Numerical optimization and performance evaluation of ZnPC:PC70BM based dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

The increase in global energy consumption and the related ecological problems have generated a constant demand for alternative energy sources superior to traditional ones. This is why unlimited photon-energy harnessing is important. A notable focus to address this concern is on advancing and producing cost-effective low-loss solar cells. For efficient light energy capture and conversion, we fabricated a ZnPC:PC70BM-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and estimated its performance using a solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D). We evaluated the output parameters of the ZnPC:PC70BM-based DSSC with different photoactive layer thicknesses, series and shunt resistances, and back-metal work function. Our analyses show that moderate thickness, minimum series resistance, high shunt resistance, and high metal-work function are favorable for better device performance due to low recombination losses, electrical losses, and better transport of charge carriers. In addition, in-depth research for clarifying the impact of factors, such as thickness variation, defect density, and doping density of charge transport layers, has been conducted. The best efficiency value found was 10.30% after tweaking the parameters. It also provides a realistic strategy for efficiently utilizing DSSC cells by altering features that are highly dependent on DSSC performance and output.