Abstract
In this study, zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) were fabricated utilizing a straightforward sol-gel process at ambient temperature. They were then used as photoanode material in the production of a sandwich-type sensitized solar cell device. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized in order to investigate the morphologies and average particle sizes, respectively. After the preparation of a binder-free ZnO NRs thin film, CdS quantum dots (QDs) were subsequently incorporated into the material. ZnO NRs with modified CdS QDs have distinct structural and optoelectronic properties than ZnO NRs without the CdS QD modification. With the use of the N719 dye, a modified ZnO NRs-CdS QDs photoanode was sensitized. An optical investigation showed that the sensitization of CdS QDs on to ZnO NRs led to a red-shift in the material. At the same time, the absorbed N719 dye molecule further boosts the visible light, which can significantly increase the overall efficiency of a solar device. It was found that the solar cell performance of the one and alone N719-sensitized ZnO NRs device (ZnO-N719) was significantly lower than that of a CdS QDs-modified ZnO-N719 device. Solar cell properties were improved by using a hybrid (ZnO-CdS QDs -N719 dye) solar cell operating at 100 mW/cm2 AM 1.5G.