Synthesis of nanostructured semiconducting cerium oxide associated titanium dioxide as photoanodic material for dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract

Using the Sol-Gel method, a cerium oxide (CeO₂) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanocomposite (CeO₂-TiO₂) was created in this work and used as photoanodic components for photoelectrochemical solar cell construction. Appropriate natural dyes, including N3 dye, were found and adsorbed onto the semiconductor surface to capture light and promote electron transport at the interface between the dye and semiconductor. By forming an energy barrier at the interface between the photoanode and electrolyte, the synthesized CeO₂-TiO₂ system and N3 dye worked as a photoelectrode to lower charge recombination rates and increase photovoltaic efficiency. With an effective energy conversion efficiency of roughly 3.5 %, the measured short-circuit current density (Jsc) and open-circuit voltage (Voc) were 9.0 mAcm−2 and 680 mV, respectively. The economical manufacture of the CeO₂-TiO₂ composite for use in photoelectrochemical cells offers a viable path toward the profitable and ecologically responsible production of dye-sensitized solar cells.