Scalable synthesis of delafossite CuAlO sub(2) nanoparticles for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells applications

Delafossite CuAlO sub(2) nanoparticles were prepared using an easily scalable method under controlled partial oxygen pressure (pO sub(2)) of 10 super(-5) atm at 775 [degrees]C. Transmission electron microscopy showed a uniform particle size of 35 nm, agreeing well with the calculated particle size distribution obtained using the Whole Powder Pattern Method (WPPM) via the PM2K software package. Higher cathodic photocurrents (J sub(sc) = 0.954 mA/cm super(2) under AM1.5 sun) were observed in p-type dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fabri cated using these CuAlO sub(2) nanoparticles compared to the previous reports on delafossite CuBO sub(2) (B = Al, Ga) nanoparticles. Enhanced current efficiency in these solar cells is attributed to the nano-sized particles and narrow particle size distributions of nanocrystalline delafossite CuAlO sub(2).