Fabrication and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Performance of Nanostructured NiO/Coumarin 343 Photocathodes

A nanostructured NiO electrode was synthesized through an initial deposition of layered basic nickel acetate having a yarn-ball-shaped morphology and subsequent heat-treatment at in oxygen. A sandwich-type open cell using a NiO/C343 photocathode yielded a photocurrent density of , an open-circuit photovoltage of 113 mV, a fill factor of 0.31, and a solar energy conversion efficiency of 0.057%, reaching the highest level ever reported. A tandem solar cell was also produced together with a photoanode, which resulted in an increase of the open-circuit photovoltage to 0.80 V.