High performance photoelectrode of dye-sensitised solar cells by Mo-Ce doped TiO2 nanoparticles/nanotubes

Abstract

The one-dimensional structure of TiO2 provides improved photoelectric performance, but it has a small surface area that reduces the adsorption of dye on its surface. Therefore, in this study, TiO2 nanoparticles doped with different amounts of cerium (CeO2) prepared using the sol-gel method and molybdenum (MoO3)-doped TiO2 nanotube photoelectrodes were successfully fabricated via the three-step anodisation of titanium followed by a hydrothermal doping treatment process. The samples were characterised by XRD, SEM, UV-vis, EIS, and I-V curves. The results indicate that metal-doped TiO2 nanoparticles/nanotubes exhibit a broadened absorption in the visible region and a reduced ion recombination as well. The dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) show a maximum conversion efficiency of 6.14% and JSC of 14.80 mA/cm(2) under a simulated solar light irradiation of 100 mW/cm(2) (AM 1.5).