Effect of Screen Printing Methods on Titanium Dioxide Films Modified with Silver Nanoparticles to Improve Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are considered a prospective alternative to silicon-based solar cells due to their lower production cost and simpler fabrication process than conventional solar cells. DSSCs’ adjustable optical properties enable them to function effectively under diverse illumination conditions, making them ideal for powering small electronic devices in indoor environments. In DSSCs, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are incorporated into titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanodes due to their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, which enhances scattering and absorbing incident light and creates a strong electromagnetic field near the surface. There are diverse manufacturing methods for DSSCs, while the screen printing method is preferred because the area of the TiO2 film can be easily customized to effectively reduce human error and make the film highly stable. In this study, eight different stacked DSSC film structures were fabricated by adding AgNPs to TiO2 films. The TiO2 paste with a concentration of 3 mwt% (percentage by mass) of AgNPs performed best in this study. The photovoltaic performance was evaluated using power conversion efficiency (PCE), and the results showed that the AgNP-doped film on the surface of the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass significantly improved the photovoltaic performance. The three layers of TiO2 doped with AgNPs achieved the highest PCE. PCE was increased since the TiO2 film containing AgNPs became thicker and closer to the FTO substrate. The PCE of DSSCs was compared using pure TiO2 NPs and the AgNP-doped TiO2 photoanode. The efficiency increased from 5.67% to a maximum of 6.13%. This enhanced efficiency, driven by LSPR and improved electron transport, confirms the viability of screen-printed, plasmon-enhanced photoanodes for high-efficiency DSSCs.