title: Enhanced photovoltaic properties of Nb₂O₅-coated TiO₂ 3D ordered porous electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells.
abstract: This paper describes the use of Nb₂O₅-coated TiO₂ 3D ordered porous electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. We employed bilayer inverse opal structures as a backbone of 3D porous structures, and the number of Nb₂O₅ coatings was controlled, determining the concentration of Nb₂O₅ coating. XPS measurements confirmed the formation of Nb₂O₅. The uniformity of the Nb₂O₅ coating was characterized by elemental mapping using SEM and TEM measurements. Photovoltaic measurement on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that incorporated Nb₂O₅/TiO₂ inverse opal electrodes yielded a maximum efficiency of 7.23% for a 3.3 wt % Nb₂O₅ coating on a TiO₂ IO structure. The Nb₂O₅ significantly increased the short-circuit current density (J(SC)). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the J(SC), revealing an enhanced electron injection upon deposition of the Nb₂O₅ coating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Na
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004566:Electrodes; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation; D009556:Niobium / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D012993:Solar Energy; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D010087:Oxides; D009556:Niobium; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium; C073337:niobium pentoxide