Electrochemically grown ZnO nanorods for hybrid solar cell applications

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 84; no. 3; pp. 426 - 431
• Main Authors: Hames, Yakup, Alpaslan, Zühal, Kösemen, Arif, San, Sait Eren, Yerli, Yusuf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2010; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Subjects: Applied sciences; BUTYRIC ACID; CONFIGURATION; EFFICIENCY; Electrocatalysis; ELECTROCHEMISTRY; Energy; ESTERS; Exact sciences and technology; HYBRID SYSTEMS; INDIUM; Nanorods; NANOSTRUCTURES; Natural energy; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic conversion; Polymer blends; POLYMERS; RODS; SOLAR CELLS; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; SOLAR ENERGY; SUBSTRATES; THIN FILMS; TIN OXIDES; ZINC OXIDES; ZnO; Solar cells; Electrochemistry; ZnO; Nanorods; Polymer blends; Fullerene compounds; Indium oxide; Thin film; Solar cell; Electrochemical properties; Tin addition; Thiophene derivative polymer; Employment; Zinc oxide; ITO layers; Nanorod
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2009.12.013

A hybrid solar cell is designed and proposed as a feasible and reasonable alternative, according to acquired efficiency with the employment of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods and ZnO thin films at the same time. Both of these ZnO structures were grown electrochemically and poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester; (P3HT:PCBM) was used as an active polymer blend, which was found to be compatible to prepared indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrate base. This ITO base was introduced with mentioned ZnO structure in such a way that, the most efficient configuration was optimized to be ITO/ZnO film/ZnO nanorod/P3HT: PCBM/Ag. Efficiency of this optimized device is found to be 2.44%. All ZnO works were carried out electrochemically, that is indeed for the first time and at relatively lower temperatures.