Novel use of nanodiamonds as light-scattering material in dye-sensitized solar cells

The present study demonstrates the improved efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using nanodiamond (ND) light scattering properties for the first time. The challenge was to determine the effect of the ND layer in light scattering to yield significant improvement in DSSC power conversion efficiency. Tip sonication was used to disaggregate ND powder into submicron size aggregates and prepare the ND paste needed for screen-printing. Experimental testing was conducted to compare the structures with that of standard DSSC fabricated using the same method under the same conditions. The results indicate that short circuit current density and power conversion efficiency increased with the use of ND as a light scatterer. The best performance was obtained using a 1-1 ND-TiO₂₍₃₀₀₎ layer with a current density of 17.28 mA/cm² and a light-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 7.14 %. Improvement in efficiency of 74.5 % was obtained over the standard DSSC of pure TiO₂. These observations confirm that the ND layer can be independently applied as a light scattering layer.