Solid state dye sensitized solar cells based on supersonic beam deposition of organic, inorganic cluster assembled, and nanohybrid materials

The growth of nanohybrids synthesized by supersonic beam codeposition of metal oxide clusters, produced by microplasma cluster source, and of aerodynamically accelerated molecules has been explored as a novel approach to the preparation of controlled dye sensitized materials for photovoltaic applications. The hybrid nanostructures are formed through deposition via supersonic expansion processes, controlling the kinetic energy of the precursors. With this approach, we developed prototype dye sensitized solar cells based on nanostructured TiO2 and CuPc with different architectures. To explore the viability of this approach, we compare cells made layer by layer with those where an intermediate codeposited layer is inserted between the two raw materials. This latter type of cells presents an enhancement of the photocurrent of a factor of 45 and of the efficiency of a factor of 40. This work opens a new viable perspective in the growth and in the control of the interfacial properties of nanohybrid materials, by direct codeposition of molecules and oxide nanostructures, with demonstrated useful applications in photovoltaic devices. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3501337]