Contact angle measurement: A preliminary diagnostic method for evaluating the performance of ZnO platelet-based dye-sensitized solar cells

Contact angle (CA) measurement is used as an empirical diagnostic method to pre-evaluate the performance of N3 related dye-sensitized solar cells. The method uses a 30 min sensitization of ZnO nanoplatelet-based electrodes, and the CA value of ∼48° is optimized for a maximum short-circuit current density of about 6.7 mA cm−2. On account of local inhomogeneity, resulting from the Zn2+/dye complex layer, a systematic study of the effect of dye-loading time on the surface wettability and solar-to-electrical conversion performance of dye-sensitized solar cells is undertaken. The wurzite structure and nanoplatelet morphology are confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, respectively.