Cost effective approach of using substrates for electrodes of enhanced efficient dye sensitized solar cell

The paper demonstrates the selection of the substrates to be used for photoanode and counter electrode for dye sensitised solar cells (DSSC). The cells were made utilising mixed electrolyte, mixed natural dyes and newer approach of using varying glass substrates coated with three different transparent conductive oxides (TCO) like indium doped tin oxide (ITO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) and aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) as current collectors. It presents the experimental demonstration of qualities of ITO, FTO and AZO substrates and found that the selection of appropriate collectors for photoanode and counter electrode effect the efficiency of DSSC. The cells prepared with AZO as the transparent current collector for photoanode and FTO for counter electrode combination showed the highest 2.31% power conversion efficiency out of all combinations of nine cells prepared using varying glass substrates. On an average 21.8% increased efficiency is achieved by using different collectors for anode and for counter electrode. So, along with the benefit of low cost, higher efficiency of cells, AZO and FTO can be used as a better alternative to ITO.