Structural and optical properties of Eu2O3 coated TiO2 nanoparticles and their application for dye sensitized solar cell

Specialized applications of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted much attention as an economical substitute to first and second generation solar cells. Surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles with high band gap Eu2O3 coating has been carried out by chemical precipitation arrested solvothermal method. The characterizations have been done through X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse UV-visible, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy results reveal an increase in surface roughness in case of Eu2O3/TiO2 electrode, which leads to enhancement in the dye loading capability. The synthesized nanoparticles have been employed for the fabrication of DSSCs. Effect of Eu2O3 coating on their performance has been studied. Eu2O3/TiO2 electrode provides better surface area for the dye adsorption, which slows down the electron-hole recombination, and thus, improves the DSSC performance. The photocurrent density-voltage (J-V) characteristics reveal that the efficiency of DSSCs fabricated from Eu2O3/TiO2 nanoparticles is 52 % higher than that from bare TiO2 nanoparticles.