Mohammad Hatta, Gita Rabelsa, Evi Nur Azizah, Rafi Musa Rizqullah, Hendry Minfui Lim, Imam Ali Firdaus, Jojo Hidayat, Shobih, Sudirman, Veinardi Suendo, Ferry Anggoro Ardy Nugroho, Yuliar Firdaus
In dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), charge recombination mainly occurs at the photoanode interface due to the defect-prone nature of the mesoporous TiO2. Therefore, tailoring the surface states of the TiO2 photoanode is critical for optimizing interfacial charge dynamics at the TiO2/dye/electrolyte interface, which directly affects device performance. A promising approach involves introducing a NiO coating layer to create a built-in gradient potential that promotes charge separation and suppresses back-electron transfer through spontaneous formation of n-TiO2/p-NiO heterojunctions. However, conventional NiO deposition methods are often complex, and the fundamental role of such coatings in modulating the TiO2 surface states and governing DSSC device physics remains insufficiently explored. Here, we report a cost-effective spin-coating process to fabricate NiO layers for TiO2 surface engineering. Systematic studies show that annealing at 400 °C with a 0.04 M precursor solution yields a NiO coating that effectively suppresses trap-assisted recombination and accelerates electron transport, thereby improving charge collection and extraction. The optimized NiO-coated photoanode delivers a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.83 %, representing a 23.8 % improvement over the control device with pristine TiO2 (3.71 %). This enhancement highlights the potential of NiO surface coatings and the scalability of our method for further DSSC advancements. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Advanced Functional Materials Research Group, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia; Research Center for Electronics, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bandung, 40135, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, 40154, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, 53122, Indonesia; Division of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, 401322, Indonesia; Institute for Advanced Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (INA-SMART), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia
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