Inorganic nanocrystal solar cells have been tagged as the next generation of synthesizers that have the potential to break new ground in photovoltaic cells. This synthetic route offers a safe, easy and cost-effective method of achieving the desired material. The present work investigates the synthesis of inorganic PbS sensitizers through a molecular precursor route and their impact on improving the conversion efficiency in photovoltaic cells. PbS photosensitizers were deposited on TiO2 by direct deposition, and their structure, morphologies and electrocatalytic properties were examined. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms PbS nanocrystal structure and the atomic force microscopy (AFM) displays the crystalline phase of uniform size and distribution of PbS, indicating compact surface nanoparticles. The electrocatalytic activity by lead sulfide, using N-di-isopropyl-N-octyldithiocarbamato (OCT) without hexadecylamine (HDA) capping (OCT-PbS) was very low in HI-30 electrolyte, due to its overpotential, while lead sulfide with OCT and HDA-capped (OCT-PbS/HDA) sensitizer exhibited significant electrocatalytic activity with moderate current peaks due to a considerable amount of reversibility. The OCT-PbS sensitizer exhibited a strong resistance interaction with the electrolyte, indicating very poor catalytic activity compared to the OCT-PbS/HDA sensitizer. The values of the open-circuit voltage (VOC) were ~0.52 V, with a fill factor of 0.33 for OCT-PbS/HDA. The better conversion efficiency displayed by OCT-PbS/HDA is due to its nanoporous nature which improves the device performance and stability.
Keywords: electrochemistry; molecular precursor; photovoltaic cells; semiconductor; thermal-decomposition.