Improved photocurrents for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells using nano-structured nickel(ii) oxide microballs

Highly crystalline nanostructured nickel(II) oxide microballs (NiO-μBs) were developed for use in p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSC). Their high specific surface area and favorable optical properties yielded unprecedented photocurrent densities of 7.0 mA cm−2 under simulated sunlight (AM1.5; 1000 W m−2) and incident photon to charge carrier conversion efficiencies of 74% when applied in p-DSCs. This is an important step towards matching the performance of p-DSCs with their n-type counterparts for future tandem applications.