55% for SiO2 and TiO2, respectively. The absorption increase of SiO2-based photoanodes is 14% more than that of TiO2, which can be attributed to the lower band-gap energy of SiO2, as seen in Figure 2b. The band-gap energy of SiO2 is well suited to dye molecules, resulting in increased absorption [25]. The UV-Vis absorption measurements revealed an improvement in light collecting in the red and near-infrared areas, which are appropriate for overlapping with the dye molecules’ boundaries. However, this absorption must be improved further to capture photons from the whole visible wavelength to further increase the device’s power conversion efficiency.
As a consequence, plasmonic metal nanoparticles were integrated into the core of SiO2 to improve absorption outcomes. The optical characteristics of metallic NPs have previously been shown to be substantially dependent on the shape and size of the plasmonic metal nanoparticles [26,27,28]. Manipulation of these two critical NP structural properties can result in considerable variations in the intensity of the electric field surrounding the NP [29].

3.2. Photoanodes Based on Various Geometries of Plasmonic Nanoparticles Incorporated in SiO2

The absorption capability of aluminum nanoparticles coated with SiO2 shells to form a core–shell structure (Al@SiO2) was investigated in the wavelength range 350–750 nm using several morphologies (spherical, triangular and cylindrical rod). Figure 3a depicts nanoparticle models with various morphologies. For all chosen geometries of aluminum nanoparticles, a uniform volume of 4180 nm3 was evaluated, as shown in Table 1.
As shown in Figure 3b, the total absorption of 39.5% for spherical-shaped Al NPs with two peaks at 430 nm and 520 nm is observed. Compared to aluminum-free SiO2, the photoanode based on spherical-shaped aluminum-doped SiO2 has 37.1% greater absorption. This improvement is attributed to localized surface plasmon resonance, which is comparable with the findings of [30,31]. Surface plasmon resonance creates a larger electromagnetic field on the surface of aluminum nanoparticles, which works in conjunction with plasmons to separate charged dye molecules [32]. The spherical shape has a higher light dispersion capacity and provides a significant region for dye absorption, resulting in more electrons being injected into the conduction band of photoanode materials [33].
By altering the shape of aluminum in the form of nanorods, the absorption capability of SiO2-based photoanodes was also examined. UV-Vis absorption spectra of aluminum nanorods revealed a distinct peak (Figure 3b). This peak at 550 nm is attributable to the longitudinal plasmon resonances of the aluminum nanorods. The total absorption of the rod-shaped Al@SiO2 photoanode is 36.1%, which is 25.8% greater than that of aluminum-free SiO2. This improvement can be attributed to the greater depth length of light collected for a more extended period [34]. This significantly enhances the interaction between the dye molecule and the photon, resulting in a large number of excited electrons. These electrons are inserted into the conduction band of Al@SiO2 and ultimately increase the optical performance of the device.
Similarly, the triangular aluminum NP doping in the DSSC photoanode was investigated and compared to the aluminum-free SiO2 photoanode. We have observed that, compared to aluminum-free SiO2, the DSSC photoanode with triangular aluminum in SiO2 exhibited a 20.1% increase in overall absorbance of the device due to the acquisition of plasmonic light [35]. However, the absorption ability of spherical-shaped aluminum included in the SiO2-based photoanode is 9% and 14% greater than nanorod- and triangular-shaped aluminum, respectively. This is most likely due to the increased light scattering effect of bulky spherical aluminum nanoparticles, which trap incoming light and increase absorption ability. The surface plasmonic effect decreases recombination losses, improves charge separation and improves transport performance; in combination, these effects influence the solar cell’s conversion efficiency [36].

