Characteristics of ZnO − SnO2 composite nanofibers as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells
Composite materials are aimed to combine properties of their components to achieve a desired device functionality; however, synthesizing them in morphologies such as one-dimensional nanofibers is challenging. This article compares optical and electrical properties of ZnO-SnO2 composite nanofibers (C...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Chemical Society (ACS Publications)
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24007/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24007/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24007/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24007/1/Characteristics%20of%20ZnO-SnO2%20Composite%20Nanofibers%20as%20a%20Photoanode%20in%20Dye-Sensitized%20Solar%20Cells.pdf |
| Summary: | Composite materials are aimed to combine properties of their components to achieve a desired device functionality; however, synthesizing them in morphologies such as one-dimensional nanofibers is challenging. This article compares optical and electrical properties of ZnO-SnO2 composite nanofibers (CNFs) synthesized by electrospinning technique for energy-harvesting applications with similar CNFs (TiO2-SnO2) and their single-component nanofibers (NFs). The composite formation is confirmed by X-ray and electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses; the morphology is examined by HRTEM and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties of the CNFs are studied by cyclic voltammetry, absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The CNFs behaved as a single semiconducting material of band gap ∼3.32 (ZnO-SnO2) and ∼3.15 (TiO2-SnO2) eV. The CNFs showed superior photoconversion efficiency (∼5.60% for ZnO-SnO2 and ∼8.0% for TiO2-SnO2 CNFs) compared to its binary counterparts SnO2 (∼3.90%), ZnO (∼1.38%), and TiO2 (∼5.1%) when utilized as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. |
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