Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles using hydrothermal and sol-gel techniques for dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract EN

ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized using hydrothermal and sol-gel techniques using zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn (CH3COO)2.2H2O) as a row material and methanol as a solvent.

the structural properties of ZnO NPs were studied using EDX, XRD, TEM, and the optical properties were characterized using UV-VIS and PL spectroscopies.

The synthesized ZnO NPs showed high purity and revealed a wurtzite (hexagonal) crystal structure with particle size (D) ranged from 25 nm to 28 nm.

the UV-VIS absorption spectra of ZnO NPs samples and sensitizing dyes were performed.

the obtained ZnO NPs exhibited the direct optical bandgap 3.15 eV.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using synthesized ZnO NPs as a semiconducting layer, which was dyed with different low cost dyes such as Eosin B (EB), Eosin Y (EY) and rhodamine B (RB) that was used to sensitize the photoanode (ZnO NPs).

the experimental results showed a significant efficiency for the fabricated DSSCs of synthesized ZnO NPs via sol gel technique comparing to hydrothermal technique.

the EY dye exhibited the best performance among others, where a conversion efficiency showed a noteworthy improvement from 0.12 to 1.08 %.