3.3. Photoanodes Based on Spherical Al@SiO2, Al@TiO2 and Their Bilayer Composite Structures

Based on Figure 3b, a spherical-shaped aluminum nanoparticle was integrated with SiO2 and TiO2 to investigate the effects of shell oxide material on the absorption efficiency of the DSSC. The absorbance increase for photoanodes based on Al@TiO2 and Al@SiO2 is 36.6% and 39.5%, respectively. This improvement is due to the fact that aluminum nanoparticles produce strong electromagnetic fields, which strengthen their interaction with dye molecules [37]. By utilizing chemically and thermally stable core–shell nanostructures, the optical characteristics of aluminum nanoparticles enable a broad field for the expanded optimization of solar technology [38,39]. The Al@SiO2 core–shell NP core absorbance is 8% more than that of the Al@TiO2 core. This might be because SiO2 is an insulator that inhibits electrons from being charged from the metal core and has only a plasmonic effect [40]. TiO2, on the other hand, exhibits both plasmonic and charging effects since it is a semiconductor and may charge the electrons in the metal core [41]. These findings demonstrate the importance of plasmonic and charging effects on photoanode performance. For example, because the charging action in Al@TiO2 reduces the influence of the plasmon, its absorption efficiency is somewhat lower than that of the NP Al@SiO2 electrode. According to Figure 4b, there is no substantial absorption after 600 nm for Al@TiO2 and 650 nm for Al@SiO2-based photoanodes. To control photons in the photoanode, the absorption capacity of the TiO2/SiO2 bilayer composite photoanode with or without plasmonically enhanced aluminum nanoparticles was examined in the visible wavelength range. This novel bilayer photoanode structure has a larger surface-to-volume ratio, allowing the dye molecules to be fully absorbed and the electrons generated by the excited dye to be directly transmitted. Figure 4a depicts the structure of a double-layer photoanode. According to UV-Vis measurements, the photoanode based on the bilayer structure of TiO2/SiO2 has 44% and 34% greater absorption than Al@TiO2 and Al@SiO2, respectively.
The following effects may explain the broadband absorption spectrum of the bilayer structure of the TiO2/SiO2 spherical photoanode used for DSSC. Firstly, the improvement in the region above 600 nm can be attributed to the wide surface area offered by the bilayer structure, which increased dye loading capabilities and improved photon absorption. Secondly, the absorption rise below 600 nm is associated with the long-term capture of light, resulting in more interaction between the dye and the photons and higher absorption efficiency.
The photoanode based on Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2, which combines the positive impact of plasmonic aluminum incorporated in an oxide shell and the great effect of the bilayer structure, was examined. In contrast to aluminum-free bilayer TiO2/SiO2, the photoanode based on the aluminum-added bilayer is increased by 32%, as shown in Table 2. The significant optical enhancement is caused by the double-layer structure catching the incident light over a long period, increasing the interaction between photons and dye molecules and generating a large number of excited electrons that transit to the TiO2/SiO2 conduction band. The photovoltaic performance of a DSSC improves as the number of electrons in the conduction band increases. The improved absorption enhancement results of Figure 3b are also supported by the band-gap energy outcomes of TiO2/SiO2-based composite photoanode. The band gaps of Al@SiO2, Al@TiO2, TiO2/SiO2 and Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2 are 2.0, 2.1, 1.9 and 1.7 eV, respectively, as shown by the Tauc curve in Figure 4c. When dye molecules are sensitized by sunlight, the electrons are extracted from dye molecules which are transported to the conduction band of SiO2 through that of TiO2. Because the conduction band of SiO2 is similar to that of TiO2, the chance of an electron transition is increased. The interface resistance to transport charges is lowered in bilayer Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2, reducing recombination compared to DSSCs with single layers of Al@SiO2 and Al@TiO2. The photoanode’s light absorption efficiency may increase because of the double-layer structure and the small band-gap of Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2.
In order to further strengthen our results, short-circuit current density (Jsc) for TiO2, SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 with and without aluminum nanoparticles was also simulated, as shown in Table 3.
The Jsc of bilayer composite materials (TiO2/SiO2) increases from 14.12 mA/cm2 to 16.69 mA/cm2 after the incorporation of the plasmonic nanoparticles (aluminum) with a shell thickness of 5 nm. The Jsc improves by about 18%, which shows that the photovoltaic performance of a solar cell based on plasmonic metal nanoparticles is more enhanced than that of a solar cell without plasmonic nanoparticles. The Tauc curve (Figure 4c) also supports the highest absorption enhancement and short-circuit current density results of the photoanode based on plasmonic composite materials. This enhancement in short-circuit current density is attributed to the longer path length for incoming photons which resulted in the extraction of more charge carriers. The plasmonic materials also play a role in lowering the bandgap energies, which ultimately resulted in improved solar cell performance.

