Dye-sensitized solar cells using ZnO-nanorod electrodes

Abstract

We prepared ZnO-nanorod electrodes in large-area (1 cm × 1 cm) dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) on plastic substrates by low-temperature hydrothermal method. The chemical composition, surface morphology, and crystalline structure of the ZnO nanorods were characterized. The XRD measurement showed that the ZnO nanorods had (0002) pREFer orientation. The conversion efficiency was about 0.83% for this large-area DSSC with the ZnO-nanorod electrode, indicating that ZnO-nanorod electrodes fabricated by hydrothermal method are a promising application for plastic dye-sensitized solar cells.