Effect of Dye-Loading Time on the Performance of ZnO Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) represent a burgeoning photovoltaic technology with significant commercial promise due to their unique attributes, including semi-transparency, cost-effectiveness in manufacturing, simple fabrication methodologies, and strong performance in low-light conditions. The principal challenge facing DSSCs pertains to enhancing their efficiency and stability to bolster their viability as a sustainable energy solution. This research explores the impact of varying dye loading durations on the performance of ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells, which are fabricated on the FTO substrate. The study encompasses the analysis of I-V characteristics under both dark and illumination conditions, involving four distinct cells. During the cell fabrication process, the electrochemical Deposition (EPD) technique are employed for metal oxide deposition onto the electrode. A critical post-deposition step involved the application of hot compression at 60 MPa and room temperature to ensure the formation of a uniform, crack-free layer. Notably, the four sample cells underwent different dye immersion durations-30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours-as part of the fabrication process. Performance parameters under dark conditions were extracted using the principles of thermionic emission Theory. Additionally, series resistance and shunt resistance were calculated from the I-V data under illumination conditions utilizing the Lambert W function. Notably, the cell with a 1-hour dye-loading period demonstrated superior performance, achieving a 2.7% conversion efficiency, a short-circuit current density of 8.9 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\text{mA}/\text{cm}{}^{\text{2}}$</tex>, an open-circuit voltage <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$(V_{oc})$</tex> of 0.53 V, and a fill factor (F F) of 0.56. These findings hold significant promise in advancing the efficiency of DSSCs as a sustainable energy solution.