3.4. Photoanode Based on a Nanosphere/Nanorod Mixture Bilayer Structure for Al@SiO2

By modifying the nanostructured double-layer photoanode with nanospheres and nanorods, it is possible to obtain photoanodes with high light absorption. Figure 5 shows photoanode patterns based on bilayer Al@SiO2 NR/NS and NS/NR. By altering the shape of the Al@SiO2 layer in the form of nanorods, more light will be captured, extending the optical path length. This structure will considerably enhance the interaction between photons and dye molecules. The shape of the Al@SiO2 nanospheres, on the other hand, will provide sufficient surface area and efficient charge transfer. The wide UV-Vis absorption spectrum (Figure 6) demonstrates that the innovative hybrid photoanode used in this work delivered excellent optical performance.
According to the UV-Vis absorption curve (Figure 6c), the absorption of the nanorod/nanosphere Al@SiO2 layer is 12% greater than that of the nanospheres/nanorods. The following can be the reasons for this enhancement: (1) the top NR layer has a stronger light scattering capability; (2) the lower Al@SiO2 nanosphere layer has a bigger surface area for dye absorption, allowing for more electrons to be absorbed in the electrode conduction band. The enhancement occurs on the higher wavelength side, which is the best wavelength region for DSSC light absorption efficiency. The performance of the DSSC is also influenced by the role of the nanosphere/nanorod Al@SiO2 photoanode. As shown in Figure 6, the absorption of aluminum-based nanospheres/nanorods and nanorods/nanospheres is significantly higher than that of aluminum-free photoanodes. These results are entirely consistent with those shown in Figure 4. As previously stated, these improvements may be caused by the formation of electromagnetic fields in the presence of aluminum nanoparticles. The enhancement occurs on the higher wavelength side, which is the wavelength region that is most desirable for the light absorption efficiency of DSSCs. The photoanode based on NR Al@SiO2 also significantly impacts the DSSC’s performance.
The capability of the photoanode to absorb sunlight plays an important role in improving the power conversion efficiency of DSSCs. Therefore, over the past decade, significant efforts have been made to develop light-harvesting materials for improving light absorption. We have compared different aspects of our research work with [42,43]. The main focus of all these research works is to improve the light-harvesting capability of dye-sensitized solar cells. However different materials and different approaches have been used in these research papers. The comparison is tabulated below in Table 4.

