Enhanced The Properties of ZnO Thin Film by Graphene Oxide for Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Applications

Abstract

In this present work, the effects of coating of graphene oxide (GO) at different concentrations (0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mg/ml) onto zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured were investigated. ZnO and ZnO coated with GO (ZnO/GO) were prepared using immersion method. The structural, morphology and optical properties of all samples have been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) and UV Vis spectroscopy. The peak obtained from the XRD pattern shows that all samples are in the hexagonal-wurtzite structure. The (002) peak shows the strongest intensity for all samples with the highest (002) peak obtained for the ZnO/GO sample coated at a GO concentration of 0.5 mg/ml. The diameter of ZnO/GO nanostructured samples decreased after coating with GO at concentrations of 0.2 to 0.5 mg/ml and the diameter increased again when ZnO nanostructures were coated with GO at above 0.5 mg/ml. The highest transmission spectrum was obtained for the ZnO/GO sample coated with GO at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml. In conclusion, the effect of GO coating on ZnO nanostructured can be changed at different concentrations of GO. The optimal properties of ZnO/GO may be suitable as a photoanode in DSSC applications.