Abstract

In this study, e-beam equipment was used to form silver nanoparticles on thin films of TiO₂ to increase the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells and improve the annealing process. TiO₂ thin films with nanoparticle photoelectrodes were fabricated in individual units for use in dye-sensitized solar cells. The characteristics of dye-sensitized solar cells were compared to those of the prepared TiO₂ photoelectrode with and without nanoparticles. The dye-sensitized solar cells with silver nanoparticles showed a significant increase in the electric current density compared with the pure TiO₂ dye-sensitized solar cell and improved the solar conversion efficiency to 27.89%. The increased density of electric current increased the extent of light absorption of the dye owing to the plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles at the local surfaces. This phenomenon led to increased light scattering, which in turn increased the current density of the dye-sensitized solar cells and improved the solar conversion efficiency.

• Keywords: Dye-sensitized solar cells, Surface plasmon resonance, Ag nanoparticles