Dye-sensitized solar cell characteristics of nanocomposite zinc ferrite working electrode: Effect of composite precursors and titania as a blocking layer on photovoltaic performance

• Nanocomposites of zinc ferrite have been prepared by different precursors.
• Nanocomposites of zinc ferrite working electrode have been fabricated.
• Dye-sensitized solar cell characteristics of composites have been examined.
• Zinc ferrite was used as working electrodes in dye sensitized solar cells.

This research investigates the performance of a zinc ferrite (ZF) as working electrodes in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). This ZF working electrode was prepared by sol–gel and thermal decomposition of four different precursors including: zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2⋅2H2O), ferric nitrate nonahydrate (Fe(NO3)3⋅9H2O), iron(III) acetate; Fe(C2H3O2)3, and zinc nitrate hexahydrate, Zn(NO3)2⋅6H2O. The effects of annealing temperature and precursors on the structural, morphological, and optical properties were investigated. The field emission scanning electron microscope images (FESEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that ZFe films are polycrystalline in nature and homogeneous with densely packed grains. Nanoporous zinc ferrite coatings were prepared by doctor blade technique on the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and used as working electrodes in DSSC. In all DSSCs, platinized FTO and [Co(bpy)3]2+/3+ in 3-methoxy proponitrile were used as counter electrode and redox mediator system respectively. Comparing the fill factors of four different zinc ferrite nanocomposites, the highest fill factor was for ZnFe2O4–TBL sample. Cell fabricated with ZnFeA working electrode shows relatively higher Jsc.

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