Boosting the electrical and charge transfer properties of TiO2 by the effect of Mo doped and rGO nanocomposite

The full-scale potential of the solar cell was limited due to its poor transport properties. The low mobility of charge carriers in the electron extraction layers can be overcome via engineering the materials with doping and composition with carbon-based materials. In the present work, we investigate the charge transport properties of TiO2 lattice by doping with Molybdenum ions and by composting with rGO. Different mole concentration of Mo-doped TiO2 was synthesized by the solvothermal method. The structural, optical, electrical and charge transport properties of Molybdenum doped TiO2 were analysed. In particular, 2 mol% of Mo-doped TiO2 lattice exhibited better charge transfer behaviour than the pure TiO2. Integrating this with rGO improved the carrier mobility and electrical conductivity by many folds. The EIS analysis confirmed the fast charge transition, and the time-resolved photoluminescence analysis revealed the long-lived nature of charge carriers in the conduction band. The conductive nature of the rGO sheets reduced the charge transfer resistance in Mo-doped TiO2/rGO composite by 9-fold compared to the pure TiO2, thus making it a better candidate for the electron transport layer. •2 % Mo in TiO2 lattice exhibited the better electrical and charge transfer process than the pristine TiO2.•Increase in Mo concentrations (5 %, 7 %, 10 %) in TiO2 lowered the electrical conductivity due to scattering effect.•The addition of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) enhanced the electrical conductivity and reduces the charge transfer resistance of the Mo-doped TiO2 lattice.•The oxygen functional groups present in the rGO served as an easy pathway for electron transfer through the strong interfacial binding and thus influences in the modification in the electrical properties of Mo doped TiO2 lattice.•Superior conductivity of the Mo-doped TiO2/rGO composites endows as a better Electron Extraction Layer (EEL) with the potential of practical application.