The Photocurrent of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Enhanced by the Surface Plasmon Resonance

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of the surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles on dye-sensitized solar cells, we measured the photocurrent of electrochemical cells using dense dye-adsorbed TiO₂ thin films with and without Ag nanoparticles at different adsorbed-dye concentrations. At lower dye concentrations, the photocurrent of the cells with Ag was found to be enhanced by the effect of the surface plasmon resonance compared to that of the cells without Ag. On the other hand, the photocurrent of the cells with Ag decreased at higher dye concentrations, which was caused by increased trap levels and band-edge fluctuations with Ag incorporation. It is revealed that the control of the structure and quantity of Ag particles is important to apply the surface plasmon resonance effect to dye-sensitized solar cells.