Nandang Mufti, Fathurrakhman Ansar, Eni Latifah, Mudzakkir Dioktyanto, Atika Sari Puspita Dewi, M. Tommy Hasan Abadi, Eprilia Trikusuma Sari, Bagas Haqi Arrosyid, Alfian Noviyanto, Arramel
Photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) have the same working principle as solar cells which convert solar energy into electricity. PEC consists of photoanode, electrolyte, and counter electrode,where electrolyte plays an important role in determining PEC performance. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the most suitable electrolyte used due to its high ionic conductivity and chemically stable.In this study, YSZ was deposited to ZnO Nanorods (NRs) by doctor blade method with thickness variation of 100 μm (PEC10) and 120 μm (PEC12). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to distinguish the phase, morphology, and band gap of the formed materials, respectively. Moreover, I-V test was also conducted to evaluate the performance of the fabricated PEC with different YSZ thickness. SEM image confirmed the deposition thickness of YSZ layer on NRs which formed rough and irregular interface due to grain boundary fusion of YSZ and NRs. In addition, there is little difference XRD pattern from PEC10 and PEC12 which shows ZnO and YSZ peaks with peak shifting observed. Meanwhile, slight difference noticed on band gap value where PEC10 has 3.25 eV and PEC12 has 3.58 eV. Even though the characteristics of PEC10 and PEC12 are similar, the I-V test showed a significant difference of solar efficiency where PEC10 has higher efficiency of about 0.328% than PEC12. This difference is contributed by smaller grain size which has higher specific surface area and porosity. Based on this study, the thickness of electrolyte layer YSZ doesn’t affect the basic characteristic of PEC but affects the efficiency of PEC significantly. © 2023 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.
Physics Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No. 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Centre of Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Nano Center Indonesia, Jalan Raya PUSPIPTEK, South Tangerang, Banten, 15314, Indonesia
