INCORPORATION OF CARBON NANOTUBES IN In2O3 THIN FILMS FOR GREATER DSSC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

In₂O₃ is a wide band gap material which has a potential application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The objective of this research is to enhance the photovoltaic conversion efficiency in In₂O₃ thin films by incorporating MWCNTs and SWCNTs in the nanocomposite. In₂O₃ incorporating CNTs annealed at 450 °C was prepared by using spin-coating method for DSSCs. The structural and morphological characteristics of In₂O₃ thin films were studied via XRD patterns and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The In₂O₃-SWCNTs based DSSCs exhibited better photovoltaic performance than In₂O₃-based DSSCs with a conversion efficiency of 1.11 %. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) unit investigated the charge transfer process inside the DSSCs. A longer electron lifetime with a high recombination rate was found in In₂O₃ SWCNTs. These two factors speeds up the electron transport in the cell and enhanced the PCE of the DSSCs.