Faculty Advisor
Brodeur, Drew R
Abstract
Recently, Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been a popular topic of study. They differ from other solar devices by having an organic dye as the light collector and an inorganic semiconductor. Although TiO2 is usually the semiconductor, many have looked into using other, similar metal oxides as substitutes or even additions to TiO2 for use as semiconductors. Identical DSSCs with several different metal oxides were tested, including ZnO, ZrO2, and MgO as well as compound layers, TiO2/ZnO and TiO2/ZrO2. Unfortunately, the tested metal oxides and compound metal oxides failed to effectively rival TiO2 as a substitute. Despite this, the other materials still successfully function as the inorganic components and thus show potential for incorporation into hybrid cells in the future.
Publisher
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date Accepted
September 2014
Major
Chemistry
Project Type
Major Qualifying Project
Copyright Statement
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Accessibility
Unrestricted
Advisor Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry