CdS Quantum Dots and Dye Co-Sensitized Nanorods TiO₂ Solar Cell

Co-sensitized solar cell was fabricated using CdS quantum dots with LiI based liquid electrolyte. The CdS quantum dots were deposited on TiO₂ films by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The optical band gap values of the TiO₂ and CdS films were determined to be 3.42 eV and 2.49 eV, respectively. The short-circuit photocurrent density (J _SC) and the open-circuit voltage for the solar cell under AM 1.5 illumination were found to be 5.27 ± 0.02 mA/cm² and 0.5 ± 0.04 V, respectively. The efficiency of the solar cell was determined to be 1.33%. The efficiency of the solar cell is higher than that of efficiency of the co-sensitized solar cell fabricated using Ag₂S/CdS quantum dots (1.27%) coupled with LiBOB-based liquid electrolyte. On the other hand, the efficiency of the solar cell is lower than that of dye-sensitized solar cell based on co-sensitization of TiO₂ electrodes with CdS quantum dots and dye N719. These results indicate that the co-sensitization of TiO₂ film can be provided with non-sulfur electrolyte and inorganic semiconductor QDs rather than organic dyes.