Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are an inexpensive alternative to silicon cells due to inexpensive raw materials and simple design. Dye sensitized solar cells using TiO2 nanoparticles coated with Ru-complex dyes have limited efficiency due to recombination at TiO2 grain boundary defects, while Ru-complex dyes are expensive and toxic. TiO2 nanotube films sensitized by low-cost and simple porphyrin dyes can be an alternative to traditional DSCs. Another cost effective solution may be to use polycrystalline silicon thin film crystallized by flash lamp annealing (FLA) on low-cost substrates. However, a better understanding of the composition and opto-electronic properties of these materials is needed. The objectives of this research were to fabricate and characterize the optical and electrical properties of TiO2 nanotube arrays for DSCs; investigate composition of PECVD flash lamp annealed and vacuum thermal annealed silicon films; and characterize sputtered silicon films annealed by flash lamp and compare with PECVD silicon films. TiO2 nanotubes were grown by electro-chemical anodization and attached to glass substrates and studied with three porphyrin dyes. Silicon films were deposited b
