@article { ISI:000334902400006,
	title = {Defects in chemically synthesized and thermally processed ZnO nanorods: implications for active layer properties in dye-sensitized solar cells},
	journal = {Inorganic Chemistry},
	volume = {53},
	number = {8},
	year = {2014},
	month = {APR},
	pages = {3961-3972},
	publisher = {AMER CHEMICAL SOC},
	type = {Article},
	address = {1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USA},
	abstract = {<p>We have carried out the effect of post annealing temperatures on the performance of solution-grown ZnO rods as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. Keeping our basic objective of exploring the effect of native defects on the performance of DSSC, we have synthesized ZnO rods having length in the range of 2-5 mu m by a modified sonication-induced precipitation technique. We performed extensive characterization on the samples annealed at various temperatures and confirmed that annealing at 300 degrees C results in ZnO rods with minimum native defects that have been identified as doubly ionized oxygen vacancies. The electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on the samples, on the other hand, confirmed the presence of shallow donors in the low temperature annealed samples. We also carried out electrochemical impedance measurements to understand the transport properties at different interfaces in the solar cell assembly. We could conclude that solution-processed ZnO rods annealed at 300 degrees C are better suited for fabricating DSSC with improved efficiency (1.57\%), current density (5.11 mA/cm(2)), and fill factor (45.29\%). On the basis of our results, we were able to establish a close connection between the defects in the metal oxide electron transporting nano system and the DSSC performance.</p>},
	issn = {0020-1669},
	doi = {10.1021/ic500279q},
	author = {Das, Partha Pratim and Agarkar, Shruti A. and Mukhopadhyay, Soumita and Manju, Unnikrishnan and Ogale, Satishchandra B. and Devi, P. Sujatha}
}
@article { ISI:000363347800036,
	title = {Photochemical performance of ZnO nanostructures in dye sensitized solar cells},
	journal = {Solid State Sciences},
	volume = {48},
	year = {2015},
	month = {OCT},
	pages = {237-243},
	publisher = {ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV},
	address = {PO BOX 211, 1000 AE AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS},
	abstract = {<p>In this work, the photoconversion efficiencies of ZnO having diverse microstructures and structural defects have been investigated. A conversion efficiency of 138\% was achieved for the DSSCs fabricated with as prepared ZnO nanorods having minimum vacancy defects and a favourable one dimensional directional pathway for electron conduction. The DSSCs fabricated with ZnO nanoparticles exhibited relatively low conversion efficiency of 1.004\% probably due to multiple trapping/detrapping phenomena within the grain boundaries and ZnO flowers though exhibited a high dye adsorption capability exhibited the lowest conversion efficiency of 0.59\% due to a high concentration of structural defects. Based on the experimental evidences, we believe that the type of defects and their concentrations are more important than shape in controlling the overall performance of ZnO based DSSCs. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.</p>},
	keywords = {DSSC, Efficiency, Emission, Structural defects, ZnO},
	issn = {1293-2558},
	doi = {10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2015.08.014},
	author = {Das, Partha Pratim and Mukhopadhyay, Soumita and Agarkar, Shruti A. and Jana, Arpita and Devi, P. Sujatha}
}