4. Conclusions

To improve the absorption capability of dye-sensitized solar cells, we conducted a unique study employing aluminum as a plasmon material. The photoanode based on aluminum nanoparticles encapsulated with semiconductor oxides to create core–shell structures was investigated using the finite element technique (FEM) in the wavelength range of 350–750 nm. To increase the light-collecting capabilities, the aluminum plasmonic NPs were tweaked by altering their morphologies for better overlapping with the sensitizer’s absorption spectrum. The UV-Vis absorption results revealed that aluminum nanoparticles with spherical, rod and triangle morphologies exhibit absorption capacities of 39.5%, 36.1% and 34.6%, respectively, when compared to aluminum-free nanoparticles. Localized surface plasmon resonance, which creates a strong electromagnetic field surrounding the aluminum nanoparticle, is responsible for the increased absorption. To assess the light absorption capability produced by the plasmonic effect, optical measurements were performed on photoanodes made of SiO2, TiO2 and bilayer TiO2/SiO2, with and without aluminum plasmonic nanoparticles in the core–shell nanostructure. The photoanode based on the aluminum-added bilayer outperforms the aluminum-free bilayer TiO2/SiO2 by 32%. The significant optical enhancement is due to the double-layer structure catching the incident light over a long period, increasing the interaction between photons and dye molecules and generating a large number of excited electrons that transit to the conduction band of TiO2/SiO2. According to Tauc curves, the bandgap energies for photoanodes based on TiO2/SiO2 and Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2 are 1.9 and 1.7 eV, respectively. The enhancement in the optical absorption efficiency of the photoanode was achieved by the double-layer structure and the lower bandgap energies of Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2. These unique materials have great potential for other applications, including lithium-ion batteries, hydrophobic applications, antimicrobial coatings and molecular diagnostics. The structures were modeled by theoretical simulations, but the results obtained in this study will prove to be useful in future studies for comparison with experimental work. However, the simulation results have no information on the dependency of changes in external conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) which may cause issues during their operation in practice.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, A.U.R. and N.U.; methodology, A.U.R.; software, A.U.R.; validation, A.U.R., N.U. and M.A.S.; formal analysis, N.U.; investigation, N.U.; resources, N.U.; data curation, U.K.K.; writing—original draft preparation A.U.R.; writing—review and editing, A.U.R.; visualization, N.U.; supervision, N.U.; project administration, N.U. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Metals 12 00852 g001 550
Figure 1. Schematic basic structure of the plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cell.
Figure 1. Schematic basic structure of the plasmonic dye-sensitized solar cell.
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Figure 2. (a) UV-Vis absorption spectrum of photoanodes based on TiO2 and SiO2; (b) Tauc curve for photoanodes based on TiO2 and SiO2.
Figure 2. (a) UV-Vis absorption spectrum of photoanodes based on TiO2 and SiO2; (b) Tauc curve for photoanodes based on TiO2 and SiO2.
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Figure 3. (a) Various geometries of aluminum nanoparticles incorporated in SiO2; (b) UV-Vis absorption spectrum of photoanodes based on Al@SiO2 with different shapes of aluminum nanoparticles.
Figure 3. (a) Various geometries of aluminum nanoparticles incorporated in SiO2; (b) UV-Vis absorption spectrum of photoanodes based on Al@SiO2 with different shapes of aluminum nanoparticles.
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Figure 4. (a) Composite bilayer structure of photoanode based on aluminum-free spherical-shaped TiO2/SiO2; (b,c) UV-Vis absorption spectrum and Tauc curve for band-gap calculation of photoanodes based on composite materials.
Figure 4. (a) Composite bilayer structure of photoanode based on aluminum-free spherical-shaped TiO2/SiO2; (b,c) UV-Vis absorption spectrum and Tauc curve for band-gap calculation of photoanodes based on composite materials.
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Figure 5. Schematic diagram of (a) nanorods/nanospheres and (b) nanospheres/nanorods.
Figure 5. Schematic diagram of (a) nanorods/nanospheres and (b) nanospheres/nanorods.
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Figure 6. UV-Vis absorption spectrum of bilayer photoanodes based on SiO2 with and without Aluminum nanoparticles. (a) Nanospheres/Nanorods, (b) Nanorods/Nanospheres, (c) Both Nanospheres/Nanorods and Nanorods/Nanospheres.
Figure 6. UV-Vis absorption spectrum of bilayer photoanodes based on SiO2 with and without Aluminum nanoparticles. (a) Nanospheres/Nanorods, (b) Nanorods/Nanospheres, (c) Both Nanospheres/Nanorods and Nanorods/Nanospheres.
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Table
Table 1. Dimensions of spherical, triangular and nanorod geometries for aluminum plasmonic nanoparticles.
Table 1. Dimensions of spherical, triangular and nanorod geometries for aluminum plasmonic nanoparticles.
GeometriesSphericalTriangularNanorod
Dimensions (nm)Diameter ‘d’ = 20Base ‘a’ = 30Radius ‘r’ = 4
Height ‘h’ = 83
Base ‘b’ = 29
Base ‘c’ = 30
Height ‘h’ = 11
Table
