Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency

<p dir="ltr">The surface area for dye adsorption in the photoanode layer is critical in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This study reports a novel cactus-like nanothorn structure constructed through the interfacial modification of...

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Main Author: Nurul Najihah Ishak (22997974) (author)
Other Authors: Mohamed Sultan Mohamed Ali (17317003) (author), Yusri Md Yunos (22997977) (author), Anas Bsoul (22997980) (author), Muhammad Enamul Hoque Chowdhury (18103033) (author), Nafarizal Nayan (17186299) (author), Megat Muhammad Ikhsan Megat Hasnan (22997983) (author), Ikhwan Syafiq Mohd Noor (22997986) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Nurul Najihah Ishak (22997974)
author2 Mohamed Sultan Mohamed Ali (17317003)
Yusri Md Yunos (22997977)
Anas Bsoul (22997980)
Muhammad Enamul Hoque Chowdhury (18103033)
Nafarizal Nayan (17186299)
Megat Muhammad Ikhsan Megat Hasnan (22997983)
Ikhwan Syafiq Mohd Noor (22997986)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Nurul Najihah Ishak (22997974)
Mohamed Sultan Mohamed Ali (17317003)
Yusri Md Yunos (22997977)
Anas Bsoul (22997980)
Muhammad Enamul Hoque Chowdhury (18103033)
Nafarizal Nayan (17186299)
Megat Muhammad Ikhsan Megat Hasnan (22997983)
Ikhwan Syafiq Mohd Noor (22997986)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Nurul Najihah Ishak (22997974)
Mohamed Sultan Mohamed Ali (17317003)
Yusri Md Yunos (22997977)
Anas Bsoul (22997980)
Muhammad Enamul Hoque Chowdhury (18103033)
Nafarizal Nayan (17186299)
Megat Muhammad Ikhsan Megat Hasnan (22997983)
Ikhwan Syafiq Mohd Noor (22997986)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-09-15T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Cactus-like_nanothorn_photoanodes_for_enhancing_dye-sensitized_solar_cell_efficiency/31057132
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Engineering
Electrical engineering
Materials engineering
Nanotechnology
Photoanode
Dye adsorption
Charge transfer resistance
Bandgap engineering
Nanostructured materials
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">The surface area for dye adsorption in the photoanode layer is critical in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This study reports a novel cactus-like nanothorn structure constructed through the interfacial modification of rutile titanium dioxide nanoflowers (rTiO<sub>2</sub>-NF) by incorporating copper (II) oxide (Cu<sub>2</sub>O). The cactus-like nanothorn photoanode achieved a significantly higher PCE of 8.3% compared to the 2.9% of the unmodified nanoflower structure. This improvement was attributed to the increased short-circuit current (J<sub>SC</sub>), which was promoted by the enhanced dye adsorption surface area and lower charge transfer resistance (R<sub>ct</sub>, 2.888 Ω/cm<sup>2</sup>). A bandgap energy shift from 3.0 eV to 1.96 eV extended the light absorption from UV to the visible-light spectrum. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of a polycrystalline Cu<sub>2</sub>O layer. These results highlighted the potential of incorporating Cu<sub>2</sub>O to transform nanoflower photoanodes into cactus-like nanothorn structures to improve DSSC efficiency.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_26fa8a8ae267e9965a7ff8d16a42c2be
identifier_str_mv 10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/31057132
publishDate 2025
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
repository.name.fl_str_mv
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiencyNurul Najihah Ishak (22997974)Mohamed Sultan Mohamed Ali (17317003)Yusri Md Yunos (22997977)Anas Bsoul (22997980)Muhammad Enamul Hoque Chowdhury (18103033)Nafarizal Nayan (17186299)Megat Muhammad Ikhsan Megat Hasnan (22997983)Ikhwan Syafiq Mohd Noor (22997986)EngineeringElectrical engineeringMaterials engineeringNanotechnologyPhotoanodeDye adsorptionCharge transfer resistanceBandgap engineeringNanostructured materials<p dir="ltr">The surface area for dye adsorption in the photoanode layer is critical in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This study reports a novel cactus-like nanothorn structure constructed through the interfacial modification of rutile titanium dioxide nanoflowers (rTiO<sub>2</sub>-NF) by incorporating copper (II) oxide (Cu<sub>2</sub>O). The cactus-like nanothorn photoanode achieved a significantly higher PCE of 8.3% compared to the 2.9% of the unmodified nanoflower structure. This improvement was attributed to the increased short-circuit current (J<sub>SC</sub>), which was promoted by the enhanced dye adsorption surface area and lower charge transfer resistance (R<sub>ct</sub>, 2.888 Ω/cm<sup>2</sup>). A bandgap energy shift from 3.0 eV to 1.96 eV extended the light absorption from UV to the visible-light spectrum. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of a polycrystalline Cu<sub>2</sub>O layer. These results highlighted the potential of incorporating Cu<sub>2</sub>O to transform nanoflower photoanodes into cactus-like nanothorn structures to improve DSSC efficiency.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4</a></p>2025-09-15T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1007/s10854-025-15729-4https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Cactus-like_nanothorn_photoanodes_for_enhancing_dye-sensitized_solar_cell_efficiency/31057132CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/310571322025-09-15T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
Nurul Najihah Ishak (22997974)
Engineering
Electrical engineering
Materials engineering
Nanotechnology
Photoanode
Dye adsorption
Charge transfer resistance
Bandgap engineering
Nanostructured materials
status_str publishedVersion
title Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
title_full Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
title_fullStr Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
title_full_unstemmed Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
title_short Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
title_sort Cactus-like nanothorn photoanodes for enhancing dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency
topic Engineering
Electrical engineering
Materials engineering
Nanotechnology
Photoanode
Dye adsorption
Charge transfer resistance
Bandgap engineering
Nanostructured materials