DYE SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS BASED ON TiO2 MODIFIED WITH CuO

Abstract

Some dye-sensitized solar cells were prepared using TiO2 modified with CuO (TiO2-CuO) like a working electrode. P25 commercial powder and small amounts of CuO powder were used in preparing the modified coating. The coating was deposited following doctor Blade method, on a conductive substrate SnO2:F, which was previously deposited on a TiO2 blocking layer by spray pyrolysis technique. For sensitization of the coating, a ruthenium complex, cis-bis (isothiocyanate) bis (2,2'bipiridil-4,4'dicarboxilato) ruthenium (II) ammonium bistetrabutil, also known as N719, was used. The CuO powder was structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction and its morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The functional groups of TiO2 and CuO were studied by infrared spectroscopy. The oxidation and reduction cycles of Cu were shown by cyclic voltammetry. Through incident photon to current conversion efficiency measures, and solar efficiency measures, it was found that the modified films TiO2-CuO with 0,33 % CuO displayed values of 57 and 2 %, respectively, which were higher than those prepared from TiO2, which were 52 % and 1,7 %, respectively.