Transparent Conductive Oxide Nanolayers for Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) stacked in third-generation photovoltaic cells got tremendous limelight for having simple, efficient and economical prospects. The DSSC system comprises of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer coated over a substrate, semiconductive oxide (SCO) film, dye, electrolyte and platinized counter electrode, respectively. The cutting-edge technology involved makes the DSSC distinct from other photovoltaic cell but confronted with a major implication for which the DSSC found underdog photovoltaic cell. DSSC uses light-sensitive dyes for considerable electron generation resulted from photon participation. However, the issue was originated from the sheet resistance when the conventional transparent conductive oxide layer made up of indium tin oxide (ITO) or fluorine tin oxide (FTO) coated on the substrate. This increased sheet resistance potentially discourages the fill factor for which the cell performance potentially deteriorated. Therefore, the conventional transparent conductive oxide layer needs replacement with novel materials to address encouraged fill factor and hence higher power conversion efficiency (PCE). Thus, this article addresses a comprehensive study on transparent conductive oxide layer and addresses its development with insight discussion.