Facile route to prepare hybrid TiO2-SnO2 DSSCs

Using a hybrid sol–gel and electrospinning method, one-dimensional SnO2 nanostructures were fabricated with average diameters of 86 and 53 nm after calcination at 500 and 600 °C, respectively. The morphology and structure of the obtained materials were analyzed using transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM, SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the chemical composition was confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Based on BET and BJH analysis, the specific surface area and porosity of SnO2 nanowires were evaluated. The optical properties of the prepared materials were investigated by UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The analyses confirmed that polycrystalline SnO2 nanostructures composed of two polymorphic varieties tetragonal and rhombohedral were derived, whose calcination temperature had a significant effect on the diameter, specific surface area and energy gap width. The fabricated nanowires were added at 5 and 10 mg to P25 TiO2 paste and screen-printed onto FTO substrate. After drying and calcination, the TiO2 NPs-SnO2 NWs hybrid photoanode was charged with dye, electrolyte and platinum electrode were applied and its performance was investigated in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The study showed that the addition of 5 mg SnO2 increased the cell efficiency by 12% compared to the standard P25. The results presented in this study are a good base for further research and shows how important it is to work on the application of nanomaterials produced by the electrospinning technique, which will help to develop and increase the efficiency and competitiveness of DSSC.