Thiolate Capped Noble Metal Particles as Novel Sensitizers for Solar Cells
Abstract
MPA (3-Mercaptopropionic acid) capped noble metal particles (Ag, Au) are studied in this project as sensitizers for solar cells. TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated via etching anodization method. The MPA capped noble metal sensitizer was deposited onto the surface of the TNAs using in-situ hydrothermal method. Different initial molar ratios of Ag and Au were investigated. The specimens were characterized using FE-SEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS and UV-vis spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical measurements, including J-V curves, stability test and electron lifetime assessment, were conducted to examine the performance of the sensitized TiO2 materials. It is found that the Ag (0) @ Ag (+) – MPA nanocluster showed the best performance in light energy conversion. Better stability was also achieved compared to previous works.
Keywords
Nano-photocatalyst, Visible-light activation, Nano metal clusters, Solar cell sensitization