title: The Study of Metal Sulfide as Efficient Counter Electrodes on the Performances of CdS/CdSe/ZnS-co-sensitized Hierarchical TiO2Sphere Quantum Dot Solar Cells.
abstract: The effects of using different counter electrode metal sulfides on the performances of solar cells made with CdS/CdSe/ZnS quantum dots co-sensitized onto hierarchical TiO2spheres (HTSs) used as photo-electrode are reported. The HTS in the QDSSCs is composed of an assembly of numerous TiO2spheres made by the solvolthermal method. The photoelectrical performance of HTS/CdS/CdSe/ZnS coupled to CuS or to Cu2ZnSn(S1 - xSex)4with x = 0, 0.5, or 1.0 counter electrodes (CEs) were compared to those coupled to Pt CE. The HTS/CdS/CdSe/ZnS coupled to the CuS CE showed the highest power conversion efficiency η (of 3.46%). The efficiencies η of 1.88, 2.64, and 2.06% were obtained for CZTS (x = 0), CZTS0.5Se0.5(x = 0.5), and CZTSe (x = 1), respectively. These are significantly higher than those using a standard Pt CE (η = 0.37%). These higher efficiencies are the results of the higher electrocatalytic activities when the metal sulfide CEs are used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand.
authors.forename: Nattha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buatong
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Science, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand.
authors.forename: I-Ming
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand. fsciwpp@ku.ac.th.
authors.forename: Weeraphat
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pon-On
keywords: Copper zinc tin sulfur (selenium) (CZT(S,Se)); Counter electrodes; Hierarchical titanium dioxide; Quantum dots; Sensitized solar cell