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Characteristics of ZnO–SnO2 composite nanofibers as a photoanode 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 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 Department
Research Journal
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Research Vol
58
Research Year
2019
Research Pages
643-653