Kaimo Guo

Highly Uniform, Bifunctional Core/Double‐Shell‐Structured β‐NaYF4:Er3+, Yb3+ @ SiO2@TiO2 Hexagonal Sub‐microprisms for High‐Performance Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Highly uniform core/double-shell-structured β-NaYF4:Er(3+),Yb(3+)@SiO2@TiO2 hexagonal sub-microprisms are prepared and employed in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) internally. This work paves a facile way to enable the most-efficient upconversion material (β-NaYF4:Er(3+),Yb(3+)) to be used as scattering and upconversion centers in the photoelectrode of a DSC.

Enhancement of properties of dye-sensitized solar cells by surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanowire core–shell structure in TiO2 films

A series of TiO2 nanocomposite photoanodes with different amounts of Ag nanowire (AgNW) coated with SiO2 in a AgNW@SiO2 core–shell structure are prepared by a ball milling method and applied to assemble a series of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The influence of AgNW@SiO2 on the performance of the TiO2–AgNW photoanodes and DSSCs is investigated. Studies indicates that the range and strength of light absorption of the TiO2 photoanodes, the photon capture ability of the dye molecules, and the short-circuit current density (Jsc) are significantly increased while the dark current is decreased due to the incorporation of AgNW@SiO2. The optimal properties are obtained in a DSSC with a Jsc of 11.83 mA cm−2, and an overall photoelectric conversion efficiency (η) of 6.26%, significantly superior to those of the DSSC with a pure TiO2 photoanode. The enhancements of Jsc and η are attributed to the increase of light coupling and thus the light absorption of the dye due to the localized surface plasmon resonance and the possible enhanced light scattering of AgNW@SiO2 in the photoanode.

Plasmonic-resonance-based ternary composite complementary enhancement of the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.

Graphene (G), TiO2 fusiform nanorods (TiO2NRs) adsorbed with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) are prepared and blended as multifunctional materials into TiO2 nanocrystalline film to form a novel ternary (G-TiO2NRs-Au) composite photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The effects of G-TiO2NRs-Au on the properties of the photoanode and DSSC are investigated. Results show that, by blending G-TiO2NRs-Au, the light absorption and scattering of the photoanode are obviously improved, and the charge transfer resistance R2 and electron recombination are decreased, resulting in a significant enhancement in the short-circuit current density (J sc) and the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSCs. The maximum J sc of 17.66 mA cm(-2) and PCE of 8.56% are obtained in the optimal G-TiO2NRs-Au-based DSSC, about 33.6% and 35.0% higher than that obtained in the conventional TiO2-based DSSC. This significant improvement in the performance of the DSSC can be attributed to the ternary composite complementary effects of multi-functions from the surface plasmon resonance of AuNPs, light scattering of TiO2NRs, and the improved dye loading and fast electron transmission channel from graphene. This study provides an effective way of ternary composite complementary enhancement of the J sc and PCE of the DSSCs.