Size Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on the Photovoltaic Performance of a Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

The size effects of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) on the performance of a dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) through successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) was investigated. A series of AgNPs with different SILAR cycles were synthesized on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) glass slides. The size effects of AgNPs on the photovoltaic (PV) performance of the formed DSSCs were investigated systematically. The performance, especially the photocurrent, and open circuit voltage of DSSCs containing AgNPs was significantly affected by the particle size of Ag NPs. The PV performance decreased with increasing size of AgNPs from one SILAR cycle to three SILAR cycles, the best performance was achieved using the anodes prepared with one SILAR cycle. The best cell shows a conversion efficiency (η) of 0.00910%. The cell exhibited a 36% improvement over the performance (0.00669%) of bare FTO-based device. The related PV performance enhancement mechanism and surface-plasmon resonances in DSSCs with Ag nanostructures are discussed.