Properties of working electrodes with nano YBO₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor in a dye sensitized solar cell

We added 0 ∼ 5 wt% YBO₃:Eu³⁺ nano powders in a scattering layer of a working electrode to improve the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) of a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). FESEM and XRD were used to characterize the microstructure and phase. PL and micro Raman were used to determine the fluorescence and the composition of YBO₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor. A solar simulator and a potentiostat were used to confirm the photovoltaic properties of the DSSC with YBO₃:Eu³⁺. From the results of the microstructure and phase of the fabricated YBO₃:Eu³⁺ nano powders, we identified YBO₃:Eu³⁺ having particle size less than 100 nm. Based on the microstructure and micro Raman results, we confirmed the existence of YBO₃:Eu³⁺ in the scattering layer and found that it was dispersed uniformly. Through photovoltaic properties results, the maximum ECE was shown to be 5.20%, which can be compared to the value of 5.00% without YBO₃:Eu³⁺. As these results are derived from conversion of light in the UV range into visible light by employing YBO₃:Eu³⁺ in the scattering layer, these indicate that the ECE of a DSSC can be enhanced by employing an appropriate amount of YBO₃:Eu³⁺.