Plasmonic-resonance-based ternary composite complementary enhancement of the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells

Graphene (G), TiO 2 fusiform nanorods (TiO 2 NRs) adsorbed with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) are prepared and blended as multifunctional materials into TiO 2 nanocrystalline film to form a novel ternary (G-TiO 2 NRs-Au) composite photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The effects of G-TiO 2 NRs-Au on the properties of the photoanode and DSSC are investigated. Results show that, by blending G-TiO 2 NRs-Au, the light absorption and scattering of the photoanode are obviously improved, and the charge transfer resistance R 2 and electron recombination are decreased, resulting in a significant enhancement in the short-circuit current density ( J sc ) and the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSCs. The maximum J sc of 17.66 mA cm −2 and PCE of 8.56% are obtained in the optimal G-TiO 2 NRs-Au-based DSSC, about 33.6% and 35.0% higher than that obta...

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