Nanoporous tin oxide photoelectrode prepared by electrochemical anodization in aqueous ammonia to improve performance of dye sensitized solar cell

In this work, a nanoporous thin film consisting of sieve-like tin oxide (SnO2) sheets was prepared by anodization of tin foil in aqueous ammonia and applied as a photoelectrode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Compared to the conventional SnO2 nanoparticle-based photoelectrode, the anodized nanoporous SnO2 electrode offers higher short circuit current (6.85 vs. 3.64 mA/cm(2)) and open circuit voltage (0.56 vs. 0.51 V) due to better charge transportation and better suppression of charge recombination. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC equipped with the anodized SnO2 electrode is enhanced by 63%. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4798316]