Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using ZnO photoelectrodes fabricated by a liquid process

Nanostructured ZnO films for use in dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated by utilizing a chemical bath deposition process and a newly developed liquid-liquid process. Layered zinc hydroxides were first deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated substrates and then heated at 450 °C in air to obtain ZnO. Cells were constructed by employing a quasi-solid-state polymer gel electrolyte. The performance of the cells with the ZnO films from the different deposition processes was compared and discussed in terms of the microstructure. Light-to-electricity conversion efficiency reached 2% in all the cells under full sunlight. The cells were kept for 500 h at room temperature, revealing that they maintained 90% of their initial performance.