Characteristics of SnO2 nanofiber/TiO2 nanoparticle composite for dye-sensitized solar cells

SnO2 nanofibers and their composites based photoanodes were fabricated and investigated in the application of dye-sensitized solar cells. The photoanode made of SnO2/TiO2 composites yielded an over 2-fold improvement in overall conversion efficiency. The microstructure of SnO2 nanofibers was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A compact morphology of composites was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A long charge diffusion length (62.42 μm) in the composites was derived from time constant in transient photovoltage and photocurrent analysis. These experimental results demonstrate that one-dimensional nanostructured SnO2/TiO2 composites have a great potential for application in solar cells.