Influence of Nb-doped Nanoparticles Via the Solvothermal Method on the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Abstract

In this study, niobium (Nb) doped TiO2 nanoparticles, synthesized via the solvothermal method, were utilized to fabricate TiO2 based dyesensitized solar cells (DSSCs), with E. conferta fruit extract serving as the photosensitizer and ethanol used as the solvent. The synthesized metal oxide semiconductor nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, FESEM, BET, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The photovoltaic studies, including current density, voltage and factor performance of the cells were analyzed. Based on the analysis conducted in this study, the improvement in cell efficiency indicates that the solvothermal method can be used as one of the fabrication methods due to its simplicity and lower time requirement compared with the sol-gel and solid-state methods. The solvothermal method can also reduce recombination, thereby producing more efficient results than other methods.