Preparation of transparent and conducting boron-doped ZnO electrode for its application in dye-sensitized solar cells

A simple and economic chemical spray pyrolysis method is used to prepare transparent and conducting boron-doped zinc oxide (BnZnO) electrode having potential applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The BnZnO electrodes were critically characterized for their structural, morphological and electrical properties. The BnZnO electrode with 2 at% boron doping showed average grain size of 20(±1) nm, surface roughness of 9 nm, ⩾95% transparency and resistivity of 4.5×10−3 Ω cm−1. Furthermore, doping concentration of boron could also be easily controlled for achieving desired properties. Using this electrode as a substrate in DSSCs, the solar-to-electrical conversion efficiency with N3 dye as a sensitizer was noted to be 1.53%. This work suggests that the BnZnO electrodes could be used as promising alternative to presently used indium- or fluorine-doped tin oxide as substrates.