Table 2. Normalized absorption values of TiO2, SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 with and without aluminum nanoparticles.
Table 2. Normalized absorption values of TiO2, SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 with and without aluminum nanoparticles.
Photoanode
Material		Normalized Absorption (%)Absorption
Increment (%)
Without Aluminum
Nanoparticles		With Aluminum
Nanoparticles
TiO225.336.644.6
SiO228.839.537.1
TiO2/SiO253.070.132.2
Table
Table 3. Absorption enhancement and short-circuit current density for TiO2, SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 with and without aluminum nanoparticles.
Table 3. Absorption enhancement and short-circuit current density for TiO2, SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 with and without aluminum nanoparticles.
Short-Circuit Current Density (mA cm−2)
Type of
Photoanode		Without Aluminum
Nanoparticles		With Aluminum NanoparticlesEnhancement
(%)
TiO211.2912.6912.40
SiO212.4213.9011.91
TiO2/SiO214.1216.6918.2
Table
Table 4. Comparison with other relevant research works.
Table 4. Comparison with other relevant research works.
Comparison Based onHwang et al. [42]Ahmad et al. [43]Our Research Work
Materials used for DSSCHollow SiO2/TiO2 NPs with a specified size of Ag NPs were created.TiO2-(SiO2)100-xNix-GO (where x = 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5).Photoanodes of DSSCs based on TiO2, SiO2 and bilayer TiO2/SiO2 with and without covering aluminum NPs.
Objective of the research workStudy the LSPR effects on performance of hollow SiO2/TiO2 NPs decorated with Ag.Determine the influence of Ni2+ on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2-SiO2-GO (TSN). The films were prepared using amorphous SiO2 without Ni2+ and supplemented with Ni2+ at 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%.The spherical-, rod- and triangular-shaped aluminum NPs were employed in the core of SiO2 to examine the influence of morphology on the performance of DSSCs. Furthermore, bilayer photoanode nanostructures were investigated.
Fabrication/simulation technique usedSonication, mediated etching and re-deposition were used to make hollow SiO2/TiO2 NPs. The Stçber method was used to make the silica NPs.The doctor-blade technique was used to successfully prepare a series of DSSCs using the sol–gel process.The characterization, device modeling and optimization of nanoparticle sizes were performed by using COMSOL Multiphysics software.
Analysis parametersThe diffuse reflectance spectra and XRD patterns of the HNPs were measured to demonstrate their light-scattering impact.X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to examine the crystal structure and morphological properties of the films. J–V measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to evaluate photovoltaic performance.To assess the light absorption capability produced by the plasmonic effect, optical measurements were carried out using the UV-Vis absorption spectrum. The results were also confirmed by bandgap calculation using Tauc curves.
Results and OutcomesThe PCE increased by 12% with HNP-based DSSCs, from 7.1% with TiO2-based DSSCs to 8.1% with HNP-based DSSCs. This could be due to enhanced light scattering. In addition, Ag@HNP-based DSSCs had 11% greater PCEs (8.1 vs. 9.0 %) than bare-HNP-based DSSCs, which might be attributed to LSPR. Due to these two impacts, the PCE of Ag@HNP-based DSSCs improved by a total of 27%, from 7.1 to 9.0%.FESEM images exhibited that the quantity of Ni2+ was found to improve the grain growth of TSN2.5 and TSN7.5 films ranging from 30.14 to 40.19 nm and from 48.01 to 77.04 nm, respectively. The structural characteristics of TiO2-(SiO2)100-xNix-GO are confirmed as anatase phase and belong to TiO2 with a characteristic peak of (101) as a predominant peak. The study proposes that the TSN7.5 films showed the Jsc, Voc, FF and cell efficiency of 20.52 mA/cm2, 0.23 V, 0.39 and 1.843%, respectively. TiO2-(SiO2)100-xNix-GO doped with 7.5% Ni offers a longer electron lifetime, low recombination effect and larger diffusion rate.The UV-Vis absorption results indicated that aluminum nanoparticles with spherical, rod and triangle morphologies had 39.5%, 36.1% and 34.6% greater absorption capability than aluminum-free nanoparticles. The photoanode based on the aluminum-added bilayer outperforms the aluminum-free bilayer TiO2/SiO2 by 32%. The results indicated that a photoanode with nanorod/nanosphere structure has a 12% better absorption capability than a nanosphere/nanorod configuration. The bandgap energies for photoanodes based on TiO2/SiO2 and Al@TiO2/Al@SiO2 are 1.9 and 1.7 eV, respectively.
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Rehman, A.U.; Ullah, N.; Saeed, M.A.; Khalil, U.K. Enhanced Absorption Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Composite Materials and Bilayer Structure of Nanorods and Nanospheres. Metals 2022, 12, 852. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050852

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Rehman AU, Ullah N, Saeed MA, Khalil UK. Enhanced Absorption Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Composite Materials and Bilayer Structure of Nanorods and Nanospheres. Metals. 2022; 12(5):852. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050852

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Rehman, Anees Ur, Najeeb Ullah, Muhammad Abid Saeed, and Usman Khan Khalil. 2022. "Enhanced Absorption Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell with Composite Materials and Bilayer Structure of Nanorods and Nanospheres" Metals 12, no. 5: 852. https://doi.org/10.3390/met12050852

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