TAGRA 2025

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are among the most promising low-cost alternatives to silicon-based solar cells, offering substantial power conversion efficiency due to their compact size, ease of preparation, and high resistance and sensitivity to weather changes. Recent technological advancements have shifted toward flexible, versatile, and portable electronics, as well as simpler device fabrication. A DSSC consists of a photoanode that includes a transparent conducting material and a semiconducting layer. The semiconducting layer, which adsorbs dye molecules, plays a crucial role in determining the power conversion efficiency. Its efficiency strongly depends on optimal charge transport and sufficient surface area for dye adsorption within the photoanode. One of the key challenges is engineering zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured buffer layers that simultaneously enhance electron mobility, increase dye-loading capability, and reduce recombination losses. In this work, zinc oxide nanorods (ZNRs) were synthesized using buffer layer patterning times of 4 and 8 minutes to investigate the influence of deposition duration on the resulting morphology, crystallinity, and photovoltaic performance of DSSCs. The growth of the nanorods was mediated by a plasma induced buffer layer for growth patterning. The ZNRs exhibit excellent properties such as high porosity, large surface area, surface roughness, and high electrical conductivity which are suitable for improving dye adsorption and enhancing charge transfer mobility. Current and voltage measurements under 1000 W/m² illumination show that the DSSC fabricated with the 4 minutes ZnO buffer layer achieves a higher efficiency than the 8 minutes sample. These results demonstrate that optimizing the ZnO buffer layer deposition time, particularly through shorter durations, can significantly improve charge transport and overall DSSC performance.