New Structure Design of Improved Zinc Oxide Nanowire-Based Solar Cells

NEW STRUCTURE DESIGN OF IMPROVED

ZINC OXIDE NANOWIRE-BASED SOLAR CELLS

Mallarie D. McCune- Ph.D. Candidate

Dr. Yulin Deng- Advisor

Georgia Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

           

 

Abstract

 

Because of its excellent and unique physical properties, ZnO nanowires have been widely used in numerous scientific fields such as sensor, solar cell, nanogenerators, etc. Although it is believed that single crystal ZnO has a much higher electron transfer rate than TiO₂, it was found that ZnO nanowire-based dye-sensitized solar cells have lower efficiency than TiO₂ nanoparticle-based solar cells, with the highest efficiency of 4.1%. To improve the ZnO nanowire based solar cell efficiency, different solar cell structures were proposed and related mechanisms were studied. The first approach was based on the addition of a block layer that will prevent electron back transfer at the anode, thus eliminating short-circuiting of the cell and increasing the cell efficiency. The second approach focused on the formation of a 3-D transparent conducting oxide network that enhances the electron transport within the solar cell. The combination of TiO₂ with ZnO nanowires for dye-sensitized solar cell application was also investigated. All of my research objectives are vital to the universal research efforts dedicated to resolving the global energy crisis.