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Characteristics of ZnO–SnO2 composite nanofibers as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells

Research Abstract

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 (ZnOSnO2) and 3.15 (TiO2–SnO2) eV. The CNFs showed superior photoconversion efficiency (5.60% for ZnOSnO2 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.

Research Authors
Zinab H Bakr, Qamar Wali, Shengyuan Yang, Maryam Yousefsadeh, KP Padmasree, Jamil Ismail, Mohd Hasbi Ab Rahim, Mashitah Mohd Yusoff, Rajan Jose
Research Department
Research Journal
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Research Pages
643-653
Research Vol
58
Research Year
2019