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Comparative hydrothermal synthesis of CeO2 crystals for use in light-scattering layers of dye-sensitized solar cells

Submicrometer-sized CeO2 crystals were synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction method, aiming at their use as light-scattering layers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The morphology of the crystals was varied among a round-cornered cubic, a distinct cubic, or an octahedral shape by changing the synthetic conditions. The film formability and the light-scattering ability of the CeO2 crystals, which were coated on glass substrates by a squeegee method, were found to be dependent on their morphology according to the microstructural observation and the diffuse reflectance measurement. The effects of the CeO2 light-scattering layer were then examined for DSSCs using nanoparticulate ZnO electrodes with different thicknesses and sensitizer dyes, namely N-719 and N-749, with different absorption spectra. A short-circuit photocurrent density could be enhanced, for example, from 11.20 to 14.15 mA cm−2, by stacking the CeO2 layer on the ZnO electrode. The effectiveness of the light-scattering layer in the CeO2/ZnO electrodes was discussed based on the CeO2 crystal morphology and the CeO2 film microstructure after the systematic investigation.