Photovoltaic performance analysis of electrophoretically deposited ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells developed using variations of mechanical compressions along with post annealing

In this study, short-circuit current density (Jsc) and power conversion efficiency were analyzed for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) which were prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates under mechanical compression and post-annealing. The J
_SC
12.98 mA/cm
²
and power conversion efficiency 3.82% were obtained at 42 MPa mechanical pressure and 400° C post-annealing temperature. In this investigation, photoanodes were annealed at different temperatures to study the effect of the post-annealing temperature on the performance of DSSCs. The performances of the cells were analyzed by i-v, UV-Vis-NIR, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image. The photovoltaic performance was found to be improved with the application of mechanical compression and post-annealing temperature compared with the DSSCs without having these post surface treatments.