Performance engineering of SnO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells through optimization of dye loading and film thickness

Among the emerging solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are one of the most studied one due to their various favorable properties. However, this technology could not be commercialized due to its limited stability and low efficiency. Among various DSSCs, SnO
2
-based DSSCs received much attention due to their high electron mobility compared to other metal oxide-based photoanodes. In this work, an attempt has been made to synthesize SnO
2
nanoparticles through a simple chemical precipitation method and optimize the dye loading as well as the film thickness for better photovoltaic performance. The effect of dye loading and film thickness on the photoconversion efficiency of the N719 dye-based DSSC has been systematically studied. The SnO2 photoanode with 14 hours dye (N719) loading and 10 µm thickness showed 2.4% photoconversion efficiency. This can be attributed to the superior photon absorption, effective charge carrier separation, and effective carrier transport as revealed through different physicochemical and photoelectrochemical analyses.