Synthesis of Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposite via plasma liquid interactions: Improved performance as photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposite was prepared by the atmospheric direct current plasma in aqueous solution to improve its performance in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as the photoanode. The fabricated DSSC shows high power conversion efficiency over 6.5% and displays better long-term stability than that of referenced pure TiO 2 . The comparison of photoluminescence spectra of Ag/TiO 2 and pure TiO 2 showed that only the Ag containing samples had notable photocurrent under visible light, which was attributed to the highly dispersed Ag, according to the EDS and XRD measurements. The short-circuit current density (Jsc) and open-circuit voltage (Voc) reached 13.43 mA cm −2 and 0.72 V in Ag/TiO 2 , and 9.44 mA cm −2 and 0.68 V in pure TiO 2 , respectively. The performance improvement in Ag/TiO 2 DSSC may occur due to the declined band-gap energy, retarded charge recombination and greater surface coverage of the sensitizing dye over Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposite.